PATEA FARM

Three generations of bergamot in Brancaleone, in the heart of Calabria's Ionian coast.

From plant to essential oil: a supply chain that never leaves the territory

One hundred kilometers of coastline and nothing else in the world

There are crops that grow everywhere and crops that grow in only one place. The Reggio Calabria bergamot belongs to the latter category: the area where it thrives extends for about one hundred kilometers along Calabria's Ionian coast, from Villa San Giovanni to Monasterace, and beyond that point the plant thrives but doesn't produce the same fruit. It's a question of climate, sea breeze, soil, and exposure—a unique balance that no one has ever managed to replicate elsewhere. In Brancaleone, in the very heart of this area, the Patea Farm has been cultivating bergamot for three generations.
 
 
 

Carmela, Fabio, and a family that never stopped

Brancaleone is a small town home to businesses that have carried the name of a small town around the world, and Azienda Agricola Patea is one of them: since 2007, it has been a leading producer and marketer of the prized "green gold," Reggio Calabria bergamot. The company is rooted in tradition and has grown over time with the passion and tenacity typical of Calabrian people, and with the desire to build something significant in their homeland. The story of Patea, carried on by Carmela and Fabio, is the story of a family that continues—despite the achievements—to work with authenticity and a deep love for the Calabrian citrus culture, without sacrificing solid entrepreneurial and managerial qualities.
 
 
 

Green gold, a fruit unlike any other

Bergamot is an unusual citrus fruit. It's not eaten like an orange, and its peel contains what makes it unique: an essential oil with an unmistakable citrus-yet-floral scent. For centuries, it has been one of the most sought-after ingredients in international perfumery, lending its name and character to Earl Grey tea. In recent decades, however, bergamot has moved beyond being just a fruit used in perfumery: its juice, long considered a byproduct of manufacturing, has become the focus of research and a new food trend. From an invisible ingredient in a bottle, it has returned to being a product you can taste.
 
 

 
 

A supply chain that is controlled step by step

Patea directly oversees every step: from selecting the fresh fruit, extracting the essential oils, processing and bottling the juices, and packaging. The production facility covers approximately 4.500 square meters and includes extraction plants, processing and bottling lines, industrial refrigeration systems, and over five hundred meters of cold storage for the preservation and storage of frozen juices, as well as an area entirely dedicated to selecting and grading the fresh fruit. Modern facilities and controlled processes are implemented with a precise objective: quality, traceability, and consistency over time, because an essential oil must be identical year after year.
 
 
 

Two hundred producers, a single territory

The company owns fifteen hectares of bergamot groves, but its role in the region is much broader: over time, it has become a point of reference for over two hundred local producers who supply their fruit each year. The quantities processed speak for themselves—approximately 5.000 tons of conventional bergamot, equivalent to approximately 20 tons of essential oil, and 2.500 tons of organic bergamot, equivalent to approximately 10 tons of organic essential oil. The company employs over twenty people, a number that grows significantly during harvest season. Behind these figures is a simple and important fact: two hundred families who continue to grow bergamot because someone buys it, processes it, and brings it to the world.
 
 
 

Research, universities and the PATEA Group

In recent years, the company has invested in research and collaborations with several Italian universities to further explore the properties, benefits, and potential applications of Reggio Calabria bergamot and its derivatives. The rigorous selection of raw materials, largely organic, and constant monitoring of every stage of production have always guaranteed the quality, traceability, and authenticity of the final product. In 2025, the PATEA Group was founded, an integrated entity encompassing the entire bergamot supply chain: from direct relationships with local producers to the processing and marketing of the essential oil and its main derivatives on national and international markets. This short and controlled supply chain model is designed to offer reliability, continuity, and certified quality, while simultaneously enhancing the local area and its farming community.
 
 

 
 

The bergamot that reaches here

There's a special satisfaction in bringing to the table a fruit that grows only in one corner of the world, and that for decades has only been left in that corner as an essence in a bottle. At Al Passo Food you can find the products of thePatea Farm: the Bergamot of Reggio Calabria from a family that has grown it, processed it, and talked about it for three generations, along the hundred kilometers of coast where it truly feels at home.
 
 
 

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