How a fourth-generation Italian olive oil maker uses Google AI to scale a family legacy

An interview with Maria Teresa Pellegrino, co-owner of Pellegrino 1890, a legacy olive oil business in Puglia.

Pellegrino 1890 isn't just a family business; it's living history, stretching back four generations to our founding in 1890. We started out grinding grain, and my grandfather was a true visionary who mechanised our production as early as the 1920s. Then, in 1990, we expanded to producing olive oil. I feel like I've inherited his curiosity and pioneering spirit as I take our business into the future.

I’m 62 years old, and I’ve always liked to embrace new things, travel to new places, expand my skills, and stay curious. I started working in the family business when I was 25, spent a few years working as a teacher in Iran, and rejoined the family business in 2006 when I returned to Italy. Navigating agriculture, which is a deeply traditional, male-dominated space, hasn’t been easy. My brother looks after production and I wanted a dimension of the business I could claim as my own, so I took over the reins of marketing.

In 2025, I stumbled into the magical world of AI by signing up for the Google AI Essentials course hosted by the Mondo Digitale Foundation, and funded by Google.org.

“It was the breakthrough I needed to help me elevate our marketing and make our brand voice truly consistent.”

I use Gemini every day for our marketing communications — from helping to finesse emails and blog posts to managing social media content. I've inputted our brand guidelines directly into Gemini so that everything it helps me create aligns with our brand voice. It generates a draft, and I edit from there. The consistency this has brought to our communication has been deeply rewarding. Colleagues and clients at some of Italy’s important industry trade fairs took notice, and in the last few months, we've acquired at least a dozen new wholesale customers.

I wanted to create a memorable experience for our local and international buyers who visit us and used Gemini to help me curate an oil-tasting event. It suggested innovative pairings to showcase our different oils, like pairing earthy figs with our organic oil and dark chocolate with a more robust variety. Beyond the menu, Gemini helped me turn my ideas into a clear event structure and refine the promotional materials. It was a resounding success.

“Google AI has returned the most precious thing to me: time. A blog post that used to take me three hours now takes just a few minutes of thoughtful prompting, rewriting, and refining. I can shut my laptop and spend my evenings in my favorite place: my garden.”

Our business is growing in ways we never thought possible. Our digital presence has attracted brand-new customers in the Czech Republic and South Korea, and we’ve strengthened our presence in Germany, the UK, France, and the US. Gemini also helps me efficiently create localised price lists and business presentations for different markets, saving me hours per document.

Looking ahead, I dream of restoring our farmhouse, which dates back to 1544, into an immersive oil tourism destination where visitors can experience our olive oil production firsthand during the harvest. I’ll rely on Gemini to help map the logistics, design guest experiences, and promote the project globally.

Some people are scared of AI, but I’m more scared of not knowing. If I could offer one piece of advice to other entrepreneurs, it’s this: Don't let the fear of the unknown hold you back. In business and in life, the future is something to be shaped, not feared.