From basil to pesto in a fully digital supply chain
31 July 2024
What we are going to tell you is a remarkable family story rooted in the land of the Azienda Agricola Serre sul Mare, owned by A. Ferrari and S. Bruzzone.
For nearly two centuries, “the Cini” (nickname’s grandparents) have devoted themselves with passion and expertise to the cultivation of basil. Since 1827, the company has grown basil in Genova Pra’, gradually expanding production to the terraced hills of Prà starting in the early 20th century, where the first greenhouses were introduced to enable throughout the year basil cultivation.
In 2003, the basil processing activity arises with the company Il Pesto di Prà, which is specialized in producing fresh Pesto, according to the traditional Genoese recipe.
The relationship with Technophylla began in 2023, when Serre sul Mare decided to digitalize its basil cultivation processes.
With SMARTFarming5.0, machinery and processes for sowing, transplanting, harvesting, cutting for pesto, and bouquet packaging are monitored, controlled, and tracked. The daily production batch of 800 kg of basil leaves is transferred to Il Pesto di Prà for transformation into Pesto Genovese.
In 2024, the company Il Pesto di Prà also decided to digitalize its production processes and adopted RETUNER® technology, provided by Orchestra, the parent company of Technophylla, specialized in Industry 4.0 and 5.0 projects.
With RETUNER®, machinery and processes for sanitation, washing, grinding, mixing, distribution of pesto along the packaging lines, and plant cleaning are monitored, controlled, and tracked. The daily production batch of 1,000 kg of Pesto Genovese, packaged in various formats, is stored before being sent into the distribution chain.
“With the digital solutions offered by Technophylla and Orchestra, we have optimized our production processes, both in the greenhouse and in processing and packaging, achieving more efficient process management and more accurate product traceability throughout the entire supply chain,” says Stefano Bruzzone, one of the owners.
“All elements that help us position ourselves competitively in the agri-food market.”
