What does it take to feed a city of three million people with farm-fresh produce? For students in The American University of Rome’s MA in Food Studies, this question is not theoretical - it is explored directly in the field. During a recent visit to Zolle’s Monteverde location, students in the Sustainable Food Studies course engaged with one of Rome’s most innovative alternative food networks, gaining first-hand insight into the complexities of urban food distribution.
Zolle operates a digital marketplace connecting consumers with more than 100 small-scale farmers and artisanal producers across the Lazio region. Through its model, the company delivers curated boxes of seasonal produce to approximately 1,700 households, while also maintaining physical storefronts and expanding direct-sales partnerships with local producers.
Beyond its operational model, Zolle provided a compelling case study in how alternative systems can coexist with, and challenge, the dominant industrial food economy. Rather than pursuing scale through standardization, Zolle has grown by strengthening local relationships. As students learned, this approach proved particularly resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic, when community-based networks enabled the organization to adapt and continue serving both producers and consumers.
Experiences such as this are central to the MA in Food Studies at AUR. By engaging directly with practitioners, students move beyond theory to examine how sustainability is negotiated in real-world contexts. Zolle’s role as a connector, supporting local livelihoods, promoting environmentally responsible practices, and fostering trust between producers and consumers, illustrates the kind of systems-level thinking the program encourages.
Through opportunities like this, AUR students develop the analytical and practical skills needed to navigate, and shape, the future of food systems in Rome and around the world.
AUR Food Studies Student Grace Gray contributed to this article.