Nudo Adopt-An-Olive Tree

Looking for gift ideas for the person who has everything, the food lover, eco-conscious individual or world traveler on the lookout for a new destination? Step into Nudo. A family-run co-operative between twelve small, artisanal olive producers Le Marche, Italy, Nudo offers the unique chance to own a little piece of the Italian countryside.

Instead of just buying olive oil, by adopting a tree, you can choose a specific olive variety, follow the progress of your tree for one year, support the local Italian family farmer, and (literally) taste the reward of your investment.

Once you adopt a tree from Nudo, you or the gift recipient will receive:
• A personalized adoption certificate and information booklet that describes the tree,
• Four 500ml tins of first cold press extra virgin olive oil from the tree in the spring (mid-April),
• Three 250ml tins of infused extra virgin olive oil (i.e. lemon, chile, orange) in the fall,
• An open invitation to come and visit, hug or water the tree in person.

The adoption and products cost only $109.00 (plus shipping), making it a thoughtful present or very reasonable group gift. To learn more about Nudo, adopt a tree or purchase oils, visit: www.nudo-italia.com.

More Background:
Olive growing has become more mechanized in recent years, which has led to both soil erosion and bland, mass produced oil. Because of this (and recent issues with lax regulations on olive oil origin), eco-conscious food lovers demand olive oil from small-scale, artisanal farmers. With Nudo, they know exactly where their oil comes from; right down to the GPS coordinates!

The reason why the adoption program is important for small-scale producers is that it offers them a higher degree of financial security. The core problem with small Italian olive growers is that the market is so swamped with olive oil, that the small farmers often low prices for their oil if they get to sell it at all. Nudo offers their olive producers the certainty of consistent, reliable payment at a fair price, and in turn, the farmers have the confidence to commit time and energy to maintaining and caring for the groves they love, without the annual uncertainty about whether they will find a market for their oil.

Nudo believes in respecting the environment and a majority of the groves are certified organic. A portion of the estate is set aside as forest to offset its carbon footprint and, additionally recycled tins are used as an environmentally friendly alternative to glass bottles.