Home > Nicola Robecchi and his mission as a Gastronome: improve the world of infusions with Wilden.herbals

 

What brought you to Pollenzo for your studies in Gastronomic Sciences and Cultures?
I started my journey in 2007, a little by chance. It was a time when I was looking for a path to take that could excite me and a friend on my return from the summer told me about UNISG. I liked cooking and eating and at the time I was passionate about craft beer. As soon as I discovered this course of study and saw the program, I realized that it was the University for me. I grew up in a food-conscious family. My parents always went to the markets and carefully chose the raw materials to cook. I was almost forbidden from having industrial products at home.

In Pollenzo I strengthened my values ​​even more. I understood what lies behind the scenes of the food supply chains and all the cultural value of food with respect to people who make it.

How did Wilden.herbals begin?
In addition to various study trips with the UNISG, such as in India and Canada, I left for Asia. That journey allowed me to get closer to the world of tropical crops, spices and even alternative drinks. In Italy we are very attached to coffee. All other drinks are secondary even if the world of tea is as rich as that of wine.

After a professional career in consulting, I developed the desire to understand what ‘making a product’ and running a company from scratch meant . The consultancy is very nice but it leads you to constantly make changes, every six months the project you work on changes. From 2016 I began to understand what it meant to have a company of herbal teas and infusions and how to work with plants, with medicinal herbs. Wilden.Herbal existed since December 2018. The entire first year was used to do all the development of the first products and the development of a strategy to launch the product in the 2019 market. We also had a boost thanks to the digital world, which allowed us to create a community passionate about our product.

I really believe I ended up doing this business because I tried, in my small way, to carry out a mission as a gastronome: try to improve the world of infusions, which the industry has trivialized for years by making bags mostly in powder and by adding aromas.

What values ​​of Pollenzo do you carry in your daily life?
With Wildes.herbals we have resumed the culture of infusions and medicinal herbs that had been carried on for centuries and which unfortunately had been somewhat lost with industrialization. The word gastronomy derives from Latin and means the pleasure of the stomach. Herbal teas have the same function. With wilden.herbals we want to convey the importance of having an education on plants that can allow us to live in a balanced and harmonious way. This knowledge, especially with the lifestyle we have today and the excessive consumption of food, may perhaps lead us to find alternatives to caffeine.

Today you continue to collaborate with UNISG and teach at the Master program, tell us about this experience and how it enriches you.
For the first time, a year ago, in 2021, I went back to UNISG not only to tell about my experience as a gastronome but also, and above all, to give a lesson on the topics that concern my company (therefore infusions and entrepreneurship). It is quite exciting to see that over the years UNISG has grown so much both in terms of didactic offer and in terms of practical impact in the world.

When I finished my studies, large companies began to take an interest in young students who graduated from Pollenzo. Today it is possible to see all the various friends and colleagues invited to UNISG to tell their experience and, as gastronomes, to pass on their growth path. It is nice to bring back value and share your experiences, after all, the gastronome profession is such a varied one!

What do you suggest to those who would like to undertake a course of study in gastronomic sciences and cultures?
One of the things I see a lot now that I am building this infusion company is that interviewing people who have studied at UNISG means finding yourself in front of people who have taken the time to reflect on many aspects of their daily life related to food. It is difficult to find this attention in other people who have undertaken different study paths, perhaps more technical or more scientific, but without a vision within the contents.

What I think is truly unique, if you find the energy to throw yourself into this world, is to realize that it is a way of no return! That is, we become aware that we can live better with very little and that eating well does not necessarily mean spending a lot of money. Sometimes it means taking the time to shop at the local market and talk to a craftsman or a producer. Maybe when I took this path I did it with a little recklessness but it is a path that I recommend to anyone.