"True to our tradition, we only use products that are in season and that we produce ourselves"

"The 'Conserve Dama' brand is easy to recognize thanks to our Lampadina cherry tomatoes, an authoctonous cultivar produced in Castellammare, in the province of Naples. In the same area, specifically in the Reggia di Quisisana, immersed in the salty air of the Gulf and the Monti Lattari, Ferdinand of Borbone had already created vegetable gardens and rich orchards. True to the tradition that is typical of this area and its crops, today, as in the past, everything is done in perfect harmony with nature. Fruit and vegetables are grown in soil that has not been treated with chemicals and weeded by hand," says Marianna D'Auria, a young agricultural entrepreneur and owner of the Conserve Dama processing company.

The Italian company was founded in 2015, specializing in growing tomatoes and processing them into homemade preserves. The land, rich in biodiversity, is located on the hill of Quisisana, just above the town of Castellammare di Stabia. This area is renowned for its healthy climate and panoramic views over the Gulf of Naples.

"Thanks to the generations that came before me, who were the keepers of ancient and invaluable cultivation techniques, today, on the hill of the Royal Palace of Quisisana, I can work on a closed supply chain, from planting to processing. Even the names of the cherry tomato ecotypes are the ones given and used by the local producers themselves, such as Lampadina and Pendolino, which have been traditionally grown in this area for centuries.

Hillside cherry tomatoes grow without irrigation, with low yields but high flavor, thanks to soils historically rich in groundwater. On the terraced land, the rows of cherry tomatoes are neatly arranged, with typical chestnut poles to support the tomato plants, where annual crop rotation is a must. The agricultural landscape has thus taken on the typical colorful connotation of many small productions, as opposed to the intensive and standardized cultivation of single cultivars.

"The weather in recent years," explains Marianna D'Auria, "has affected the production of agricultural products. In the case of cherry tomatoes, last year we had a rainy June followed by a dry August. A situation that put us on alert, especially since we do not irrigate our cherry tomatoes. Then, the season lasted until October, with temperatures that brought production back into balance. In any case, despite the climatic difficulties, we will never give up growing cherry tomatoes in protected greenhouses, because we believe that the flavor comes from open field production and natural sunshine."

"As for the confectionery line, a popular product is the Extra Lemon jam, available in 240-gram format, vacuum-processed without the addition of pectin, to which very thin citrus peels are added. Among the most popular flavors are also other references of beneficial fruits, processed without added sugar. Once, these were considered only for a niche of consumers, while today they meet a strong demand from a more informed consumer."

"Among the projects that will be carried out by May", concludes Marianna D'Auria, "is the creation of a point of sale inside the farm, where it will be possible to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, in view of the fact that many tourists are visitors of the Archaeological Museum of the Royal Palace. Besides tomatoes, there will be organic vegetables grown in open field, as well as seasonal jams and marmalades made from the luxuriant apricot, plum, orange, tangerine and lemon orchards that grow on the Quisisana hill. In keeping with tradition, we use only seasonal fruit and vegetables from our own production. Our products are appreciated by our longstanding and loyal customers, both through online sales and in gourmet pizzerias, starred restaurants and all food-related activities that pay close attention to quality and supply chain. We have also planted peach trees to produce artisan preserved peaches in syrup."