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Importer of Distinctive Olive Oils

Our last newsletter was for Olio Nuovo in December.  We have heard from many of you replenishing your olive oil, but there are lots of you who are obviously using far too much butter!  Teasing aside, we have just received a shipment of very fresh oil and it is a good time for you to restock, so we are presenting our first-ever sale. Check-out our Mid-Year Specials below.

Olive Oil Report

Frantoio Olivestri
Most of you are very familiar with the wonderful olive oils from Frantoio Olivestri in Umbria, the one we fly-in for olio nuovo.  Olivestri’s oil this year has mellowed to a very creamy and fruity character, filled with delicious fruit that has no bitterness, and is in many ways the most versatile it has been in several years.  We have new supplies of five liter tins of Fiordolio and .5 and .75 liter bottles of Siloro.  Check-out the specials.

Francesco DE PADOVA
If you haven’t tried our oils from Francesco De Padova in Puglia, you should do so.  De Padova is quite the different producer from Olivestri, and their oil reflects the unique character of Puglia.  Olivestri is a small artisanal producer, hand crafting extraordinary oil.  De Padova’s 1,000 acres and ISO 9000 plant produce exceedingly high quality oil at affordable prices.  De Padova’s entire farm is 100% certified organic, and Signore Francesco De Padova has been a leader in introducing organic methods to Puglia.  Their motto is “from the seed to the bottle,” because they control every aspect of production from raising all their own trees in their estate nursery, to hand picking, to pressing and packing.  Family owned and operated, they are committed to the highest quality.

We offer three oils from De Padova:

Five liter tins of extra virgin olive oil (80% from estate organic olives and 20% from nearby estates, so this oil is not certified organic).  This is currently our most popular restaurant oil, offering excellent quality at an amazing price. Check-out the specials.

Certified organic, estate grown extra virgin olive oil in ½ liter bottles. This oil has met with remarkable acceptance and is a favorite of many of our retail stores for its wonderful flavor and commitment to organic farming.  Check-out the specials.

 Five liter tins of olive oil. This is not extra virgin oil – this is what is often referred to as “pure” olive oil. This oil has a much higher smoke point (420°) than extra virgin and is valued as a frying and sauté oil. Most pure olive oils have 5% EVO (the only taste and color component in pure oils); De Padova has 15%, making it a flavorful & quality choice.  If you enjoy frying with olive oil (and you should!) try this wonderful pure. Our best restaurants love this oil!   Check-out the specials.

 The Little Can that Can
We are frequently asked where one can find the kind of oil can that we show on our website for applying a filo d’olio, a thin line of oil for finishing vegetables, meat and fish with raw oil.  It turns out that that these kinds of olive oil cans are hard to find.  On a trip to New York we discovered a cache of really fine cans in a storeroom, so we bought them all. 

This little can has a lot going for it.  It is made of stainless steel, so it won’t let in any damaging light. It has a perfect spout for obtaining a nice stream of oil, and it will look handsome on your table.  We really like its smaller size (two cups) so you won’t decant too much from your larger tin where it stays fresher.

These cans clean-up beautifully in the dishwasher, and they will never leak, but oil does tend to drip back form the spout, so they should always be used with a saucer.

That’s the good news; the bad news is that while we bought them all, the supply was quite limited, so we are offering them on a first come basis.  Enjoy.

Frantoio Olivestri Siloro available in both .75 & .5 liter bottles.

The fruity, fresh organic oil from Puglia, by Francesco De Padova.

Mid-Year Specials

Mid-Year Specials

Coming Attractions

Monocultivars:  Arriving in September:  Monocultivars from Francesco DE PADOVA.  These oils are 100% organic, estate grown, each made from a single varietal in beautiful “Fiorentina” .75 liter bottles. There will be three varieties: Leccino, Corantina, and Nociara.  Each of these olives produces very different tasting oil. Normally the frantoio blends oils to the  sapore (taste) of the maker. Here is a rare chance to experience the pressed olives in the raw.  It will be great fun to compare them and discover their best applications.  After they arrive we will send a special notice with tasting notes so you can experience these treats.

Granoro Pasta:  We are now introducing Granoro pasta to our commercial accounts in the Bay Area.  We are very excited about bringing Granoro to Northern California restaurants and specialty stores.  Granoro is made near Bari in Puglia next to the Capitanata Plain, the famed durum wheat growing region. Granoro has been rated Migliore in Assoluto! - The Absolute Best!, by public tasting competitions in Italy.  After we get things going in the commercial area, we will make this great pasta available to our direct customers.  Yum!   For now, you can sample Granoro if you order a five liter tin on the Mid-Year Special.

Fiorentina Style bottle used for De Padova monocultivars.

News & Tidbits

Liquid Gold in the Gutter 
Some of you know that we had a tragedy during delivery of the olio nuovo last December.  After scrambling to get the oil out of Italy as soon as it was pressed – and tracking the airfreight through two unexpected stops – we were foiled at the very last moment when the careless delivery men dumped an entire palate of 5 liter tins off the back of the truck.  We stood in horror as much of the precious oil streamed down the gutter.  We managed to fulfill all the pre-ordered oil with the help of a lot of understanding customers taking dented tins.  Our restaurant customers pretty much got shorted, but everyone got some. In the end, we collected from the insurance company, but our hearts ached for the folks who worked so hard to cultivate and process this beautiful oil, only to have it lubricate the streets of San Francisco.

Visiting a Frantoio in Italy
If you have a trip to Italy in your future, for sure consider visiting one of our suppliers, especially if you will be traveling during the crushing season, late October-January.  You will remember the smell of oil in the air and the feel of oil mist on your skin for a long time – and especially the taste of the fresh pressed oil.  Just drop us a note and we will be happy to set things up for you.  Both proprietors will greet you warmly. 

Frantoio Olivestri is located in Umbria, really on the border with Tuscany, very close to Cortona (of Under the Tuscan Sun fame), and close to a wealth of famed hill towns.  Francesco De Padova is in not-often traveled Puglia, filled with wonderful things to explore.  At Olivestri there is the lovely Villa Petrinia B&B right across the street.  De Padova has a drop-dead beautiful guest house, Masseria Bosco, right on the estate.

Mid-Year Specials

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Importer of Distinctive Olive Oils