In conversation with Food & Beverage Magazine, Salvatore Ferragamo Jr. and Chef Andrea Campani explore how Il Borro — a vertically integrated Tuscan estate spanning 1,200 hectares — translates complete control over production into culinary innovation, menu strategy, and authentic hospitality experiences that resonate globally.
Farm-to-Table Philosophy in Practice
How does direct control over your supply chain — from vineyards to vegetable gardens — fundamentally shape your culinary approach?
Chef Andrea Campani: We don't start from what we want to put on the menu but from what nature offers us at that specific moment. This allows us to be more creative, but it also requires a great ability to adapt because sometimes a product can change or become unavailable at the last minute. The technique is essential to transform every available ingredient into a dish capable of creating emotion.
That direct connection to the land is at the heart of our philosophy. It allows us to work closely with what is being produced in real time, from our own estate and trusted local partners. As a result, our Farm-to-Table menu is constantly renewed, only evolving with the seasons and the availability of the freshest ingredients. This approach ensures that each dish reflects the authenticity of Tuscany and highlights the quality of seasonal products at their peak.
What are the operational and business implications of this model?
Having full control over the supply chain completely changes our approach to cuisine and the way we work. From a pricing strategy point of view, a short supply chain does not necessarily mean lower costs. Working with small producers, sustainable farms, and non-intensive agriculture often involves higher costs compared to industrial or large-scale systems. This is inevitably reflected in the final price, but guests recognize the value of making an ethical, safe, and healthy choice. Knowing exactly where every ingredient comes from and being able to personally guarantee its origin creates a very strong relationship of trust with the guest.
There is also a very important human and cultural aspect. Direct contact with farmers, breeders, and producers allows us to better understand the rhythms of nature, the work in the fields, respect for animals, and the true seasonality of products. All of this enriches our awareness and is reflected in the experience we offer our guests.
Culinary Identity and Menu Evolution
Il Borro offers guests direct transparency — from cheese production to truffle hunting. How does this translate into your dining programs?
Chef Andrea Campani: With the recent redesign and evolution of Il Borro Tuscan Bistro, the evolution of the dining and beverage program has been about refining that identity rather than adapting it. The goal is not to change the message, but to make it legible. When the experience is genuine, from the glass to the plate, it naturally connects with guests from different cultures.
Sustainability as a Culinary Imperative
How do regenerative agriculture and sustainability directly influence your menu and guest experience?
Regenerative agriculture is a necessary evolution. For wine and food production, it means healthier soils, better balance in the vineyard and fields, and ultimately more precise wines and ingredients. It's not just an environmental choice; it's also a quality decision.
In hospitality, the impact is broader. It changes how you think about sourcing, about seasonality, about the relationship between the land and the guest experience. It creates a stronger sense of place, which is something people are increasingly looking for. On a global level, I think it will become less of a differentiator and more of an expectation.
How do you communicate sustainability authentically to dining guests?
We don't approach it as something to communicate first — or it would be a marketing tool. It has to be something you experience. At Il Borro, sustainability is part of what you eat, is in the landscape, in how the estate is run. It's about making it visible in a concrete way. People today are quite perceptive. They can tell the difference between something constructed and what is simply there. So the focus is on being consistent and transparent, rather than trying to frame it.
What we can say with certainty is that our renewable energy production grows every year: we have gone from the first eight photovoltaic systems in 2013 to eighteen today. In 2024, we produced 2.4 GWh of renewable energy, avoiding 669 Tonnes of CO₂; in 2025, we pushed this even further, reaching 2.7 GWh. Il Borro is a certified organic estate with around 520 hectares of pristine woodland that sequester CO₂ and shelter around 50 protected species. Sustainability, to be credible, must be measurable — and measuring well takes time and method.
Wine as Part of the Culinary Experience
How does your wine program — from amphora-aged wines like Petruna to Brunello di Montalcino — complement your overall dining narrative?
We are building a more complete and coherent identity. Petruna, for example, is about going deeper into expression, using amphora is returning to an older tradition that still has a lot to say today. The move into Brunello is a long-term investment that strengthens the overall profile of Il Borro, but has its own identity, as a wine globally recognized. Pinino is one of the founding estates of the denomination, dating back to the early years of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, so there is a strong connection to history. The logic is always the same: each project has to bring something unique. Not just more wines, but a clearer, stronger identity built over time.
Scaling Authenticity Internationally
As Il Borro expands globally, what elements of the culinary and hospitality experience are non-negotiable?
It's about preserving the integrity and the authenticity of what Il Borro stands for. As we expand, the priority is not to adapt to trends, but to remain consistent with our identity. That means staying true to our Tuscan roots, to a certain way of doing things, from the ingredients we choose to the atmosphere we create. It's a balance between evolution and coherence, but the foundation doesn't change. Il Borro is not just a place, it's a legacy. And wherever we go, that sense of authenticity and continuity has to remain intact.
We work with those same principles of quality, craftsmanship, and a very clear sense of identity that define our broader family legacy, just expressed through land, wine, and hospitality. All moves in the same direction, focusing on the experience we create for those who drink our wine or stay at our Relais: it has to create a long lasting memory.
The Future of Luxury Dining
What does the next generation of luxury diners and travelers expect?
In a world where almost anything can be accessed instantly, the true luxury lies in simple and genuine things. What people begin to crave instead is authenticity: something real, unfiltered, and deeply human. So, for the next generation of travelers and diners, luxury is defined by the quality of experience and is something intimate, meaningful, and sustainable. It invites us to slow down, to reconnect with our senses, and to appreciate the essence of things.
We look at tradition and innovation not as opposites but together. If anything, innovation should empower tradition, not replace it. At Il Borro, tradition is the framework, how we grow, how we produce, how we host, the ingredients. Innovation comes in as a tool for precision, to refine and enhance what already exists. For example, in the vineyard, in line with our sustainability approach, we follow old practices like a natural technique called sexual confusion to protect the vines, with small pheromone diffusers that disrupt the mating cycle of insects, reducing the need for intervention. The balance comes from respecting what's there, but not treating it as untouchable. It has to stay alive, and that means evolving it with intention.
