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“Valle dell’Oreto” Cooperative was founded in 2003 and can be found on the outskirts of Palermo, in what’s left of the famous “Conca d’Oro” (the “Golden Basin”); back in the 1930s, it used to be just a farm specialized in citrus fruits and medlars.

The current owners, the three young brothers Letizia, Stefano and Giovanni Marcenò, thoroughly manage the family business: on 25 acres located in two different areas of the “Conca d’Oro”, they grow local apples and pears, apricots, plums, grapes, pears, figs, blackberries, mulberries, pomegranates, almonds, pecan nuts, vegetables, broccoli, and, in particular, medlars: in fact, they’re among the major Italian producers of medlars, and bananas, as well as the very first.
Their products are collected and marketed through the “Campagna Amica” network and also directly sold at the company sales facilities.

As for medlars, a cultivation that began in the 1930s, the production begins in October with the thinning of the cluster flowers and, subsequently, with fruits still looking greenish. The harvest of the early varieties follows around March 19th and ending in mid-June.
In 1970, their grandfather Stefano identified and selected a cultivar officially called “Nespola Marcenò”: it features a large fruit, which can weigh up to 7 oz., with only one stone.

Banana production came later, namely with Musa capriciosa and Musa paradisiaca, brought here by the great-grandfather, a citrus fruit trader, from Latin America. Musa capriciosa is much longer than the more common Musa cavendishii and quite stockier; Musa paradisiaca is smaller and more rounded: when ripe, the bananas look straw-yellow like the classic varieties, but the pulp is fleshier, very sweet, and has a cinnamon aftertaste.

From April to September, the plants bear fruits, but in winter they somehow “hibernate” due to the frost. They are not treated with synthetic substances, while they receive a lot of water and are fertilized with organic material – depending on the climate, fertilization is made with organic products obtained from algae.

The actual yield is quite modest, so it is sold only in “Valle dell’Oreto” shop, on via Villagrazia 209/b (Palermo), along with medlars, seasonal vegetables and fine mushrooms.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)