Issue 2 2018

42
ingredients
climate change,” explains Rik
Kutsch Lojenga, Executive
Director of UEBT, who believes in
collaborative learning.
“Our project has brought about a
new awareness of sustainability
issues among all participants.”
One example is field irrigation,
which Capua 1880 initiated for
farmers following the analysis.
“The company has hired an
agronomist who ensures that more
sustainable cultivation methods
and good agricultural practices are
implemented and will install a
monitoring system,” explains Rik
Kutsch Lojenga. In the future, the
plants could possibly even be
irrigated underground. “This would
allow farmers to use resources
more efficiently, conserve water
and protect trees from disease
caused by mold and fungus.”
Capua 1880 has also purchased
30 hectares of land to be used for
experimenting with cultivation and
fruit innovations. The cultivation of
old bergamot varieties is also in
the pipeline in order to retain the
species’ genetic diversity, which
will ensure higher resilience for
future plants. At the same time,
the aim is to boost biodiversity in
the Reggio Calabria region, which
contains three microclimates. The
close proximity to the Ionian and
Tyrrhenian Seas supplies salty air
and a variety of winds, while the
different locations of the
plantations – at the seaside, on
flatlands and in the mountains –
ensure variations in temperature.
The result of this is a special
climate that supports the fruit
throughout its growth cycles. “We
need to make sure that we
maintain this diversity,” says Rik
Kutsch Lojenga. This also includes
reinforcing the typical landscape
by cultivating certain trees, plants
and herbs around the plantations
that, for example, prevent erosion.
Social aspects were a further part
of the analysis that Symrise
initiated with the environmental
organization. “Bergamot
represents Calabria, where many
small-scale farmers are
responsible for cultivation. It
provides a whole host of
opportunities to earn a living in a
region with a weak structure,”
explains the UEBT director. Capua
1880 supports farmers by paying
on a weekly basis, following
harvest, and negotiating prices for
a period of ten years with
Unionberg, the largest cultivation
cooperative. Farmers benefit from
reliable, predictable incomes, says
Rik Kutsch Lojenga. “As a result,
structures that enable sustainable
cultivation over the long term can
grow or establish themselves.”
With its activities in Calabria,
Symrise has made a key
contribution to enabling the
company to obtain citrus fruit from
a sustainable source in the future.
The classics – orange, lemon and
lime – will follow. Bergamot from
Calabria has long been a versatile
complement to the product
portfolio. For instance, its oil
provides perfumes and shower gels
with invigorating, fresh and longlasting
scents, Earl Grey teas with
their special character and many
other foods and beverages with
their unique twist – and will one
day also be used by Symrise
perfumers and flavorists in
countless fragrance and flavour
compositions at production and
development sites around the
world.
Farmers
Capua 1880 works with around
480 suppliers in Calabria, some of
whom have been cultivating
bergamot on their fields for
decades. Most of them belong to
the Unionberg cooperative, while
others, such as Luigi Framatino,
supply the company directly. The
citrus farmer, who also plants and
harvests mandarins, grapefruits
and lemons, has cultivated his six
hectares with bergamot trees, in
accordance with certified organic
standards. The 74-year-old says
that he wants to show Mother
Nature the respect she deserves,
so that she will supply healthy food
in return. Framatino is convinced
that environmentally friendly
methods are the best way to do
just that. He participated in the
first survey of the joint project of
Symrise and the Union for Ethical
BioTrade, which examined the
bergamot value chain. The result
for him: like many other farmers,
he wants to switch to underground
irrigation, for example, to conserve
resources and to make his
operations even more eco-friendly.
Production
The Capua 1880 factory is located
in an industrial area in Campo
Calabro. The company invested a
lot of money to develop a
production facility that meets the
latest standards. It is divided into
fragrance and flavour areas. In
addition to bergamot, the
company’s 70 employees also
process other fruits such as
oranges, lemons and mandarins.
The essential oils can be stored in
shiny silver tanks for up to twelve
months. And that is not easy –
citrus oils in particular are prone to
oxidation and therefore need to be
stored under a ‘lid’ of nitrogen.
Through a system of pipes, the oils
flow out of the storage containers
and into evaporators, separators
and distillation columns for
processing. Finally, employees
combine the oils to create finished
mixtures. Depending on ripeness
and harvest time, the products
have different fragrance profiles,
which the company standardizes in
accordance with customer
specifications. As an important
buyer, Symrise has very clear
ideas about bergamot oils – after
all, the company wants to use
them in very special fragrance and
aroma compositions around the
world.
Family
Capua 1880, which has been
supplying Symrise for years, is the
perfect example of a family
business. Gianfranco Capua has
been managing the company for
40 years, now accompanied by his
twin sons, Giandomenico and
Rocco; they represent the fifth
generation to successfully lead the
company, established in 1880, into
www.foodmagazine.eu.com issue two | 2018