Our Mission Is:

	To ensure the lowest possible acidity rating and thereby provide the highest quality oil
	To ensure and maintain the sumptuous robust fruity olive flavour that is typical of our region of Sicily
	To get to the roots of production using only natural agricultural methods with only natural fertilisers and composting to achieve organic status
	For you the buyer/consumer to *visit and know the growers and see production at any time of year
	To maintain that extra virgin quality from growing, picking, storing, to bottling and subsequent consumption

*NB. A private villa able to accommodate families will be for rental on our property end of 2008. 50 minutes motorway by car from Catania airport. 15 minutes from beautiful beaches.

A Little About Us - and why we are here

We set out to establish a small vineyard on the property we had bought. All around the periphery of the property there happened to be wonderful old olive trees.

At the first olive harvest we were delighted by the whole community spirit of the harvest. At the 'frantoio' or mill, we saw how olive oil was simply the pure fresh oil from the olive after the the bittery water was extracted - and nothing else. The smell of fresh olives being harvested is simply divine! The taste on fresh Sicilian bread........fantastic.

We decided then and there to increase our production of olives by planting more of the indigenous cultivars of the region.

We had fallen in love with Syracuse in the pouring rain of winter 1989 on a 4 day stopover.
We were at that time on a car trip all around Italy with our 2 children.
Of all the places in Italy that we had visited, we chose to return again and again to Syracuse. Each new visit added new dimensions - as well as lots of sunshine. In Sicily the temperature is around 30 degrees for 6 months of the year.

Syracuse and its environs are abundantly rich in history and archaeology dating back 2800 years when the Greeks arrived around 700 BC. Many other factors, such as its climate, topography and location, have all contributed to its interest, complexity and variety.

The ancient site of Ortygia, the 'island' part of the city of Syracuse is now a World Heritage Site.

Agriculturally this south east region of Sicily is unique. A micro climate, it produces the famous Sicilian lemons and the Tarocco red 'blood' oranges which are 'protected' and sought after in Northern Europe and London.

The 'terreno' ( terroir) of south east Sicily is uniquely influenced by the volcanic eruptions of  Europe's most active volcano, Mt. Etna. This beautiful mountain, often covered in snow, spectacularly dominates the landscape of the region.

Mt. Etna in its location overlooking the blue Mediterranean Sea is truly splendid.

Add to this the abundant supply of underground water; the limestone mountains of the Monti Iblei mountain range; the fertile soils of our Anapo Valley. It is no surprise then that the olive trees of this region produce such high quality, well balanced and flavoursome olive oil.

Monasteri, which is where we live, is a DOC region for the delicious sweet white dessert wine - 'Moscato di Siracusa'.
The sweet white Muscat grapes require our long hot summers for their maturity. As do our olive trees.

Our small estate and our olive trees fall into the DOP - Denominazione Origine Protetta region for Extra Virgin Olive Oil production.
( See under 'How to Choose Quality Extra - Virgin Olive Oil'  for explanation.)

We are sited in the beautiful fertile Anapo Valley, not far from the cooling breezes of the sea, and protected by the limestone Iblei mountains.