The Oil Mill – Il Giogo –

Hi everyone, since last time we talked about extra virgin olive oil today we’ll like to introduce you to a little organic oil mill: the “Frantoio Il Giogo ”.
It’s a small family business, the family own many fields around the Valpolicella classic area and the Lake Garda, and all the entire processes, from the pruning to the harvest and to the olives milling are managed by the family.

The characteristics that distinguish the oil of Valpolicella are the chlorophyll, that aid the colour green-gold intense, the delicate perfume and the musky aftertaste with the sensation of lemon leaf. The ideal employment of oil is raw: a bit quantity brings out the taste of food, but it is good also to fry. In Valpolicella the olives are used only for oil, not to be eaten. The historic species are Grignano, Favarol and Trepp.
Favarol is high quality but has a productivity that varies from year to year.
This kind of olive needs to be properly fed and followed with an annual pruning. 

Then we have the Lake Garda varieties, the most famous and well known it’s the Casaliva, the huge amount of water of the lake mitigates the climate of the region so that on the shore of lake Garda, you can find a typical Mediterranean flora: palm trees, lemon trees and of course olive trees that have been cultivated here for thousands of years. The hills surrounding the lake are often spotted with the typical pale green color of olive tree leaves. The extra virgin olive oil produced here is mild and delicate, with a fruity and artichoke taste, ideal for dishes of local cuisine: risotto with lake fish, polenta with pike and marinated trout. The east coast of Lake Garda, because of the great olive oil production is also called olive trees riviera.

Il Giogo was founded in 2016 by the idea of the householder Nicola Tezza, and during the years his sons, Diego and Sofia started a long process of studies to become oil panel (taster / judge of extra virgin olive oils) and for Diego to become also an oil maker. Nowadays the oil mill it’s still a family business managed by the parents Nicola and Emanuela and the two sons. As I mentioned before, the entire production it’s organic and in the last few years they achieved many goals including several gold and silver medals at the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition which is the largest and most prestigious olive oil quality contest, this thanks to the excellent positions of the fields but even more thanks to the oil maker, which is the key figure in the production of high quality extra virgin olive oil. He is the one who, thanks to his experience, competence and passion, leads the oil mill. It is not the oil mill who shapes the oil maker , but the oil maker who shapes the oil mill, manages it at best, in order to produce excellence from the surrounding area. He has to recognizing the quality of the olives, the degree of ripeness and choose when it’s time to start the harvest, and his figure becomes even more complete because he has to guarantee his olive growers a correct management of the olive tree plantations; and how to manage the fruits from the moment of harvesting to storage and finally to delivery to the mill.

This is why at the Giogo the oil miller, Diego, is an oil master, because he is able to guarantee the life of an extra virgin olive oil of absolute quality at 360 °.

But this tiny farm can guarantee such good products and hospitality, thanks also to the hard work and expertise of the ladies of the family, especially the youngest, Sofia which with her sensibility and estrus make this family business so unique. And yes before we mentioned hospitality, because the Giogo it also has during the summer season, from June to September, a hospitality for campers and a beautiful pool where the guests can relax by the beach loungers and a bucolic cafe where enjoy local food.

So… what are you waiting for?! Next time that you’ll pass by Verona, go to visit this local small reality and immerse yourself in a bucolic italian dream… or visit their website, www.agricolailgiogo.com/it , and order their unique products.

See you next time with a delicious recipe…