organic extra virgin olive oil
Fattoria Lavacchio
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The project
Adopt {publicVariety} from the farm "{farmName}" in {cityfarm} ({countryFarm}) and receive your harvest in the form of {production} at home. The Farmer {farmerName} will take care of your adoption and take its picture. Also, you will be able to download the adoption certificate and, if you wish, plan your visit to the farm. You do not enter into any long-term commitment: once you receive your harvest and you enjoyed the experience, you may decide to renew and extend the adoption.
What do you adopt?
Adopt {publicVariety} that we cultivate under the Organic Farming regulations of the European Union.
During the process of adoption you can choose a name that we will engrave on a plaque and hang on your tree.
Each tree produces an average of 12 kg of olives per season. The percentage of oil produced from the olives can vary each year, but usually it is under 15%, i.e 1,5 l of olive oil. Olives trees flower in the Spring and olives are harvested in the Fall. The harvest of the olives is still done manually, only during day time and never when it rains, from mid October until the end of November and, to ensure the best quality, the olives are crushed on the same day they have been picked.
Our Estate is family owned and run since 1978. It is extended on a total 110 hectares above a hill at 400 meters of altitude with 44 hectares of olive groves and 8000 olive trees of Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino and Pendolino (typical Tuscan cultivar). All our oils are a blend of these 4 varietals. Most of the trees are over 100 years old but some have been re-planted in the 1980s after the frost. The olive trees can age a long time (even up to 1500 years!) and are resistant to the usual mediterranean climate. In 1985, here in Tuscany, a severe frost killed part of our trees and we had to replace them.
Our olives are organically cultivated. No chemical treatment or insecticide is used. Our plants are fed only with organic compost produced from the pruning and mulching of the shoots growing at the base of the olive trees, as well as the residue from the olive pressing. Microorganisms in the soil make all these products available to plants. Over the course of the years, our olive oils were awarded by various different committees gaining several medals and recognitions in the main international competitions such as BIOL, JOOP (Japan Olive Oil Prize), a certification of quality at AIP, and a certification of high Biophenols at the Regional selection of E.V Oils.
Green olives, picked at the beginning of the harvest season, tend to have the best combination of aroma and color but a low yield, while riper olives, picked at the end of the season, produce a higher yield of oil but its aroma tend to sweeten compared to the oil produced from “younger” olives. This is why we have decided to divide the oils in 3 different categories that correspond to 3 olive ripeness stages.
The productive life of {publicVariety} is around 1500 years. For as long as you want to keep it and we can continue taking care of it, you can renew your adoption year after year. If your {variety} dies, we will replace it with no additional cost and assuring the delivery of your harvest from other trees.
What will you receive?
Each season we will send you a box with:
1 x __Organic extra virgin olive oil__ ( glass bottle of 0.5 liters)
Made from the olives which are harvested from mid to late November. It is a brilliant green color with golden undertones. Its perfume is an intense and persistent fresh grass with hints of artichoke and eggplant. It is full bodied with slight tastes of spice and fresh herbs. Serving suggestions: The ideal use of this particular oil is with authentic cold dishes of raw and cooked vegetables, soups, salads and dips. However, it is also perfect in cooked sauces and roasts.
1 x __Organic extra virgin olive oil PGI Tuscan__ (glass bottle of 0.5 liters)
Made from the olives which are harvested within the mid of November. It has a rich green hue and a strong olive perfume with an intense and persistent smell of fresh grass. It has a slightly spicy taste balanced with artichoke and tomato stem flavors, typical of the traditional Tuscan Olive Oil. Serving suggestions: The authenticity and uniqueness of our oil is such that it can be enjoyed on its own with a slice of Tuscan bread, or with any food. Ideally use it raw on vegetables, soups, grilled meats & salads to enhance the food’s flavors.
1 x __Organic extra virgin olive Laudemio Selection__ (glass bottle of 0.5 liters)
Made from the olives which are harvested at the end of October. The color is bright green and the nose is an intense and persistent scent of fresh cut grass with an excellent structure and a fruity flavor. Serving suggestions: The ideal use of this absolutely genuine product is raw on vegetable-based dishes such as pinzimonio; soups, salads and boiled vegetables.
To enjoy your extra virgin olive oil with all its organoleptic qualities, we recommend you consume it within 12 months following its delivery. Please store in a cool and dry place, away from light.
When will you receive it?
Please, check the deadline for participating in this project (deadline for adoption) below. As of this date the Farmer will start preparing the orders that are to be shipped.
The harvest 2020 will start at the end of October and will finish at the end of November. The delivery will be done within mid January.
You may select the delivery date of your box as suggested by the Farmer at check-out.
Why should you adopt?
* Learn who produces your food, how and where. Receive your food in a conscious manner.
* Buy directly from the farmer. Help to generate wealth and better jobs in the rural areas.
* Plan ahead and enable the Farmer to produce on demand. This way we can avoid overproduction and fight food waste.
* Reward Farmers who make an effort to use environmentally-friendly packaging and cultivation techniques.
How does it work?
Meet the Farmers
Adopt and plan your harvest
Let the Farmer and nature work
Receive your harvest at home
Faye Lottero
After graduating in a law degree and working as a lawyer for almost a year, I immediately understood that my life was in the countryside. In May 1999 I finally decided to move to the family Estate in Tuscany where I had spent all my childhood amongst the vineyards and the olive groves. I remember that as a child my favourite snack was a toasted slice of bread with fresh olive oil. Even today, I cannot wait for the fresh oil coming out from the press to enjoy it with a piece of bread.
With my husband Dimitri, we take care of the production of the Estate which consists of wine, extra virgin olive oil and vegetables respecting the ancient traditions that the elder people working on the farm taught us and adding some new and modern techniques.
Today, we still pick all our olives from 8000 trees by hand, literally climbing on the trees or with a semi mechanical comb. The olives are crushed and cold pressed within a few hours; they have been picked to ensure the best quality and a high level of vitamin E.
Since in Tuscany winters could be very rigid, the olives are traditionally picked in October and November when they are almost changing their colour to black; this is why the yield is very low.
On the Estate we have renovated a few country homes into agriturismo, where we proudly host and share our passion with our guests.
Faye Lottero
"I have decided to live my Tuscan Organic Lifestyle in 1999 and 20 years later I am still as enthusiastic as the first day! This saying is absolutely true: "An agricultural life is one eminently calculated for human happiness and human virtue." C. L. ALLEN"
Fattoria Lavacchio
Fattoria Lavacchio
The Estate was built in 1700 by the noble Florentine Peruzzi family. By 1840, the property was sold to the Marchesi Strozzi Sacrati and was owned by the influential family until 1978, when my family took over.
Since then, the Estate has become a family owned farm, devoted to the cultivation and production of Organic wines and olive oil, preserving its farming traditions and adopting biodynamic principles.
We have a team of 6 people all year round helping us out with the production of the olive oil and wine but during the olive harvest, which is done by hand, extra people come and help as in the old times. They are called “brucatori” and are usually locals that take a work break from their usual jobs to come and pick the olives and get their annual need of olive oil as they are paid in oil. The same people come year after year and harvest the same olive groves as if it was theirs. On weekends our kids and friends join too as the olive harvest is a real feast.
The “secret” is that the olives are processed on the same day they are harvested to ensure the highest quality. First, the leaves are removed, then the olives are washed and finally crushed to obtain a creamy paste that enables the extraction. The kneading is done at a controlled temperature of 20° for a period of 15 to 30 minutes. The last phase is the separation that occurs by centrifuging: the first is horizontal to separate the solid part from the liquid and the second is vertical to separate the oil from water and from any impurity. All the process takes place with the control of atmosphere, to avoid any defect at all and to extract three to four times more antioxidants (such as vitamin E, polyphenols, etc.) that determine the age ability and enhance its characteristics.
The olives are crushed at a temperature below 27ºC (81ºF), a process which lasts about 40 minutes. The oils are cold-extracted in a very modern olive oil mill. Extra virgin olive oil should be extracted within 24 hours after the olives have been picked. In Tuscany, olives are typically picked in the morning and crushed in the afternoon.
Every year we organise Oil Camps open to those who want to experience our lifestyle and get a real idea of what it takes to make a bottle of olive oil.
Technical information
Address
Fattoria Lavacchio, Pontassieve, IT
Location