Capua 1880: a journey of evolution between tradition and innovation

For over 140 years, Capua 1880 has been transforming the wisdom of the Calabrian land into global excellence through the production of citrus essential oils. Now in its fifth generation, the company has chosen not merely to preserve its tradition, but to use it as a lever to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Through a strategic partnership with NATIVA, Capua 1880 continues its journey of evolution, advancing its commitment to sustainability.

This journey was first formalized with the company’s transformation into a Benefit Corporation in 2024, which established Capua 1880’s formal commitment to generating a positive impact on society and the environment. The company has, in fact, incorporated specific objectives into its articles of incorporation: from developing innovative processes to unlock the region’s potential to promoting a corporate culture based on interdependence. The mission is clear: “to accelerate innovation in the agri-food sector together with people and suppliers, to ensure the social and environmental regeneration of the region.”

Furthermore, in October 2025, Capua 1880 became a B Corp, joining a global community of over 10,000 companies committed to a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.

Not a destination, but the framework within which a concrete strategy for evolution unfolds.

Becoming a Benefit Corporation and a B Corp raised an inevitable question: how do we translate these values into measurable actions? One of Capua 1880’s responses was to map and measure its emissions to identify the “hotspots” requiring intervention.

This work led to a decision: the commitment to achieve the goal of becoming Net Zero by 2040. The first steps were taken where the impact could be felt most quickly, for example, in logistics, where a pilot project in intermodal transport (rail and sea) to Northern Europe has already demonstrated that reducing emissions and optimizing processes are not conflicting goals, but complementary ones.

But the real structural change hinges on the most strategic asset: raw materials. For a company born from the earth, it is to the earth that we must return. Hence the investment in regenerative agriculture: specific studies aimed at transforming citrus groves into systems capable of improving soil health and increasing carbon sequestration. In this way, the earth is no longer just the origin of the product; it becomes an active resource for protecting the climate.

Internal transformation also meets customer needs: today, the major global players in the fragrance industry require data on the impact of each product.

To address this need, an integrated approach combining quantitative and qualitative tools was developed: a project that triggered an internal cultural shift, creating new channels of communication between different business functions and promoting a data-driven approach to sustainability.

• Product Carbon Footprint (PCF): a detailed analysis to measure and transparently communicate the carbon footprint of every citrus derivative.
• sLCA (Strategic Life Cycle Assessment): a strategic life cycle assessment to identify levers for improvement throughout the value chain.

Becoming Net Zero and reducing product impacts is possible, but a systemic approach is necessary. Suppliers, therefore, become key partners in the journey of creating value and regenerating the local area.

From this awareness arise the “Citrus Code” and the “Raw Materials Code”, two tools that help convey Capua 1880’s values to suppliers while supporting them on a path of evolution. Consequently, the fruit and raw materials purchased are monitored to ensure both high quality standards and that they have been produced following ethical and responsible practices.

These tools represent a twofold innovation:

• Social innovation: the Code “democratizes” complex global standards (such as ILO, MSCI, TfS), making them accessible even to micro-enterprises. Through clear language and practical guidance, it allows producers to self-assess and identify concrete improvement actions.
• Process innovation: the tools integrate multiple standards into a single platform for data collection, offering a “guided growth” system and moving beyond the rigid frameworks often associated with traditional audits.

Translating impact into a story was the necessary step to make this evolution a shared legacy. It is from this awareness that “Roots in the Future” was born, the integrated communication project developed by Capua 1880 and H O T W A T E R, NATIVA’s creative Benefit Unit.

Narrating the evolution of a company with roots stretching back over a century requires a balance between respect for the past and an innovative drive toward the future. The project explores this connection by seeking a synthesis between a long tradition and the ability to plant new seeds for tomorrow.

The concept is based on the idea that roots, though invisible, are the force that nourishes tomorrow: following the guiding principle “Investing in our history is a commitment to tomorrow.” Tradition is not seen as a limitation, but as the nourishment necessary to shape the future. “Roots in the Future” explores this connection by seeking a balance between a long history of innovation and the ability to plant new seeds.

To ensure that this vision did not remain a theoretical exercise but became a shared legacy, we created a communication strategy in which each channel reinforces the other with coordinated messages. This approach allowed us to adapt the content across various channels while maintaining visual and linguistic consistency that reflects Capua 1880’s identity: from the website to social media, from the newsletter to events.

In this ecosystem, consistency is not merely aesthetic but translates into the ability to breathe life into numbers, transforming data from technical evidence into living testimony.

The story thus came to life through a four-episode video series that begins in Calabria and explores Capua 1880’s entire value chain.

Each episode delves into a pillar of the company’s vision. It begins with caring for the land, respect for human values, and the wisdom of time as the foundations of sustainability. It continues by analyzing the integration of ancestral knowledge and advanced extraction technologies. Finally, it arrives at the value of human relationships and the legacy of five generations who, from 1880 to the present, have transformed ethics and passion into a vision for tomorrow.

Discover the project here