Chiaramonte Gulfi · Hyblaean Mountains
Olive oil
I made olive oil with my family from the time I was a child, and later as a profession: a professional farmer with my own land in Chiaramonte Gulfi. Oil cold-pressed within twenty-four hours of the harvest, sold across Italy and Europe.
Where it comes from
The land
Chiaramonte Gulfi lies in the Hyblaean Mountains, in the province of Ragusa: old olive trees, trunks split open by time, red earth. My land was there, and my oil came only from those trees.
Where it comes from
The family
The harvest was a family job. Nets spread under the trees, poles among the branches, olives in crates; my mother on the truck bed, stacking the day's load.
Where it comes from
The rule
I followed the strictest methods, because the quality of an oil is decided in a few hours: milling within twenty-four hours of the harvest, cold extraction, no shortcuts. Then the oil left for Italy and Europe, and I followed that too.
The method · 01
The harvest
From the trees on the farm: nets spread on the ground, poles among the branches, olives gathered into crates.
The method · 02
Within twenty-four hours
From tree to mill in less than a day: the longer an olive waits, the more the oil loses aroma and picks up defects.
The method · 03
Cold-pressed
Crushing and pressing at low temperature, so the oil keeps its aromas and polyphenols. Freshly made, it comes out green and cloudy.
The method · 04
Italy and Europe
Bottled and shipped to those who chose it, in Italy and abroad. I handled the sales as well.
The mill
For olive oil producers
Today I build websites. For an olive oil company I know what to tell and how to sell it: the grove, the mill, the tight timing of the harvest; product pages for each oil, a shop that ships across Italy and Europe, visibility on Google for people looking for oil. I know the work as a producer and as a developer: I can build the site, the shop and the copy.