A smartphone application, dedicated to traceability of extra virgin olive oil produced by monumental Apulian olive trees. It was created through a pilot project by the Quality and Markets Association Service of the Agriculture Department, rural and environmental development of Puglia regionIn partnership with Mermec Engineering.
“Let's introduce a true innovation in the world of extra virgin olive oil production in terms of traceability – underlined the regional councilor for agriculture Donato Pentassuglia – which I hope will be perceived positively by the entire sector and which is fully part of a logic of promotion of the centuries-old olive tree and the oil produced from centuries-old olive trees. It is a complex mosaic, which concerns the protection and valorisation of our productions and our plants. With the Ulìa App we make the consumer aware of the purchase and use technological knowledge to tell the story of our monumental olive trees. I certainly hope that this type of experimentation can also be included in a brand perspective, given that the centuries-old olive tree is highly appreciated also in light of the upcoming events planned in Puglia".
Five agricultural companies participated in the project (Columella Agricultural Company, Masseria Brancati, Masseria Asciano, Tenuta Chianchizza and Annese Agricultural Company) who produce extra virgin olive oil in the Piana degli Olivi Monumentali of Puglia. The trees were identified, regularly surveyed and after the harvesting procedures, the milling took place in micro-mills, capable of milling even just 50 kilos of olives. In total they were harvested in the 2023 olive oil campaign on the 14 monumental trees involved in the experiment, 1.298 kilograms of olives, equal to 150,4 liters of extra virgin olive oil and 469 bottles of various sizes.
Consumers simply scan the QR code present on the collar of the 100, 250 and 500 ml oil bottles and will be able to view, through theUlia App, the monumental olive trees from which the olives were harvested, the different phases of production, the accompanying photos and the profile of each of the five farms that participated in the experimentation. A series of information that gives added value on the market to a very high quality extra virgin olive oil and that allows for conscious traceability, capable of also conveying the beauty of the territory where the monumental olive trees live, despite the attack of the Xylella bacterium annoying.
The experimentation activated with the creation of the Ulìa App, intended for the documented traceability of EVO oil from Puglia, is fully included in the activities envisaged by Regional Law no. 14/07 "Protection and enhancement of the landscape of the monumental olive trees of Puglia" and will continue throughout 2024, with a new harvest and milling, with a high level of recognition of the green gold of Puglia and the territory that has been capable of generating it for centuries .
The results of the digital testing of the Ulìa App were presented by the councilor Donato Pentassuglia, Together with Luigi Trotta, manager of the Competitiveness Section of the Agri-food Supply Chains of the Agriculture Department, Francesco Matarrese, responsible for the procedure for the App Ulìa project, Apollonia Netti, Software Development & System Integration Manager – Mermec Engineering, Walter Maselli, contract execution director for InnovaPuglia.
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