EDOARDO TARDIOLI’S INTERVIEW WITH KOSMETICANEWS.CO.UK MAGAZINE ON THE TOPIC OF CULTURE AND TERRITORY
WITH THE IDEA OF STARTING A TOTALLY SUSTAINABLE, HIGH-MARGIN CROP IN RELATION TO LAND AREA, EDOARDO TARDIOLI AND MATTIA VICARELLI BEGIN GROWING SAFFRON ON A SMALL FAMILY PLOT.
Both have backgrounds in agronomy: Edoardo recently graduated from the University of Perugia with a degree in Agribusiness Science and Technology with a specialization in Oenology, and Mattia is completing a similar degree at the same university.
We are in Umbria and the year is 2020, everything is at a standstill because of the pandemic, and the two young men want to react with a project that is innovative but deeply rooted in the tradition of their area, where saffron, Crocus sativus, has been cultivated since the Middle Ages, linked to the presence of the Knights Templar.
With the involvement of other young expertise, the idea of busiess is the use of the precious fire-colored stigmas in order to create a cosmetic line with a total content of natural ingredients and well connoted in terms of effectiveness. Formulations defined, with the preparation of a trial ‘zero batch’ Templarea was born.
Edoardo Tardioli, what were the start-up phases of the Templarea project?
It was exciting to find out that the very area where my grandfather’s farm is located has a vocation for saffron cultivation. I then wanted to question local historians to procure bulbs from the Umbrian territory. So I transplanted bulbs from Cascia for 60% and from Città della Pieve for 20%, finally I completed the first transplanting with bulbs from Maremma for a total of about 10000 pieces. This differentiation will allow us over time to understand which genetic variety develops the best productivity in relation to the specific soil and climatic conditions of my soil; it is also important for product quality but also for pathogen resistance. In fact, we have decided to adopt the organic method, which excludes the use of pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, although we are not certified for now, given the small size of the plot and the auroral stage of the project. Aspects of sustainability are very important to us: for soil fertility we adopt the practice of legume green manure. Weed removal is done by means of barnyard animals in late spring, with the advantage of further enriching the soil with their droppings, while during bulb sprouting it is done mechanically. The transplanting mode, on wedges, prevents water stagnation that is particularly harmful to bulbs.
What do we know about the cosmetic properties of saffron?
Studies concerning the cosmetic properties of some components of saffron can be found in the scientific literature, while little is known about the entire phytocomplex. It contains more than 150 volatile aromatic substances, including carotenoids such as crocetin, alpha-crocin, picrocrocin and safranal, vitamins A, B1 (thiamine) and B2 (riboflavin), substances with relevant antioxidant potential. In addition, preliminary feedback we have had from the finished zero batch products, which we have given to acquaintances for trial, including beauticians and organic retailers, shows surprising evidence: on acne and skin spots in particular, there are tangible improvements within a few days of continuous use. So there are very encouraging premises, and with the University of Perugia, which has already worked on saffron, we will undertake a project to connote the extract from the point of view of the composition and concentration of potential cosmetic actives and their skin properties.
How will the line be composed and when will you be in the market?
We are developing three balms with a waxy texture that liquefies in the heat of your fingers, and two creams, an A/O moisturizing emulsion and an O/A revitalizing one. For the packaging, we wanted to avoid plastic, because we want maximum consistency with a product made with high standards of naturalness and environmental care in the choice of ingredients and cultivation methods. The balms are thought to be packaged in aluminum, the creams in glass. Right now we are working on the industrialization of the formulas, which have already been developed as prototypes, looking for an industrial partner who can take care of the production but also the testing, the regulatory part and accompany us toward the launch of these innovative products.
As agronomists and entrepreneurs, do you see in the link that is being built between agriculture and the cosmetic world a role in improving the farm balance sheet through the enhancement of products and by-products?
Enhancement aspects guided our choices toward a high-yielding crop such as saffron. We were interested in a transformation that would allow us to process our product locally, but the culinary tradition of our region does not use this spice, so we thought of something alternative but related, such as cosmetics. It is difficult to be able to properly enhance the product of agriculture, it is true. If this aspect is missing, the margins are gone, so it becomes crucial to be able to value by-products as well. Reduced marginality is one of the causes of the abandonment of agricultural work, which is already very hard in itself: the risk of seeing Italian agricultural production collapse with the next generational transitions is high. But it is at the same time an interesting challenge for young people to build a new agricultural civilization, according to innovative, circular and sustainable concepts, in which by-products also enter production chains and are not considered waste. Concepts that, in addition to being in line with the changes demanded by the ecological transition, are also in key with the Italian territory and its tradition of small local excellences, particularly developed in hill and mountain areas, where seeking quality is a necessity linked to small areas. The abandonment of agriculture represents the loss of a part of our cultural heritage, a reduction in the biodiversity of crops that is crucial to responding resiliently to climate change, as well as the loss of the role as custodians of the land that farmers have always played by helping to combat hydrogeological disruption. The cosmetic is a high value-added, technological and innovative finalization not only for an already valuable product such as saffron but also for so many scraps that are not currently exploited, thus representing yet another way, alongside the food and wine chain, to talk about a territory and its riches.