Azienda Agricola Masseriola – Ascoli Satriano, Foggia (Italy)
- July 1, 2005
The July 2005 Company of the Month is an olive-oil-producing farm from Ascoli Satriano, in the southern Apulia region, or the heel of the Italian boot. It is not the usual kind of company featured in this column, but as extra virgin olive oil is one of the main staples of the healthful Mediterranean diet, we have decided to start giving space also to producers who specialize exclusively in the production of outstanding, high quality, olive oil from the various Italian regions.
Location
The Masseriola commercial farm is located in the southern Sub-Apennine area known as Dauno, at the edge of the famed 'Tavoliere delle Puglie', or the Apulian plain dedicated to farmland known as Tavoliere, that extends into the southern Mediterranean Sea, toward the Albanian and Greek coasts.
The farmland is at 300 meters above sea level and includes about 80 hectares (slightly under 200 acres), 11 of which (27 acres) have been dedicated to growing olive trees for the last 50 years. The varieties cultivated are mostly the Coratina (about 90%) and, in lesser quantity, the Moraiolo (about 10 %).
Products
The Azienda Agricola Masseriola has employed organic farming for the production of olives since 1996, and in 1999 became a member of the Consorzio di Tutela dell'Olio Extravergine di Oliva DOP Dauno (Consortium for the Protection of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil DOP Dauno).
The harvesting is made with the 'brucatura' system, that is, by hand picking the olives from the tree when they are perfectly ripe.
The pressing is completed within 24 to 36 hours from the harvest of the fruits by using heavy stone wheels that crush both the olives and the pit. The rich olive paste thus produced has a pleasant, intense and pervasive perfume that fills the air in and around the frantoio (oil mill).
The following phase is called 'gramolatura' and consists of the continued gentle mixing of the olive paste at a controlled temperature not exceeding 27° C. (80.6° F.). Next, the three components thus obtained are separated from each other: water, the solid residue and the extra virgin olive oil. The oil is then left to rest inside iron containers in cool, dark rooms before being bottled and released into the market place.
The extra virgin olive oil from organically grown olives DOP Dauno Sub Appennino thus produced by the Azienda Agricola Masseriola is marketed in 0.25-, 0.50- and 0.75-liter bottles. The extra virgin olive oil from organically grown olives is marketed in bottles of the same size, as well as in 5-liter tin cans.
Certifications
The organic agricultural methods used by the Azienda Agricola Masseriola for olive cultivation are in accordance to the Reg. CEE 2092/91 and are certified by the Istituto di Certificazione Etica ed Ambientale (ICEA, or Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification).
The extra virgin olive oil from organically grown olives DOP Dauno Sub Appennino is certified by 'Agroqualità', the certification body of the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole e Forestali (MIPAF, or Ministry for Agricultural and Forestry Policy).
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