From the Kitchen Counter to Social Impact: More About Our Story
Thanks for visiting the website and for running alongside us as we continue to grow Ugolino Oil. It’s been quite an evolution! When we first started making our oil we kept it for ourselves and gave some as gifts to family and friends. We were charmed by the traditions and rituals and were thrilled, as city slickers, to actually have oil coming from land we owned. We knew nothing about growing or harvesting olives. And we certainly were not savvy to the techniques of making great oil.
We fumbled our way forward. Our trees had not fully recovered from years of neglect so initially our production was meager. To get oil back to Austin we’d empty out plastic San Pellegrino water bottles, duct tape the tops for extra security and bundle them in sweaters squeezed into our suitcases. Miraculously we never had a leak!!
As we learned how to care for our trees and found the right mill for processing, our production increased and we had more to share. We started shipping 5 liter tins, decanted it into wine bottles at our kitchen counter in Austin with a tiny plastic funnel, jammed a cork in and used my hair dryer to shrink wrap the tops.
We have figured things out a little better now! I received a certification from UC Davis after taking their short course in Advanced Sensory Evaluation of Olive Oil. Today our EVOO is FDA registered, professionally bottled and sealed at the Frantoio Rossi olive mill in Pierantonio, Italy and our dear team at Castiglione Ugolino, Antonio & Maria (under the supervision of their 4- and 1-year olds, Pablo and Marco) handle the labeling and shipping with great efficiency. Giulia, Gabriella and I put on the final touches here in Austin with our wax seal and hang tags. It’s still a labor of love but not quite as chaotic at the house as it used to be!
Pablo and Marco
We’ve always had fun making our oil, so turning it into a business was not something we initially thought about. It was when we connected it to a larger purpose that our perspective shifted. When multiple earthquakes devastated central Italy in late summer and fall of 2016, our property was lucky to have been spared. We were shaken emotionally and moved to try to help.
Gabri and Giulia came up with the idea of selling the oil to friends and at school and donating what they earned to the victims of the earthquakes. The girls researched non-profits that were working in the region and eventually decided to go through Global Giving who provided additional vetting of best projects. Specifically they chose Mission Bambini’s effort to rebuild a cantina and community center in the town of Cittareale only kilometers from the epicenter. You can read more about that successful first fundraiser and our trip to the town to visit the finished building on our website in the GIVING BACK section.
The positive response to the oil and our story encouraged us to keep going. It’s been wonderful is to see how our friends and family have expanded to customers from all over. The quality of the oil is certainly the prime selling point, but we have heard over and over how much our customers appreciate our larger purpose. This year we have designated our profits to Fondazione Francesco Rava.
After three years the job of reestablishing fully functioning schools and facilities in the region of Central Italy is still not complete. Thanks to long experience in reconstruction projects in earthquake emergencies, the team at RAVA delivered 8 schools in the area and plan a sports structure this spring. A purchase of Ugolino Oil will help RAVA continue this critical work helping get children back in stable educational environments.
We’re happy to be able to share this exquisite oil but more importantly to realize a larger mission of giving back to the region that has given so much to us. In less than three years our customers have helped us contribute approximately $10,000 to disaster relief. Wouldn’t it be great if we sold so much of our oil that we could begin to buy from other local producers in our area and also start to help support the farmers in our valley and boost the local economy?
Social impact makes the hard work on the business side seem even more worthwhile and makes our energy for this project soar. Thanks for joining us on this journey and look out for more blog posts about extra virgin olive oil, our property, the Umbria region and Italian life.