aboca s.p.a. societa' agricola

What aboca s.p.a. societa' agricola does

Aboca S.p.A. Società Agricola is an Italian, privately-held natural healthcare company founded in 1978 by Valentino Mercati in Sansepolcro, Tuscany. The company cultivates over 1,700 hectares of land across Tuscany and Umbria to produce 100% natural health products, and operates the Aboca Museum, a collection of medicinal plants and related artifacts. The company is structured as a società agricola (agricultural partnership) with headquarters at Loc. Aboca 20, Sansepolcro.

In 2016, Aboca launched ArteOrto, a cultural and educational initiative that creates guided and self-guided pathways connecting art museums with botanical gardens, focusing on medicinal plants depicted in Renaissance artworks. ArteOrto operates three differentiated program tracks — for adults, families, and schools — across four Italian cities (Firenze, Milano, Sansepolcro, and Castello Bufalini di San Giustino). The educational programs are anchored by partnerships with major cultural institutions including Pinacoteca di Brera, Orto Botanico di Brera, Palazzo Vecchio, Museo civico di Sansepolcro, and Mus.e, and are delivered operationally through an exclusive channel partnership with tour operator Circolo degli Esploratori (established 2016).

Aboca's business model combines agricultural production of natural healthcare products with educational-program fee revenue from ArteOrto. School programs are priced at €10-15 per student (minimum 20 paying participants; teachers free) or €240 per Milano working group, with payments processed by Circolo degli Esploratori. Family and adult programs are self-guided with downloadable materials. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or external institutional investors, and remains founder-led under President Valentino Mercati. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

aboca s.p.a. societa' agricola

Legal name

Aboca S.p.A. Società Agricola

Website

https://arteorto.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Aboca is an Italian natural-healthcare company founded in 1978 that cultivates over 1,700 hectares across Tuscany and Umbria, and operates the ArteOrto cultural-educational project connecting art museums with botanical gardens across four Italian cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Health Products

NAICS

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

SIC

Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Medicinal Plant Farming (Botanical/Pharmaceutical Crops) (AFAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Natural health products
• Herbal medicine
• Medicinal plants
• Botanical education programs
• Phytotherapy products

Headquarters

HQ city

Sansepolcro

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. ArteOrto Educational Program Fees: The ArteOrto project generates revenue through fees charged for educational programs. School programs are priced per student (€14-15) with minimum group sizes of 20 participants. Milano school programs are priced at €240 per working group. Payments are processed through bank transfer to Circolo degli Esploratori T.O.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aboca S.p.A. Società Agricola cultivates over 1,700 hectares of land between Tuscany and Umbria to produce 100% natural human health products derived from medicinal plants. The company also runs the ArteOrto cultural and educational project, launched in 2016, which connects art museums with botanical gardens through guided and self-guided paths exploring how plants were represented in Renaissance artworks and their traditional medicinal uses.

Product overview

Aboca's product portfolio centers on healthcare products made from 100% natural ingredients, supported by cultural initiatives. TheArteOrto project is an educational program launched in 2016 that creates paths connecting art museums with botanical gardens, exploring the relationship between plants and art. ArteOrto offers three main tracks: Percorso per adulti (self-guided or guided visits for adults), Percorso per famiglie (family activities with educational materials), and Percorso per scuole (fully guided school programs with laboratory activities). These programs operate across multiple Italian cities (Milano, Firenze, Sansepolcro, Castello Bufalini) in partnership with museums, botanical gardens, and cultural institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ArteOrto: A cultural project launched by Aboca in 2016 that combines art and botanical experiences, offering educational pathways through museums and botanical gardens focused on medicinal plants represented in artwork.

Products and services

• ArteOrto Cultural and Educational Project A cultural and educational project connecting art museums with botanical gardens, inviting visitors to discover plant life represented in famous artworks and observe the same plants in real botanical settings. Available to schools, families, and adults across four Italian cities.
• ArteOrto - Percorso per Adulti A self-guided botanical and artistic path for adults exploring the plant world in masterpieces and discovering the same species in botanical gardens, available with or without specialized guides.
• ArteOrto - Percorso per Famiglie A family-oriented path combining art and botany, featuring guided activities through museums and botanical gardens with educational materials and games for children.
• ArteOrto - Percorso per Scuole A fully guided educational program for primary and secondary school students combining museum visits, botanical garden exploration, and hands-on laboratories creating natural products like ointments, lip balms, and herbal teas.
• ArteOrto School - Milano School program in Milan combining visits to Brera Botanical Garden and Pinacoteca di Brera, with choice of laboratories including herbalist workshops and color extraction activities. Maximum 25 participants per group at €240 per group.
• ArteOrto School - Sansepolcro School program in Sansepolcro featuring visits to Museo civico and Giardino di Piero della Francesca, with herbalist laboratory producing 100% natural products. €14 per student, minimum 20 paying participants.
• ArteOrto School - Castello Bufalini School program at Castello Bufalini combining castle interior visits, botanical park exploration, and rose cream laboratory activities. €15 per student with laboratory, €10 visit-only. Currently suspended for 2025/2026 due to restoration.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Circolo degli EsploratoricoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016Tour operator partner chosen by Aboca for technical direction and management of ArteOrto educational programs. Handles bookings, reservations, and program coordination. Contact: Tel 0575/759738.
• Orto Botanico di BreracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBotanical garden established in 1774 by Maria Teresa d'Austria for medical and pharmacy students. One of the partnership venues for ArteOrto programs in Milano, featuring medicinal plants that connect to artworks in Pinacoteca di Brera.
• Pinacoteca di BreracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational museum established 1809 by Napoleon, housing masterpieces by Piero della Francesca, Mantegna, Raffaello, Caravaggio, and Bellini. Key venue for ArteOrto Milano programs where students discover plants in artworks.
• Palazzo VecchiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric civic palace in Florence Piazza della Signoria, seat of Florence's Commune. Partnership venue for ArteOrto Firenze school programs with multisensory guided tours.
• Museo civico di SansepolcrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum established 1975, housing masterpieces including La Resurrezione by Piero della Francesca. ArteOrto Sansepolcro programs visit this museum connected to the Giardino di Piero della Francesca.
• Castello Bufalini di San GiustinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenaissance castle from late 15th century with Italian-style garden, labyrinth, and frescoes by Cristofano Gherardi. ArteOrto venue in Umbria. Currently suspended for restoration until 2026.
• Farmacie Comunali FirenzeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMunicipal pharmacies operating since 1952, committed to health education and community services. Funded ArteOrto project believing in education through Art and Nature for children.
• Mus.ecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation managing valorization of Florentine Civic Museums, creating cultural projects, exhibitions, and events. Expert guides conduct ArteOrto Firenze school programs at Palazzo Vecchio.
• Amici di BreraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical association founded 1926, dedicated to knowledge, protection and enhancement of Palazzo di Brera. Conducts school educational visits at Pinacoteca di Brera for ArteOrto programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• A. Vogel (Bioforce): Swiss natural healthcare company producing herbal medicines and plant-based remedies from cultivated medicinal plants. Directly comparable to Aboca in vertical integration from cultivation to branded natural health products sold through European pharmacy channels.
• Weleda: Swiss-German producer of natural medicines and anthroposophic pharmaceuticals built around biodynamic cultivation of medicinal plants. Comparable to Aboca in combining owned herb cultivation with branded natural healthcare products and educational/cultural brand-building activities.
• Dr. Willmar Schwabe Group: German phytopharmaceutical company producing plant-derived medicines (e.g., Tebonin/Egb 761). Comparable to Aboca in focusing on clinically positioned botanical extracts at pharmaceutical-grade quality, competing in the European prescription and OTC botanical category.
• Aboca competitor - ESI s.r.l. Italian natural health and dietary supplement producer headquartered in Italy. Directly comparable to Aboca as a domestic competitor targeting Italian pharmacy and para-pharmacy channels with plant-based health products.
• PharmExtracta (Specchiasol): Italian producer of herbal and natural supplements with owned medicinal plant cultivation. Closely comparable to Aboca in business model combining herbal agriculture in Italy with branded consumer natural-health products.
• Herb Pharm: US-based herbal extracts company cultivating medicinal plants on its own farm for liquid herbal extracts. Comparable to Aboca in the vertically integrated farm-to-extract model for botanical health products.

Broad incumbents

• Boiron: French global leader in homeopathic medicines. Comparable to Aboca as a large, established European natural-healthcare manufacturer with branded consumer health products in pharmacy distribution, though operating in homeopathy rather than phytotherapy.

Regional players

• Named (NamedSport/Named): Italian nutraceutical and natural health company. Comparable to Aboca in addressing the Italian consumer health and supplement market with botanical and natural formulations distributed through pharmacies.

Others

• Pinacoteca di Brera educational programs: Major Italian art museum running educational programs for schools, families, and adults. Comparable to ArteOrto as a cultural/educational program operator in the same institutional venues and targeting the same school and family segments.
• Orto Botanico di Brera: Historic Milan botanical garden and a venue partner in ArteOrto. Comparable as a botanical garden operator offering educational visits to schools and the public on medicinal plants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about aboca s.p.a. societa' agricola