The farmer who left the world of finance to produce olive oil (one of the best in Italy)

"My story is one of numbers and risks, of graphs and bets, of markets and finance. And then, on the threshold of 50, the choice to abandon all of this to pursue 'Plan A'. Without yet knowing, however, what this Plan A actually was." Andrea Gentili, owner of the Umbrian company Gea 1916 in Bevagna (PG), tells us about his life-changing decision and his passion for olive growing. His company won the “Novità dell’Anno” award in the Oli d’Italia 2025 guide by Gambero Rosso.

The journey in search of a "Call" from the past

"Those who explore the world of olive growers and oil millers often hear stories of work, passion, and commitment passed down from generation to generation. But that is not my story."

Andrea Gentili’s story is different: olive growing has played a major role only in recent years, with his farm established in 2022. Before that year, his life was completely absorbed by his career as a foreign exchange trader, which he left to chase, more than a dream, a feeling. A desire to return to his roots, to the woods, to the connection with nature that his mother had introduced him to from a young age:

"The years when, as a child, I would go mushroom hunting with my mother in the hills around Lake Maggiore were the ones that shaped me. I began to scan the undergrowth until I could finally see what had already caught her eye. That was when the seed was planted—remaining dormant for a very, very long time."

It was a kind of ancestral “call” that provided the necessary push for such a radical life change.

The restoration of a piece of land

Andrea Gentili’s agricultural adventure also involves restoring an area where a small village once stood but had long been abandoned.

"Years ago, deep within dense chestnut forests and accessible only by crumbling paths, I bought the remains of a small ancient village that had been abandoned in the 1600s, when the arrival of the plague forced its inhabitants to seek refuge in the mountains. The previous owners had bought those ruins with the intention of demolishing them to build terraced houses, but they suddenly went bankrupt. I saw it as a kind of rebellion by the forest, resisting a fate that had not yet been written."

Today, Gentili’s estate is a remarkable reality in the heart of Valle Umbra, on a hill near Bevagna, one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy. The farm spans 140 hectares, 17 of which are cultivated with olive trees—4,500 trees of both native and non-native varieties, including Moraiolo, Frantoio, Leccino, San Felice, and Pendolino.

Plans for the near future

But the work does not end with oil production:

"I am preparing to transform the old abandoned agriturismo into a place where each of us can still hear our own 'call'. A place that heals inner wounds and helps man rediscover his true self," Gentili tells us.

Discover the Tre Foglie and the Special Awards 2025