For Adele Giaconia proposing an excellent quality product is fundamental: for this reason she took over the reins of  the family business and relaunched on the market the real Sicilian oil.

An ancient history: a territory for a unique EVO oil

The history of the Azienda Agricola Villa Colonna is very old and has its roots in 1577, when Marcantonio Colonna, a war hero of the naval battle of Lepanto, was named Viceroy of Sicily by the King of Spain Philip II. As a reward for distinguishing in the field, Marcantonio receives immense property in the Messinese district of Reitano. For this reason, the small village is called "Colonna" and towards the end of the seventeenth century, the Giaconia family becomes owner of nine hectares of olive groves belonged to the old war hero.

Giaconia family: the courage to dare and love for their land

The Giaconia family, having bought the land, began to experiment the production of EVO oil without ever really entering the market. In 2001, Alede Giaconia, the current owner, and her husband Salvatore, decided to increase production. They planted more than two thousand new trees and built a state-of-the-art irrigation system, permanently changing the fortunes of the company. "Twenty years ago I decided to resume the family business, long neglected, with the aim of enhancing the resources of the territory and help promote the local economy" says Adele. A revengeful desire and the want to transform the Sicilian oil into something precious mobilize Adele and Salvatore, allowing them in a short time to achieve their goals

The production of real Sicilian oil: from the harvest to the table

The clay soil and the position of the olive grove, directly on the sea allow an ideal environment for the different local varieties: Santagatese, Giarraffa, Biancolilla, Verdello, Nocellara, Belice and Messinese varieties. In particular, the olive grove owned by the Giaconia family also includes seven hundred-year-old trees of the variety. In addition, it has recently been updated with new species of trees selected to improve the quality of the product bonds. But how is the production of real Sicilian oil and how is a simple olive oil transformed into such a precious and high quality product?

Harvesting

The Farmhouse Villa Colonna begins harvesting in October, when the olives are still green, using the classic Sicilian method. Every day, in fact, as in classic Sicilian tradition, before the collection they arrange large
nets under each single tree. Subsequently, the collection takes place directly from the trees either manually or through the use of automated combs. During this stage, olives that are too ripe or damaged are discarded.

Washing

On the same day of the harvest, the olives are transported to the mill and subjected to washing inside a tank and then dried through the dripping water. Subsequently, they are separated from the foliage, all the oil residues and other wastes. Only after these two processes can the real production phases begin

Milling

Milling is the first real phase of oil’s extraction: through a second belt, the washed olives are crushed by granite millstones and, subsequently, by a mechanical crusher. This phase must begin within 24/48 hours of collection to keep intact the characteristics of the raw material. Adele and Salavatore are very attentive to quality and, in order to preserve all the beneficial and aromatic substances of the oil, use a cold processing technique and the most modern machinery. Cold processing means that the olive paste never exceeds, during all stages of processing, the temperature of 27° – 28° C.

Malaxing

At this point, the dough obtained is kneaded, the purpose of which is to aggregate the micro-drops of oil present in the dough. All this happens through the continuous mixing at a temperature of 20 to 27 º C, for a
time not exceeding 60 minutes. At this stage, moreover, the aim is to break the emulsion between oil and water and facilitate the separation of the oil must from most of the solid residue.

Centrifugation

After this, the dough passes through a low-speed centrifuge with a horizontal axis, called a decanter. This centrifuge, through the rotating action of the drum, separates from the dough three elements: the virgin olive pomace, which is sent to the “sansificio” for processing into oil of pomace and fuel, the water of vegetation that is used as agricultural fertilizer and the oil must.

Stocking

The oil must thus obtained can then be stored in silos, placed in an air-conditioned room at a temperature of 18 º, so as to preserve the organoleptic and chemical characteristics of the product just obtained.

Bottling: a Sicilian oil of excellence ready for the table!

After a proper filtration, the oil can then be sent to the last phase of processing, that is, the bottling phase consisting of a blower, filling machine with spouts, front-back labelling machine and finally a capping machine.

A high quality organic EVO oil: several certifications and collaborations

From this cold process is obtained a fragrant oil, full-bodied and rich in phenols, a product hygienically safe and of very high quality. For Villa Colonna, the production of Sicilian oil is more than a business: it is a real mission to relaunch its land and its magnificent resources. "Villa Colonna belongs to the Strade dei Sapori dei Nebrodi , an association linked to the Nebrodi Park" explains Adele. "We organize tours in the park and we have created a network of accommodation". What gave rise to this association is indeed extraordinary: a unique opportunity for tourists to easily enjoy the tourist offers of the area and all its natural and historical-cultural heritage.

Collaboration with the experts

As already mentioned, Adele and Salvatore started almost 20 years ago with the production of Sicilian oil and their first goal was immediately to ensure a high quality: their oil had to be exceptional. In order to guarantee this high standard to their customers, they asked for the collaboration of experts in the field, realizing projects with numerous institutions. They involved the University of Messina, the CNR of Palermo and the officials of the Department of Agriculture and ICE (Istituto Nazionale per il commercio Estero). In addition, Villa Colonna subjected its product to periodic laboratory tests to certify its customer all the beneficial properties of its product. As can be seen from these analyses, Olio di Colonna is particularly rich

Le certificazioni nazionali e internazionali

Thanks to the strong commitment of the owners, the evo Sicilian oil of Villa Colonna has obtained several certifications of quality and uniqueness. In addition to the Slow Food presidium, the company received the gold medal at the Biolnovello 2017 competition as best organic EVO oil ( for the quality of Santagatese). In addition, he also got international awards such as the gold medal at the "The International Prize for the Best Organic Extravirgin Olive Oil in the World"; in 2018, the Gourmet Product certification from the French "Agence pour la valorisation des produits agricoles" and silver medal at the Athena International Olive Oil Competition in March 2018.

The right price for high quality: order your oil online!

The costs to maintain excellent quality of the final product are by no means negligible: as a result the price is also slightly out of the market. "At the beginning we had difficulty to propose prices a little higher than the average, but now even the local market accepts them because they are justified by the quality, which obviously has costs" says Adele. Who really knows about oil and is attentive to what he buys, certainly doesn’t stop in front of a few more euros. If you also belong to this category of consumers, choose immediately your organic Sicilian EVO oil from our shop and receive it at home in a few days! If you are in the area, you can visit the company by appointment. Just contattare Villa Colonna contact Villa Colonna to get to know their reality made of spectacular landscapes.