Behind Piattella: Q&A with Uncle’s Farm

To truly understand what “Piattella” is — and how it emerged to bring extraction’s game to a whole new level worldwide — we need to dig deep into its roots. We dove into this story and interviewed the alchemist behind it all.

We could tell you that Piattella is a product exclusively produced and sold by Uncle’s Farm in Barcelona — and that this product and its curing method received so much attention that many clubs and dealers now misuse the name just to attract customers.

But Piattella has a distinct and unique origin. It was invented by Zio, an Italian who devoted years of his life to growing cannabis and perfecting its extractions.

We traveled to Barcelona, to his club, to learn more and study all the information on the subject in depth. Once there, we found a relaxed atmosphere and an attentive team, ready to remind us of the rules of a cannabis club in Barcelona and to attend all members as best as possible.

To visit the club, you must become a member and book in advance. The first step is to send a message to one of the official Instagram profiles: @uncles_farm or @uncles.farm.club expressing your interest in becoming a member. After that, it is Zio who decides who gets in.

Zio isn’t a public figure, but most of the time, you’ll find him at the club, behind the counter, personally showcasing and explaining his own menu. That’s how he built a community based upon his beliefs: not for hype or marketing, but because they simply want to consume the best.

What does cannabis mean to you?

“It’s my medicine.”

Zio’s journey with cannabis began 20 years ago. It was through smoking this sacred medicine that he found relief from a debilitating neurological condition that caused him severe pain and muscle spasms. Zio told us that when he first tried organically grown cannabis from one of Italy’s best growers, he experienced instant relief. From that moment on, he understood that the only way forward was to grow his own medicine and that this would be his life’s work. That was when he went from being a patient to growing his own medicine.

Around 2010, Zio left Italy for Amsterdam in pursuit of his cannabis dream.

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How was Piattella created?

Zio told us that the process arose from a constant desire and curiosity to improve what he smoked. Not only thinking about the effect and taste, but also about preserving the therapeutic properties of the plant and its extracts. It was in 2020, during the pandemic, that Zio figured out how to cold cure WPFF (Whole Plant Fresh Frozen) ice-o-lator and preserve the organoleptic properties from oxidation deterioration.

“If you don’t cure the grapes, there’s no wine.
If you don’t cure the meat, there’s no jamón.
If you don’t cure the milk, there’s no cheese.

And preserving the cure of the best extraction at its peak was my goal.”

From those insights, one of the biggest revolutions in today’s extractions scene emerged: Piattella, the perfect curing process for six-star WPFF ice-o-lator.

In what context is it created?

Zio told us a little about the consumption of extracts in the United States and Europe before Piattella.

In the United States, the market first developed with the cultivation of the plant, then with solvent extracts (such as BHO), and finally with WPFF, used mainly to produce rosin.

In Europe, on the other hand, it was common to consume a lot of Moroccan hashish, dry, mainly mixed with tobacco. But with the arrival of WPFF, the landscape began to change. The few who produced WPFF used it as a means to produce rosin or by mutating/oxidizing a few grams in jars for personal use.

In 2019, Zio and his partner Francesco opened their club. Literally, his obsession was to guarantee all club members a unique experience. And that’s why the entire menu production was controlled by Zio and his other partner, Premier. But the problem for Zio came to light at the dispensary. When serving WPFF, straight out of the freeze dryer, it was very sticky, making it difficult for Zio to serve and also for the club member to roll it into a joint.

To put it in context, Zio told us a story about what used to happen at the club before Piattella:

“The members activated the WPFF on baking paper, shaped it into a coin, put it in the grinder with the tobacco, and then asked me to freeze it for 5 minutes. They then took it out, obtaining a hard, non-sticky consistency that allowed them to grind and roll the joint.”

(PS: as brazilians with a strong culture of silicone bowls and scissors, this almost sounds a little bit like a Halloween tale.)

“Ice is the purest extraction from the plant, keeping the trichome heads intact—but as a product, it felt incomplete.”

What Was the Biggest Challenge in Developing Piattella?

To clarify, Zio gave another metaphor:

“If you leave wine open, oxygen oxidizes it. The same happens with resin and terpenes.”

Zio wanted to discover the perfect cure for the highest-quality ice-o-lator and he didn’t stop until he got it.

“The problem was not to cure, but to maintain the terpenes and organoleptic properties of the product once the perfect curing point had been reached. I needed to guarantee all club members the same product quality every time, from the first to the last gram. In the end, that’s why I developed my own curing method using WPFF and called it Piattella. I’ve always liked this comparison to understand the difference between rosin and Piattella: rosin is more stable, it’s like whiskey — it changes little over time. Fresh frozen, Piattella, is like wine — if you don’t know how to preserve it, it’s lost.”

What sparked your passion for extractions and led you to seek the best cure for it?

“When I tried the ice-o-lator for the first time, I felt something different and saw that there was a whole world behind it, and that without a good grower, you can’t have a good plant or a good extraction. If you’re a grower, you experiment with everything related to the plant—extraction is a whole other universe to explore. When you grow, you love the plant and want to know everything it has to offer.”

What is the biggest challenge in the game?

“Legality—no doubt. Even in Europe, working with this plant legally is tough. There are ‘tolerance’ zones that are often misleading. But it’s my medicine, so I don’t care—I’ll keep doing it. I don’t break any laws. I consume my medicine in countries that are more tolerant.”

Who inspired you in this industry?

“Many people inspired me… Mila Jansen, Frenchy Cannoli, Neville, Shantibaba, Skunkman, F. Casalone… But Franco Loja definitely left his mark on me. He was the first person in the cannabis world who trusted me when I was only 19 years old.”

When you walk into Uncle’s Farm club in Barcelona, it’s easy to find references to Franco Loja on the walls. In addition to the typical Strain Hunters YouTube videos, which play constantly and are part of the atmosphere of the place.

Today, the Uncle’s Farm family has the support and collaboration of some of the best growers and extractors on the European scene, such as HashTheory, Slite23, and SuperPigFarm, GrowerHash Y Ctnorganics.

Zio often repeats a mantra that sums up his philosophy, and we asked him all about it:

What does your motto mean?

“It means we’re all unique and important. True essence lies within us… and you can make a difference if you believe in yourself. I’m not better than anyone, nor am I nobody…but nobody can be me. It’s a reminder that I’m nothing, yet I can make an impact because I’m unique… like everyone else.”

What makes Piattella so special?

“Piattella is my personal way of curing WPFF ice-o-lator, allowing the material to fully express its own organoleptic characteristics.”

So, What Exactly Is Piattella?

It is top-quality ice-o-lator WPFF, cold cured, and stored with precision. The result: a creamy texture, vibrant terpenes, and unmatched flavor. Fans call it the ultimate expression of a cultivar.

Like a true alchemist, Zio launched Piattella Foils, available online and from authorized distributors listed on the official Foils Instagram account.

These are the perfect sheets for curing and storing your fresh frozen material.

Beware of Imposters

Today, many clubs and brands misuse the name “Piattella” or adapt it to a poor Italian misspelling such as “Piatella” or “Piattela.” But that doesn’t stop Zio’s pasion. As he says, Piattella is his personal curing process — not just a technique, material, or temperature. It can’t be replicated by anyone but him.

Although he shares his knowledge. His apprentices respectfully refer to Piattella as an inspiration, not as the product that is being sold. So now you know: if you see “Piattella” — and it’s not from Uncle’s Farm or from Zio’s hands himself — it’s not Piattella.

If you wanna read this interview in Spanish, click here.

If you wanna read this interview in Portuguese, click here.