PILLAR Stakeholders

Agricola Don Camillo was founded in 2005 by a group of farmers in Brescello, Italy, with a focus on melons and watermelons. Driven by a deep connection to the land and a passion for quality fruit, the company grew rapidly, becoming a key supplier for major Italian and European retailers. Over time, it expanded its range to include pumpkins, allowing for year-round production. By 2016, it had become a producers’ organisation with over 50 members across Italy, marketing over 55,000 tons annually. In 2018, it added citrus fruits, such as oranges and clementines, and invested in new facilities in Puglia. In 2020, a warehouse was opened in Sicily. By 2022, the company introduced innovative fruits like Limelon, Dino melon, Froggy, and yellow watermelon, solidifying its role as a modern, diversified fruit and vegetable supplier.

Op Agritalia is an organisation that unites fruit and vegetable producers from Puglia, Basilicata, and Sicily. They cultivate their products with respect for the environment, following certified integrated and organic farming practices. Their controlled supply chain ensures high-quality produce that promotes consumer well-being. Innovation is a strategic priority, with ongoing investment in grape varietal selection and zero-residue production. They are also committed to social responsibility, developing agricultural inclusion projects that support the integration and legalisation of marginalised individuals.

Carino Mele is a farming company based in the heart of Valtellina and the Alps, specialising in apples grown exclusively in the province of Sondrio. The company manages 30 hectares of orchards located between Ponte in Valtellina and Tresivio, on the Rhaetian side of the valley. It also collaborates with local growers farming at over 400 meters above sea level in central and upper Valtellina—an area historically known for its ideal apple-growing climate.

Società semplice agricola F.lii Anni

Ditta Onnis Giuseppe

This cooperative has been processing and marketing fruit and vegetable products, mainly citrus fruits and stone fruits, since its founding in 1974. Initially based in Villacidro, it has operated since 1981 in purpose-built facilities in the S’Acqua Cotta area. Recognised as a Producers’ Organisation (OP) since 2004 and certified UNI EN ISO 9001/2000 since 2006, the cooperative provides support, processing, and marketing services for its members’ produce. Over the years, it has become a key player in the regional fruit and vegetable sector, combining tradition with certified quality standards.

Azienda Agricola F.lli Carpentiere SRL

Located in the heart of Puglia, Agrimessina has been producing and marketing table grapes for over 50 years. Founded by Francesco Messina to export fresh Apulian products worldwide, the company now focuses primarily on seedless grape varieties. As one of the pioneers in Italy to test seedless cultivation, Agrimessina has become a national leader in the sector. Its main export markets are the UK and Germany, supplying major retail chains. With advanced packaging technology, high-yield grape varieties, and close attention to detail, the company delivers consistent, high-quality service to its loyal clients.

Founded in 2007 by two friends, both named Raffaele, 2 Erre is the result of decades of combined experience. The company specialises in vegetables, grapes, and potatoes—products that reflect the rich agricultural heritage of the South-Eastern Bari area. Through careful production, processing, and global market positioning, 2 Erre has elevated these local crops to international recognition. Its success is rooted in deep market knowledge, fertile lands, and meticulous handling. From the start, the company has aimed to promote and deliver top-quality products, supported by cutting-edge technologies and key certifications ensuring safety and excellence.

O.P. Jonica was founded in April 2005 and officially recognised under EC Regulation 2200/96 by December of the same year. The organisation practices agriculture that respects nature, emphasising the nutritional, health, and ethical value of its work. It cultivates approximately 400 hectares of land under organic farming standards, following EC Regulation 834/2007. Their expert producers benefit from a specialised, widespread technical support network, ensuring high-quality organic production aligned with natural processes.

Cooperativa Volpedo Frutta markets 75% of the fruit production from the Curone, Grue, and Ossona Valleys. Their crops include peaches, apricots, cherries, pears, tomatoes, and potatoes, all of which are grown using integrated pest management. Fruits are harvested fully ripe and delivered to consumers within 24 hours, without the need for refrigeration. The highlight of their production is the large, juicy Volpedo peaches, renowned for their intense aroma and balanced sweet-acid taste, which are harvested from late June to late August. They also produce extra jams using low-temperature cooking and minimal sugar, preserving the original colour, flavour, and aroma of the fruits.

Catenacci Volpi Nicola

University of Hertfordshire | United Kingdom

His research focuses on developing new algorithms for distributed and probabilistic artificial intelligence within a bounded rationality framework. He applies these methods to planning, control, machine learning, computer vision and multi-agent systems with resource constraints and uncertainty. The work involves neural networks, Markov decision-making, reinforcement learning, probabilistic graphical models, machine reasoning, information theory and statistical physics. The research also explores applications in robotics, cognitive science and complex systems.

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Daniel Polani

University of Hertfordshire | United Kingdom

His research focuses on understanding and replicating how animals and humans make flexible decisions in complex environments, adapting easily to changing conditions. They seek to understand whether it is possible to incorporate learning capabilities without sacrificing generalisation or relying on hand-coded rules. The work seeks to identify general principles of intelligent information processing in living beings, which can be applied broadly rather than through specific solutions. To this end, methods from artificial life and information theory are used and applied to sensor evolution, collective behaviour and complex systems.

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Giulio Sandini

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia | Italy

Giulio Sandini is the Founding Director of the Italian Institute of Technology and a full professor of bioengineering at the University of Genoa. His research encompasses biological and Artificial Vision, Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience, and Robotics, with a focus on the neural mechanisms underlying sensory-motor coordination and cognitive development. Known for his multidisciplinary approach, he collaborates internationally with neuroscientists and developmental psychologists. Sandini has authored over 300 publications, holds 30 patents, and has coordinated global projects since 1984. He has chaired major conferences and served on evaluation committees for research agencies and journals worldwide.

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Lorenzo Jamone

University College London | United Kingdom

He is an Associate Professor of Robotics and AI at University College London (UCL), leading the CRISP group, and Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) associated with ARQ. His research focuses on cognitive robotics, creating intelligent robots inspired by human cognition and testing computational models on robots. A key area of interest is “hand intelligence”, which includes visual-apt perception, object exploration, grasping, dexterous manipulation, tool use, hand-eye coordination, physical interaction and non-verbal communication.

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Rania Rayyes

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – Institute for Material Handling and Logistics (IFL) | Germany

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rania Rayyes is a Junior Professor at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), leading the AI & Robotics research group at the Institute for Materials Handling and Logistics and Innovation Campus Future Mobility since December 2022. She teaches courses on Machine Learning for Robotic Systems. Her research focuses on online learning and adaptation in physical robotics, sim-to-real transfer, autonomous learning methods, human-robot learning, including imitation and teleoperation, and vision-based deep learning for object recognition, detection, and segmentation.

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