SELF-WILDING LAB

The creative fermentation lab on Etna: live kombucha fermented with volcanic water, combining science, alchemy, and the land.

A Costa Rican agronomist, a Sicilian engineer, and a village of forty souls on a volcano: fermentation as a cultural adventure.

The Volcano Lab: The Story of Selvatica Lab

In the village of Presa, a hamlet of Piedimonte Etneo—just over forty souls suspended between chestnut groves and the breath of the volcano—an unusual laboratory pulsates with microbial life. Here, among ancient wine presses and mineral springs, on the northeast slope of Etna, Selvatica Lab creates its "fermented volcanic elixirs": vibrant and surprising kombuchas, the fruit of a project of research, observation, and passion that combines scientific knowledge with the alchemical understanding of fermentation. Because, as the founders like to say, "fermentation is not just a biological process, it's a cultural adventure"—and each bottle expresses the sensory profile of a living, breathing territory.

Leonor and Marco: the alchemist and the engineer

Leonor Corrales Retana grew up among her family's cafetales in Costa Rica, where nature and agricultural tradition shaped her life. An agronomist and food technologist with years of university research under her belt, she is the alchemist behind Selvatica Lab, capable of transforming every batch into an explosion of flavor without ever losing sight of the rigor of the scientific method. Marco Pilato, a Sicilian engineer with a natural curiosity, has a contagious passion for fermentation and foraging: for him, everything is connected—between microorganisms, cultures, and flavors. They met in Pisa as students, nurtured their passion at home between cider and fermented vegetables, and in 2021, they left everything for Sicily, with a dream to ferment.

Bagol'Area: relations in turmoil

The turning point came almost by chance, with the encounter with the Bagol'Area Farm: "It was love at first sight. Their motto is 'bubbling relationships,' and that's exactly what you need to do business in Sicily," Marco recalls. In that agricultural hub, Selvatica Lab took shape and grew like a SCOBY—a living intertwining of presences, a porous threshold where different cooperators chose to walk together, respecting and listening to one another. From the nearby Cantina Il Malandrino, a producer of natural wine, the two inherited a precise vision: to process tea like grapes. "Many are inspired by the world of beer, but we prefer to approach kombucha like wine."

Volcanic water, teas from around the world, and winemaking methods

Selvatica Lab's kombuchas are made from infusions of black, green, and white teas selected primarily in Malawi, with additions from Japan, Mongolia, and the Azores, enriched with locally harvested flowers, herbs, and fruits. Fermentation occurs in small batches with local volcanic spring water, pure and with a surprising minerality that adds body without adding anything. In a process that lasts one to three weeks, yeasts and bacteria transform the sugars into a balance of acidity, smoothness, and complexity; the second fermentation continues in the bottle, pét-nat style, creating a fine, integrated effervescence. Winemaking techniques—pumping over and disgorging according to the Classic Method—complete lively, unpasteurized beverages, profound and wild like the land they come from.

A line that cannot be defined

The regular line features five kombuchas available year-round, alongside seasonal editions like the one made with post-harvest pomace: from Luisella, a blend of black teas and lemon verbena, to Flor with peony petals and exotic fruits, to the surprising Funky Rosita—a tea-free kombucha inspired by rosé wines, made with pink Malawian hibiscus, rosa gallica, and Sichuan pepper. The more gourmet 75cl line approximates the profile of a living wine. The result lacks the arrogance of wine, nor the pretentiousness of beer, nor the cloying innocence of an infusion: "Each of our kombuchas is alive and reflects the moment the raw material is harvested. There is no standardization: the flavor changes every year, because nature changes."

Why Choose Selvatica Lab

Choosing Selvatica Lab means drinking a local terroir: live, unpasteurized kombuchas, fermented with volcanic water from Mount Etna and select teas from around the world, crafted in small batches using the oenological method and bottled in the pet-nat style. For Marco and Leonor, fermentation "is sustainable, it's good for you, it's right": every bottle embodies research, roots, and the freedom of a flavor that evolves with nature.

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