In an exclusive interview with 150sec.com, Arsen Khachaturyants, CEO of Arsenio – a premium extra virgin olive oil, talked about sustainability as a philosophy for his company.
Originally a mathematician, Khachaturyants describes his company as an organic agricultural company based in Florence on one of the hills where Galileo Galilei once tried to find the speed of light.
Giving examples of places where his company pioneers sustainable practices, Khachaturyants said, “We have a special drainage system where we collect all the rain water and this rainwater is pumped into with filters and then we use it for gardens.”
The only time the company chooses to water the plants is when they’re young or just planted into the ground. “When they are five years old and it’s hot, then we might use a bit of water. But usually that’s the good thing about olives – in their essence, they are sustainable,” said Khachaturyants.
Surviving While Surrounded By Competition
Located at a short distance from Florence, Aresenio is surrounded by competition. Italy is one of the largest producers of olive oil in the world.
Addressing the intense competition his business faces Khachaturyants said, “one of our big differentiation factors is that we decided to produce one variety at a time.”
“In our case, we harvest each variety during different seasons,” he added. “It took us some time to just differentiate the olives.”
Explaining why the business is unique, he said, “Initially we took time to make the division of all olives into four main groups. Then each olive tree is looked after in a different way. Therefore, it takes a lot of time and labor just to be sure about each variety. That means we have not just one harvest, we have harvest after harvest for each variety, then we press it.”
Furthermore, describing organic practices he uses in his olive groves he said, “it takes at least four years if you’re lucky. It took us two and a half years because our land was untouched from the very beginning.”
Traditional Methods v/s New Technology
Talking about embracing technology, Arsenio CEO insisted, “Every year I look for the newest technologies which are available in the market.”
In order to use better technology, the company revealed that it has gone to the extent of lowering margins for itself.
Defying traditional methods, Khachaturyants said, “The best way of pressing them is using the latest technologies, which are much more expensive, and this is why we are arranged to invest more into better technologies.”
“I think it’s important to understand that when it comes to pressing the oil, there is no tradition there. It’s so many technologies. And you need to accept that because all your traditions are in the soil, in nature,” he added.
“Climate Change Is Here”
Khachaturyants admitted that the company has already faced repercussions of climate change. For example, the company has seen its harvest being postponed by one month.
“But after COVID, we started working on more logical ways of sustaining our sales because we understand that we have at least one or two months of a buffer zone,” Khachaturyants said.
He added, “I would say the rain patterns and also the temperatures really pose a challenge.”
