The “Growing Together" TV format, a project launched by BKT and DAZN, provides a platform to the young talents from Serie BKT teams together with young, local start-uppers who are passionate about agriculture and food. The result is a unique portrait of the provinces of Italy where the desire to grow, in sport as in life, and to try new things go hand in hand.

In the second edition of the “Growing Together” project, the location is Ferrara and the two stars are Salvatore Esposito, the midfielder from SPAL and member of the Italian Under 21 team, and Riccardo Minarelli, an entrepreneur from Ferrara from the family-run company GestCAV which is developing a start-up dedicated to using so-called agro-energy, one of the most revolutionary alternatives to fossil fuel.

At GestCAV - Gestioni Agricole Cavallari of Ferrara, Riccardo Minarelli has been experimenting with the use of agricultural produce to make energy for some years.

The agricultural tradition in the Cavallari family is deep-rooted: four generations united by real values, such as love of the land and experience in working it. Also thanks to Riccardo's studies, the company recently decided to invest in the production of renewable energy from a strictly agricultural origin.

“The goal is to transform products, especially subproducts, into renewable, clean energy, using processes which generate no waste – explains Riccardo –Since they are organic products, the residue from their transformation is returned to the soil, so as to provide valuable manure for the next harvest. I am proud of our project, I want to show that it is possible to do new and interesting things also in at provincial level; I want to promote a return for the countryside and to one day be among the leading Italian agricultural businesses producing agro-energy.”

Since 2012 GestCAV has had a biogas plant, to produce clean and renewable electricity. This takes place thanks to a fermentation process which transforms corn and triticale silage into a raw gas called biogas. Through a co-generator this gas returns electricity and heat which is useful for the production process.

More recent is the plant for biomethane production, a further example of creating value from agricultural production. In this case the plant is powered through subproducts such as wheat straw and dried corn stalks, which are fermented to produce biogas. This is subsequently refined into biomethane and put into the grid.

The GestCAV project did not escape BKT's notice and for this reason a whole episode of the DAZN-BKT format “Growing Together” is dedicated to it.

Discovering and supporting young talent is something which BKT loves to do, thanks of course to its high level of social awareness, but also due to its openness to new ideas, especially those involving agri-food sustainability. This is a key sector for BKT which is one of the leading manufacturers of agricultural tires worldwide.