¨When searching for producers we always make sure we work with like-minded people. We need to make sure we share the same principles either in business as much as in life. The first meeting with Giacomo, Fiammetta and Super Vieri was exactly that, these guys are awesome! They, of course, produce one of the best Evoo in the world and cultivate more native cultivars (olive varieties) than anyone else in the world. But mostly they are people you want to spend time with, laugh with and listen to all night long in front of a great bottle of wine.¨

The Story

Giacomo Grassi´s Grand father OLINTO was born in 1900 and has always lived in the farm of the old village of Dudda in Greve in Chianti, where he worked as a metayer with his family looking after seven hectares. He married grandmother ASSUNTA and had two children, Annunziata and Rolando.

Rolando has followed his father’s footsteps taking care of the farm. In 1982 he became the farm owner with his wife Elena and their children Giacomo and Debora; Rolando Grassi then invested into new modern techniques and purchasing more lands.

Now Giacomo Grassi farm covers an area of 26 hectares, (between ownership and rental), including 7 hectares of vineyard, 10 hectares of olive-grove, nearly 2 hectares of orchard and the remaing wood.

Giacomo Grassi Vision: A brave choice just having monocultivar Extra Virgin Olive oils

Oil is the only “nourishment-dressing” deriving from a fruit and which is simply created dividing the pulp from pit and water. According to tradition, the majority of extra-virgin olive oils on the market are obtained from mixtures of varieties of olives which facilitates pollination and results in higher yields. Usually the varieties are harvested together therefore the olives present a ripening time much different between each other which could differ of 50 days or more. Let’s imagine a fruit-dish on the table, full of early-peaches (ripe in early-June) and late-peaches (ripe in late September)!!! If the time of the year is mid July there is not much to choose!!! Either we eat a fruit too ripe or too sour… and we shall certainly not be “satisfied”.

To pick olives in the right moment of their ripeness has meant for the Grassi family to reshape the olive-proves removing the old trees and planting new ones, putting them in rows of the same variety in order to be able to pick the olives only from the trees which have reached the right-ripening of their fruits. Right now the production consists on 9 monocultivar oils but the family plans are to expand the offer of Monocultivars and if new varieties will be identified whose oils deserve to be bottled, will be able to enjoy new flavours.

¨It is not easy to work with this approach, but we are sure that this is the only way to appreciate the differences of tastes and flavours. This is the only way to speak properly of terroir and customise each oil for every dish!!!¨ (Giacomo Grassi)

Awards

The numerous nominations and awards received from many international organisations among with Gambero Rosso and Slow Food are proof of the quality and prestige of these olive oils and their distinguished characters. See their awards