Production in Italy Below Average as Subsidized Farmers Hold Back
Last winter’s large amount of rain helped growers in the south and central regions but hurt northern farms, while some farmers chose not to harvest at all.
Last winter’s large amount of rain helped growers in the south and central regions but hurt northern farms, while some farmers chose not to harvest at all.
With a guidebook to Italy's olive mills, an educational television show about EVOO, and a film drama in which olive oil plays the leading man, this team gets the word out.
"We've worked hard to make a name for ourselves. What do they think? That we're out to ruin our name, our brand for a little trick worth a few bucks?" Leonardo Colavita
You won't find much olive oil production in Italy north of the Cividale plains where Franco Diacoli says his Bianchera olives "never stop growing and developing intense flavors and aromas."
Italians are buying a lot of Spanish olive oil these days. Historically low prices have pushed Spanish exports to its trans-alpine rival up 19% according to recent data.
The restoration of an ancient olive grove will preserve the Sirmione landscape so beloved by the Latin poet.
"One kind of fish has a different flavor from another. It's the same with olives; every product has certain characteristics that are reflected in the flavor." Piero Gonnelli
In 1585, 21 year-old William Shakespeare became a proud father of twins. Later that year, the Gonnellis bought a mill from local monks and started making olive oil. They're still at it.
BiolMed will create a permanent transnational network made up of “Circles to Promote Quality Organic Olive Oil.”
ASSITOL says the EU's new labeling laws that show origin information only adds paperwork, and costs, at a time when consumers are demanding low pricing.
Four years ago Gioia Pinna and her husband bought a country retreat in Umbria. Then they decided to make one of the best olive oils in the world.
Companies are using the words "Made in Italy" like an ATM complained Unaprol's chairman, who called for stricter traceability measures to help Italian farms.
In part 2 of our exclusive interview, the Gruppo Pieralisi president sees the quality of extra virgin olive oil exported to the U.S. improving, thanks to growing competition from California.
For Rome's famed La Pergola resturant Simone Pinoli looks for DOP, organic extra virgins, and the use of typical cultivation methods of the region.
We dined al fresco, at a hand-hewn farm table that stretched across an ancient patio overlooking an olive grove. I watched carefully, but not too carefully, for signs that Marcella knew about the relationship.