I put my hands in the ground and never took them out again
“I sunk my hands in the earth and never took them out again.” This is how Valentina Stinga describes the change in her life that led her to become an agricultural entrepreneur in her home town of Sorrento and then, in August 2023, to be elected as the new President of Coldiretti, a free trade association of agricultural entrepreneurs and farmers, for Naples and the surrounding province. “When I was elected, not only was I the first woman president, but I was also pregnant. This sent out a meaningful message, because Coldiretti represents so many producers, and among them there are families who have farmed for generations, and have a very traditional mentality,” she adds.
Her new position is the latest step in a career born of passion. After graduating in economics and management from Bocconi University, Stinga decided to return to Sorrento and open the Rareche Farm. “For a while I worked in my family’s railway company, but after a year I left and joined Booking.com, where I was an account manager.” But the sales role did not suit her. “I traveled a lot and it was nice, but I felt like I was almost a vacuum cleaner seller; it wasn’t for me.”
She continues: “In 2017, I started an agricultural production business as a hobby on the small family plot in Sorrento that my father had bought while I was studying in Milan. I never thought that the land would become my career.” Stinga started by selling boxes of mixed vegetables, zucchini and tomatoes, to friends and family. Thanks in part to a Il Sole 24 Ore Masters in Social Media Management, she is able to tell her story effectively through a blog and social media. Post by post, her customer base grew and, with the support of Coldiretti, an idea took shape: selling ‘transformed’ products online, in other words, canned products that are easier to manage in terms of logistics and shipping. “I realized the potential of e-commerce and started to study. I am a sommelier of olive oil, another transportable product that I produce, and then I learned about the entire agricultural value chain,” she adds. She launched e-commerce in 2020, two weeks before the first lockdown, and saw an unexpected boom.
“Many people told me I was crazy to come back to Sorrento, but instead I had a path that also led me to build international networks. Thanks to my proficiency in English, in 2019 with Coldiretti I went to Tel Aviv for the Agritech fair. And in 2021 I told my story at the FAO and UN Food Summit in Rome, the Deputy Secretary General decided to listen to my story, along with a representative of South African enterprises.” Stinga then attended the G20 meeting on agriculture in Florence, proving that there is a place for women in agriculture.
“In many regions of Italy, I’m thinking of Veneto and Campania, we women account for almost 50 percent, especially in ancillary activities such as agritourism and hospitality. With an eye to social issues as well. Just think that some farms now also serve as shelters for women workers who live in the area.” Her election as president of Coldiretti Naples demonstrates that this is a viable path. She tells younger people: “In agriculture, there are no easy pickings. It’s a hard road and you need a lot of patience. I’m impulsive by nature, but the land has taught me to respect nature’s rhythms. It’s the same with your career, one step at a time,” she concludes.
