Our olive oil
The crown jewel of Tuscan flavors, extra virgin olive oil is a genuine product we are happy to produce year after year. Just as we do with our vineyards, we meticulously care for the two thousand olive trees on the company’s land, using only natural products permitted by the organic regulations, which allow us to obtain a healthy oil with a vibrant flavor.
Our secret? When the olives are ripe, around the beginning of November, we carefully harvest them. Once harvesting is complete, we immediately take them to the mill, where the oil is cold-pressed (at a temperature of 24°-25°C) to ensure the perfect balance of aromas and flavors. This is what our grandparents taught us, and this is how we are happy to continue making this precious green gold.
1
Olive grove hectares
1500
Olive trees
1%
Average oil yield
OLIVE'S HARVEST
Hard work, curiosity, and joy were the feelings experienced by our grandparents, Giovanni and Zelina, Primo and Maria, when, about 60 years ago, they were busy harvesting olives with their families. At that time the harvest took place at the end of November and in December, later than now, and being a
harvested entirely by hand, it often continued into the Christmas holidays. Instead of today’s modern nets, simple circular sheets were used that were nothing more than old parachutes, wooden ladders also made by hand and jute sacks in which to place the olives.
OLIVE'S HARVEST
FARMERS KNOWLEDGE
Waiting for the harvest…
October and November are the olive harvest months, the last task our farm faces before its well-deserved winter rest. At Poggio al Bosco, the olive harvest is a long-awaited moment, because it marks the end of our work and allows us to enjoy its fruits immediately without having to wait years, as happens with wine. For this reason, we prepare for it with dedication and commitment, ensuring that every net and ladder is in good condition and booking our shift with the best mill in the area in advance. Compared to the past, the methods and tools used for harvesting may have changed, but the emotions experienced remain the same, testifying to one of the most humble yet noble of jobs.
Harvesting in the past…
It’s a humble job because it makes you feel truly tiny, up there at the top of the ladder, trying to balance precariously among the branches of the tree so as not to give up on harvesting even that last, distant olive. It’s humble because you don’t have the heart to leave those olives that didn’t make it into the net on the ground; so you get down on your knees and, one by one, slowly moving, you place them into the wicker baskets woven by the expert hands of our grandparents. At the same time it is noble for that bit of nobleness that exists in the loving relationship between the good farmer and his land.
…and present
Today, olive harvesting is made easier by the use of special machines that shake the full branches, helping the tallest olives fall into the net placed below. However, the festive spirit of the harvest has certainly not changed, nor has the wait at the mill, characterized by anxiety and curiosity to know the results of one’s labors.
THE OLIVE HARVEST AT POGGIO AL BOSCO
TOLD BY MOTHER DONATELLA
Effort, curiosity, and joy were the same feelings experienced by our grandparents, Giovanni and Zelina, Primo and Maria, when, about 60 years ago, they were busy harvesting olives with their families. Mother Donatella reminded us of how the harvest took place here in Poggio al Bosco when she was a child and oil was considered a great wealth for the family. Instead of today’s modern nets, simple circular sheets were used, which were nothing more than old parachutes, wooden ladders also made by hand, and jute sacks in which to place the olives.
At the end of the day, our grandparents would take the olives home and spread them out on reed mats arranged in tiers inside what was once the stable, thus creating what was commonly called “the olive castle”, so that the olives would not heat up while they awaited transport to the mill. Once pressed and the oil obtained, it was stored for the year in large terracotta jars, still used today but with a different purpose, that of flowerpots!
WANT TO TRY OUR EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL?
Every year at Poggio al Bosco we produce this precious green gold and we are truly proud of it. Visit our online shop and order the can that’s right for you.
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