Agriturismo L'UPUPA

Why we need your support now

Since 12 years we are restoring and resurrecting an antique olive farm in Salve, Puglia and produce award-winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We turned our 6 acres of wild land into an organic-based Azienda Agricola and a natural reserve.

My Swiss father and my Japanese mother emigrated to Salve from Appenzell in 2005. I have joined L’UPUPA full-time last year to eventually take over the farm and run the Agriturismo L’UPUPA. With the goal to create a sustainable and natural-based business in rural Italy.

Our plan was to open our doors for the Agri-Camping part for the summer season 2018, but due to bad weather and challenging Italian bureaucracy, we won’t be able to officially open until later this year. Because of these holdbacks and the sudden loss of income this summer, we are depending on financial support.

Another challenge we are facing is the Xylella Fastidiosa bacteria. We work with natural techniques to fight the bacteria, because it is important to us to protect this cultural heritage for future generations.

That’s why we need your help now! With your support, we will be able to care for more trees, open our Agri-Camping and start supporting our income as small-scale farmers to create an oasis where you can enjoy your holidays.

We are creating a sustainable oasis of regeneration

Are you looking for a space to unplug? We are creating that retreat for you here at the Mediterranean in Salento.

We have been very fortunate to find a piece of land, where life has paused, a stone throw away from the deep blue sea. We want to share this little paradise with you.

Opportunities with our Agriturismo permit:

• Agri-Camping
• Bungalows for cooking and learning
• Multipurpose building for community development and a events
• Courses, camps and small events
• Small farm to table restaurant

Our goal is to revive the once abandoned olive farm and to create a sustainable business for generations to come.

And now the final steps

With your support we can finish:

• Interior of the bathhouse
• Finishing layer of tuff-gravel on the camp spots and roads
• Lay electrical pipes
• Build an accessible bathrooms in the multipurpose building
• Open Agri-Camping

With our Crowdfunding goal of CHF30’000 we can finish building the Agri-Camping part of our business and open as soon as possible. We are not quite done there, if we can surpass this goal, we would love your support to complete the rest of our facilities.

Check out some of the rewards at the bottom of this page. Fine print: All our physical rewards will be mailed or can be picked up in Speicher, Switzerland or Salve, Italy. Accommodation options should be used by the end of 2019, depending on availability. Let’s talk if you have another timeframe in mind.

If you like our project, please spread the word! And if you are nearby, come visit, we would love to give you a tour of our farm.

From all of us, thank you very much for your attention and support!