OLIVE OIL
Tiny fruits, bitter, difficult to gather, so precious, giving us year after year what the ancient people named "oily liquor".
Oil cannot be produced for economical interests only. The production of high quality olive oil is demanding and expensive. The highest quality can only be achieved through love and passion. Perfection down to the smallest detail, respect of age-old tradition in combination with the newest technology, always in harmony with Mother Nature. Just the way we work, making oil so special.
In the antiquity the olive tree was honoured as holy. Therefore the olive oil had high importance for culture, nutrition, body care and economics.
The ancient Romans classified olive oil in five qualities:
1. Oleum ex albis ulivis: oil coming from the pressing of green olives, considered everyone as the best;
for every degree of ripening, the oil progressively lost its precious nutritive value
2. Oleum viride: extracted from olives gathered at a more advanced degree o ripening
3. Oleum maturum: extracted from ripe olives
4. Oleum caducum: extracted from fallen olives
5. Oleum cibarium: coming from the pressing of over ripe olives, destined to feed the slaves
We believe that the existing certifications are not sufficient - especially as far as pressing, time of harvest and maintenance is concerned- to produce the highest quality olive oil "oleum ex albis ulivis" like we do. Therefore we decided to make our own quality standard, which implies a voluntary control.
Organic farming certified by ICEA IT BIO 006B2783
| EXTRA VIRGIN IL CASONE | LUCCA DOP | TUSCAN IGP | EXTRA VIRGIN | |
| Area | Versilia hills | hills | / | / |
| Acidity | max 0,5 % | max 0,5 % | max 0,6 % | max 0,8 % |
| Peroxides | max 12 mq/kg | max 12 meq/kg | max 16 meq/kg | max 20 meq/kg |
| Polyphenol | min 100 mg/kg | min 100 mg/kg | min 60mg/kg | Not Required |
| Interval between harvest and pressing | max 10 Hours | max 48 ore | / | / |
| End of harvest | October | max 31st december | / | / |
| Harvest method | Olives picked up uniquely by the tree, not using the fallen ones | Olives picked up uniquely by the tree, not using the fallen ones | / | / |
| Filtration | compulsory | optional | optional | optional |
| Flavor | Intense fruity sensations, bitter and spicy | Fruity | Fruity | Fruity |
| Bottling | On demand | Not established | Not established | Not established |
| Maintenance | Stainless steel barrels under atmospherics nitrogenat 13 - 15 centigrades | Not established | Not established | Not established |
| Certification | Independent | Included in the trademark | Included in the trademark | Not required |
| Cultivar (species) | Frantoio 80%-Leccino 10 %-Maurino 5%- Quercetano 5 % | Frantoio max 90 %, Leccino max 30 %, others max 15 % | / | / |
| Farming methods: pruning | Annual: manual organic fertilization | At least biennial | / | / |
| Maximum Yield per tree | max 20 kg/tree | max 20 kg/tree | / | / |
| Maximum yield per hectare | max 7000 kg/ha | max 7000 kg/ha | / | / |
| Maximum oil yield | max 19 % | max 19 % | / | / |
| Crush time | max 50 minutes | max 50 minutes | / | / |
| Crush Temperature | < 27°C | min 13°c/max 28°c | / | / |