Deep down in Southern Italy, in the wonderful Sicilian Valle dell’Irminio, Daniele and Roberto Aprile produce excellent extra virgin olive oils from the traditional local cultivars such as the intense Cetrale (or Tonda Iblea) and the delicate Biancolilla.
Despite having inherited the land in the Scicli countryside and the passion for olive oil from their family, they are anything but obsolete and old-fashioned.
The modern and accurate graphic, the up-to-date website and the attendance to major gastronomic events clearly demonstrate it. But they also have a great attention for local culture and contemporary art, successfully linking tradition and innovation. The last example is the “adoption” of the long-time abandoned olive-yards growing around the ancient rural church of the Holy Spirit (Santo Spirito) in Scicli.
While the church has been rescued and restored in 2010 by the local artistic group Gruppo Asterisco, the Aprile brothers are cultivating, harvesting and pressing the olives of the old trees. The revenues from the sale of this limited edition extra virgin olive oil will finance the group’s projects.
Every year, this rare product will have a different label, especially designed by an artist and selected through a contest. 2011 winner was Corrado Iozzia, with his work “the print”: a green shaded fingerprint underlining a deep link between nature, olive oil and human labor. A powerful image that – just as the Aprile olive oil does — leaves its mark.
Related Articles
Apr. 16, 2024
Small Producers, Oleotourism Take Center Stage at Ercole Olivario
The winners of the main competition will participate in the Shelf Life Monitoring Project, which will help improve best practices for producers and consumers.
Jan. 15, 2024
Producers in Uruguay See Awards Fueling Exports, Local Olive Oil Culture
Uruguayans turned heads at the 2023 World Olive Oil Competition, setting their sights on export markets and homegrown appreciation.
Oct. 31, 2024
Study Suggests Stink Bug Caused Mysterious Fruit Drop in Italy
The brown marmorated stink bug has been identified in Italian and Greek olive groves. Increasing evidence now links its presence to an early fruit drop in northern Italy.
Jan. 2, 2024
Agritourism Takes Off at Arizona’s Queen Creek Olive Mill
Tourism is key to the success of Queen Creek Olive Mill’s business and the promotion of extra virgin olive oil in Arizona.
Feb. 19, 2024
Quality Is Key in El Mistol’s Drive to Grow in Argentina, Expand Exports
The producer hopes the new government’s policy agenda and the company’s investments to expand production will improve profitability and grow the local consumer base.
Aug. 19, 2024
Terroir, Organic Farming Yield Award-Winning Results for Sicilian Farmer
The producers behind Agrigento-based Naru attribute their World Competition success to sustainably-grown local olive varieties.
Mar. 25, 2024
Scientists Defend Study Finding Xylella Not Responsible for Most OQDS
Margherita Ciervo and Marco Scortichini defend their research that found Xylella fastidiosa was not responsible for most Apulian olive tree deaths over the past decade.
Feb. 7, 2024
Acesur CEO Highlights Andalusia's Key Role in Sector's Future
Gonzalo Guillén believes production capacity is the limiting factor to increase olive oil consumption and Andalusia remains best positioned to expand the market.