The Agro Eco Project

The Agro-Eco Project is a small not for profit farm located in Central Massachusetts with three main goals:

Growing clean and nutritious produce for food pantries in Worcester County
Sharing resources and best practices related to agroecology and regenerative farming
Exploring the links between growing and preparing nutritious food

We are a working farm practicing no-till agriculture and are inspired by the principles of permaculture. As our name suggests, our guiding practice is that of agroecology: we farm our acres in alignment with the rules of nature, informed by a study of our ecology rooted in hard science.

We believe that healthy soils produce healthy foods, healthy foods nurture healthy humans, and healthy humans create healthy communities.

We also believe that nutritious food should taste good! We strive to explore the link between growing nutritious produce and cooking delicious food. Food is medicine. But food is also pleasure, culture, tradition and community.

Take a look at our Programs page to learn more about our three areas of focus.

Meet the Team:

Giulio Caperchi, President

Born and raised in Rome, Italy Giulio holds a Masters degree in Sociology and Political Theory from the University of London. After an internship at the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, Giulio worked at the Small Planet Institute in Cambridge MA as a researcher for author Frances Moore Lappé investigating topics such as regenerative farming, food politics and climate change. In 2017 along with his wife Carol, Giulio founded Seven Hills Pasta Co. a small batch producer of bronze-extruded artisan dried pasta in Melrose MA. Giulio has trained in cooking school in Italy and is passionate about all aspects of food: how it's grown, it's social, political and environmental impact, it's history and, most of all, how it tastes.

Katie Greger, Farm Manager

Meet Katie Greger our Farm Manager. Katie has been with the team for 3 years. She joined us after graduating from Clark University with a Bachelors in Biology and Studio Art. She also obtained her Permaculture Design Certificate from Oregon State University. She first got into farming one summer where she began her journey in understanding food insecurity and helping the community. She’s worked on non-profit, organic and CSA based farms. Through her time at school and working on farms during the summer she began to grow her interest and understand that the way we farm needs to change. She loves experimenting with growing new plants and has a hard time tampering down the many varieties she wants to grow. Beyond her love of farming and plants she spends her free time with her Partner and soon to be Husband Jasper and their cat Moober. She loves to make art and has contributed her talents to the farm. She also enjoys cooking and baking and loves that what she grows she can make into something delicious.

Pieter VanderBrug, Team Member

Pieter joined the Agro-Eco Project during the spring of 2022 for an internship on the farm where he helped with day to day operations. He grew up on an organic farm in Michigan called “Trillium Haven” which in turn branched out to a farm to table restaurant later down the road. Growing up around sustainable farming and healthy food gave him an appreciation and passion for such things. Currently, he is finishing up his undergraduate studies at Clark University with majors in political science and global environmental studies which have furthered his education on the politics and science around agriculture in the United States and abroad. He is also furthering his education at Clark University with a masters in public administration which will concentrate in nonprofit management. During his free time you can find Pieter climbing on a sheer rock face or cooking up a delicious meal.