| In history's heart | ||||
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Masseria del Feudo was born as a farm in 1906, when Salvatore Cucurullo (great-grandfather of Francesco and Carolina) bought a large part of Princes Branciforti lands. Branciforti family was one of the most important noble family in Sicily. His son Francesco, after he inherited part of the lands, gives a new and pioneering face to Sicilian agriculture. Thanks to his strong and resolute personality he starts a new path for Masseria del Feudo. He suggested those solutions, mainly in zootechnics, which will give the company an impetus of growth and modernisation by an attentive selection of cows breed and by participating to international exhibitions. This kind of agriculture tries to have an entrepreneurial approach, with verticalisation and production lines being instruments and values. Modernisation programme of cows feeding is made through forage production and its storage in silos. In this way productivity and organisation of the stock-farm is enhanced. Francesco also starts a gradual increase of land cultivation, by converting large areas of cereals cultivation into olive groves, vineyards and almond trees cultivation. When he decided to buy the first mechanical agriculture tools, he made an important choice towards growth and innovation. Francesco Cucurullo’s life has been devoted to the land and to a new kind of agriculture which created a new economy. During his management, Masseria became an example to many and he was even praised by the Minister of Agriculture for productivity and added value he was able to give to the territory. Territory in south-centre Sicily were large-estates extensively cultivated with cereals. Masseria makes a real cultural revolution by creating one of the first cow breeding centre for milk production. And together with grains cultivation, olive groves and vineyards are added, but also almond trees and fruit trees. Masseria has the aim of innovating production processes, searching for new markets and experimentation. It becomes in few years one of the best achievement of Sicilian agriculture businesses. Sicilian agriculture’s history is the history of Sicilian people. The deep transformation of Sicilian economy which took place in the second half of 1900, is strongly tied to agriculture. Main characters of this cultural revolution are family-owned farms, like Masseria del Feudo, that introduced entrepreneurial management in agriculture. Today, Masseria del Feudo is managed by Francesco and Carolina Cucurullo who, together with their father, promote a project of innovation and diversification, according to family tradition. The project for their land, on a surface of 110 hectares, refers to different cultivations and wants to innovate and verticalise different production lines: wine, fruit, olive oil production and animal breeding. Masseria del Feudo, created in old rural buildings which have been renovated, is located in the middle of an extraordinary floral landscape, surrounded by green hills. |
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