A story of resilience that speaks through one of the most passionate colors of the Sicilian rainbow. A narrative painted in red. Red like saffron. Red like the fiery soul of women when they throw themselves headlong into life. Passion that lights up at night, when small and skilled hands move quickly through the earth picking one of the most fragrant flowers that nature offers us, saffron.
It is Santa Gangi who represents the new generation of a company from the Sicilian hinterland, such as “Terra Sikana”, for which the earth is mother and, as such, generously bestows its wonders.
«I fell in love with saffron when I understood its strength – she herself says, sharing her story with those who participated in the “Festival on Pastoralism”, promoted by CREA with the “National Rural Network” and by the “Riabitare l’Italia” association –. Ours is a cereal company, whose position is strategic, being in the territory of Petralia Sottana, but very close to Resuttano, in the province of Caltanissetta».
A family story that becomes inebriated with the scent of saffron after a long journey
«The two protagonists are Santa and Giuseppe, – we read in the narrative offered by the site – husband and wife who, in addition to mutual love and two children, have very little land. In 1962 their third child was born and, after a few months, Giuseppe left for Germany to seek his fortune. He decided that, with the money saved, he would buy the land he saw before leaving and that it would become the tool for building their farm. Santa remains in Sicily and, here alone but also with a lot of willpower, she takes care not only of the three children but also of the land».
Finally Giuseppe returns home and, as promised before leaving, buys the desired land where he moves his family so as not to leave again.
«After years of sacrifices, the children, now older, decide to give a new imprint to the company. They dedicated themselves to cattle breeding for a long time; then, they buy their first tractor and are convinced that the most profitable path will be that of agricultural production. They purchased more land, built the first blocks of flats and, in the 1980s, found themselves with a beautiful and profitable company. They create the first company warehouses and increase the fleet of machines. In 1990 the first grandson was born and, with him, the third generation of the Gangi family began.”
Roots that look to the future
There is no doubt, unity has always been the strong point of this family. The aim is always to strengthen and grow Santina and Giuseppe’s company who, in the meantime, have delegated everything to their children, however, without ever taking their eyes off their work and always guiding them. From 2000 onwards, the company and affairs will be managed exclusively by the children. Cars are renewed, ownership increases, but above all they educate everyone to love family and nature. It is Santa and Giuseppe, the grandchildren of grandmother Santina and grandfather Giuseppe, currently the third generation in the company, who want “Terra Sikana” to grow and flourish, doing what they love, that is cultivating the land.
But what is most striking about “Terra Sikana”?
«Which vindicates the fact that saffron, in Italy, is not produced as is thought in Abruzzo and Sardinia. Few, however, know that it arrived in Sicily first and this already starting from the fact that the Arabs landed in our land between the 19th and 20th centuries. From this point of strength, I built everything that our company is today».
With a strongly feminine imprint
«Certainly, with a great desire to innovate. My grandfather raised cows, while my father and my uncles had introduced cereal crops. I, however, understood that traditional agriculture no longer worked and that we needed to innovate. The area is strongly characterized by aromatic herbs, so here is saffron, but aiming to create a network between the productive realities of the territory».
A tenacity that usually belongs to women
«It is certainly a characteristic of our family, but also of my character. I inevitably had to prove it when they came to offer me unacceptable purchase conditions: 8 euros per gram when we are between 20 and 50 euros per gram. I remained firm on this point and time has proven me right because today my clientele is made up of small restaurants that protect and offer excellence. Of course, the road is longer, but for 8 years our work has been rewarded by the satisfaction of speaking to those who understand what lies behind what arrives on their tables».
A flower, saffron, in which there is all the magic of darkness
«This is also its charm – continues Santa Gangi -. The flowers are harvested at night, strictly by hand, around the first half of November. Everything must happen before the calyx opens and the stigmas, i.e. the female elements of the flower, which carry the precious dust, can be ruined. The flower, in fact, resists no longer than 12 hours, so immediately afterwards it is necessary to proceed with the grazing, that is, the separation of the stigmas from the corollas. We then move on to drying them and then storing them in hermetically sealed containers, to be kept in a dry place. It is not possible to quantify how much will be harvested because cultivation takes place over many years. To understand better: The bulbs are planted one year, but the following year they will not be uprooted because, by keeping them planted in the ground, production will increase each season, so that there will be more and more flowers. A crescendo, which we witness almost magically involving everyone, no one excluded. There is not a family member who is exempt from the collection. Nobody sits idle, not even for a minute».
What is your favorite moment?
«Definitely the night. I like the impact with the earth, getting my hands dirty knowing I can bring out a wonderful excellence from the hills of the Sicilian hinterland, which makes our dishes a whirlwind of emotions. A magic unique, that everyone should experience, even if it is certainly not for everyone.”
The images are taken from the “Terra Sikana” company website
