Made as it has been for decades
in october or early november…
…when the temperature and humidity are just right and when the olives are the perfect shades of green and deep purple we begin hand picking the trees around Castiglione Ugolino to make the highest quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We are committed to creating a pure oil using no pesticides or other toxins and do not irrigate, preferring to let nature control the growing process.
At harvest time all throughout our valley nets spread out and wrap around gnarled trunks. Wooden ladders lean into the olive trees’ silver leaves. Everyone strips the soft new growth branches either letting the fruit drop onto the nets below or into woven reed baskets crooked into their arms.
Picking is a family affair. When our girls were little they scrambled up into the trees and worked alongside our neighbors as we alternately chatted about what was planned for lunch or we silently worked, listening to the birds or the wind cutting through the leaves.
To make the highest quality oil, we pick and transport immediately to our local mill just down the hill. Frantoio Rossi has been pressing olives for the community since the late 1880s. Dedicated to preserving tradition while also benefiting from advances in the latest milling technology, the Rossi family helps us produce the finest EVOO low in acidity and high in antioxidants and polyphenols. Delicious and healthy!
