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Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Frantoio Franci is the most awarded EVOO in the world.   Giorgio Franci’s farm and olive mill are located on the slopes of the Amiata Mountains, overlooking the splendid valley of the River Orcia in Tuscany.  After purchasing  the famous Villa Magra Estate Giorgio realized that the family should concentrate or producing Super Premium Olive. “We were virtually unknown. Our size and structure did not allow us to be competitive with the big producers. Furthermore our skills in producing great oils, was not matched by our commercial ability. It was then that we decided to make quality our goal; a challenging prospect, but a challenge which we eagerly embraced as the only way forward; true, genuine quality, absolute with no compromise.”

46° Parallelo refers to the latitude.  Over 2000 years ago, the ancient Romans brought the first olive trees to the upper Lake Garda region. With it’s sheltered geographic location and Mediterranean micro-climate due to proximity to Lake Garda, it is one of the northern-most zones for olive cultivation in both Italy and Europe and now boasts a centuries long tradition. The main olive grown is the local Casaliva variety; together with the Frantoio variety, they make up over 95% of the total olive crop. Other varieties present to a lesser degree include Leccino and Pendolino olives, as well as the local Raza, Trepp and Favarol varieties.

Olio Bonamini….. The hills of Verona in Northern Italy are world famous as the origin zone of prestigious wines such as Recioto from Soave and Amarone from Valpolicella.

On the highest parts of these hills, on narrow terraces in almost inaccessible areas, the Grignano and Favarol indigenous varieties of olive trees and the typically Italian Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo varieties have been cultivated for many years.

Given the particular nature of the area, all aspects of cultivation, including harvesting, are carried out by hand, in order to ensure the olives arrive at our mill completely intact. Cold extraction with continuous press then transforms the olives into an extra virgin olive oil of particular delicacy and fragrance.

The De Carlo family heritage of the magnificent olives cultivated in their groves can be found in the oldest documents in the archives of Bitritto. There are many notarized acts that date as far back as the 16th century.  The company has been managed by Saverio and Grazia De Carlo since 1980, accompanied over recent years by their children Marina and Francesco and their son-in-law Arturo. The new generation, who all share the same passion, inherited from their parents, have developed a company policy focused on a short supply chain (most of the raw materials come from their own fields), top quality, great flavour and the very highest levels of customer satisfaction.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain by Oleoestepa unites the efforts of more than 5,000 olive growers and the 17 associated oil mills located in the Estepa and Puente Genil districts of Seville and Cordoba respectively. The virgin olive oil produced is the result of the olive oil production experience handed down from father to son and accredited by more than 2,000 years in the region. Even though this is a large producer their emphasis is on quality and the oils are spectacular. The uniqueness and richness of our soil and the climate in the area, typically Mediterranean, but strongly influenced by the Becerreo and Aguila Sierras, which divide the north from the south of our area of influence, provides the ideal conditions for the varieties of olives grown here: Hojiblanca, Manzanillo, Picual and Arbequina.

When it comes to  extra virgin olive oil there’s still is a new scam every day.   Most consumers are not very good shoppers!  They simply take what is offered to them at the grocery store and assume that it is fit to eat. People are way too trusting of traditional grocers and for that matter their favorite chefs.  Food fraud is the norm not the exception so lets see if we can help you make some better choices when it comes to EVOO.

In addition to the fact that estate bottled EVOO is magic with all sorts of food the health benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil are legend.  Oleocanthal (the bitter flavor you get when tasting) is 1/3 of the polyphenol content of olive oil and it has anti-inflammatory properties to fight degenerative disease. The bitter notes in Olive Oils are also flavor enhancers just like Cocktail Bitters consequently we pour it on just about everything and we cook.  The smoke point is higher than you’d imagine at 425 degrees.  If you like recipes and want to see how we incorporate EVOO into our diet this is the page for you.