In November and December, the olives are just right and get shaken from the trees with sticks and harvest combs. This process ensures that the fruit is in an undamaged condition before Gina and Marco bring it to the mill.
The Merula Valley is considered one of the best areas for olive growing. The small olive grove offers many advantages: the proximity to the sea and the gentle climate that prevails there. At an altitude of 160 to 180 meters, the olive trees thrive particularly well. Dry, warm summers and cool, damp winters are optimal conditions.
Marco and Gina work hand in hand: When the olives are ripe, they are shaken from the trees into large collecting nets with sticks and harvesting combs without touching the ground. In this way, the fruits remain undamaged before they reach the mill. The nets are laid out under the trees beforehand. Then the olives are packed in wooden boxes or jute bags and transported directly to the traditional oil mill.
Gina and Marco are the people behind the LIVA’s olive oil. Both have a love for olive oil since their birth. Despite having long and often hard-working days, they seem to have no difficulty recognizing the beauty in their work and the final product.
All 800 of the Taggiasca olive trees in the Merula Valley are cared for by Marco and Gina no matter if sunshine or rain all year.
Finally, the olives reach their last stop: at a traditional stone mill, the oil is extracted and bottled by hand, which gives the olive oil the best possible protection from external agents.
