On one green-thumbed hand, Truelove Seeds is about thoughtful and thought-provoking concepts like food sovereignty, cultural preservation, rematriation and sustainable agriculture. On the other, also green-thumbed, hand, the company is a way for co-founder Owen Taylor to connect with his Italian roots – and for so many of its customers to connect to their roots.

“Every row will take you to another corner of the world,” he said during a tour of the company’s rented plot in Glen Mills, Pa. “And a lot of the Italian things are in the corners.” The Italian Collection is one of 11 Truelove seed collections. The best seller is the San Marzano tomato. That’s one of his favorites, along with a Neapolitan frying pepper called peperone friariello.