How an olive tree sponsorship works
How an olive tree sponsorship works
This is how olive tree adoption works: adopting an organic olive tree at Organic Farming Italy is different from buying olive oil at the discount store. With the sponsorship you get your own tree. You can see and visit him. And that is as long as you are the godfather of the tree. Your tree is cherished, cared for and harvested by us. You can help at any time if you want to.
With the adoption you promote sustainable agriculture in Italy, because the small farms generate an additional income through the adoptions and get a fair price for the olive oil. As a result, more and more conventional farmers are converting to organic farming and the organic land is expanding.
Currently, a relief fund is being set up to ensure the survival of olive farmers on the western Ligurian coast: “Rete Tesori della Riviera” is the name of the organization that manages this fund. It helps the farmers. Preserve their organic agriculture, as many are threatened in their livelihoods by the drought of 2022 and the poor harvest of 2021. Organic Farming Italy supports this organization with every olive tree sponsorship sold. MORE >>
On our farms, olive trees of the Taggiasca variety are grown throughout. This is a famous olive with a long tradition, introduced hundreds of years ago by the monks of Taggia. So a really special olive that provides a premium organic olive oil.
Thus, the process is an organic olive tree adoption ingescent using the example of Sassolive:
You can place your orders online with us. You can choose between the olive tree sponsorship without gift package or with gift package. It is important that you enter the name that should be on the wooden sign and the certificate when ordering. And maybe a date if you want a special one printed on it. The order will be automatically confirmed by e-mail.
1. making the wooden signs for the sponsorship
Once your organic olive tree adoption order has arrived and been paid for, Max will get to work. He looks for a nice piece of wood on the site and saws out a disc. This shield he brings to Naina.
Naina sands the wood and writes the desired name on the wooden sign, drills holes for mounting and impregnates the sign with an organic impregnation. This protects the shield from running in case of weathering.
2. search olive tree and attach sign
Then Naina looks for a beautiful tree that has the right size according to the order. She attaches the wooden sign to this tree. Then she shoots a video of the tree and takes photos of him and the sign. She uploads this photo material – as desired – either to a Dropbox folder or to a specially created WhatsApp group.
It then stores the exact location of the tree in Google Maps and also sends the link to the group. The whole process takes about 5 business days, depending on the weather – we cannot install the signs in bad weather.
3. the preparation of the documents/certificates
In parallel with the signs, your certificate will also be created. We insert the desired name and date into the appropriate certificate and produce a PDF of it. This PDF is then uploaded to either the Dropbox folder or the WhatsApp group. The resolution of the PDF is so high that you will get a good print quality if you want to print the certificate. Delivery time approx. 2 working days
4. photos and video of your olive tree
With each organic olive tree adoption, we take photos and a video of your tree and create an exact location on Google Maps so you can see exactly where your tree is growing. We will upload this material about your organic olive tree adoption either to a Dropbox folder created for you and only accessible by you, or we will create a WhatsApp group for your adoption and upload it there. The advantage of the group is that we can more easily send you updates about your tree there. So when it starts to bloom or we prune it, etc.
5. the gift package, optional with each adoption
We offer a gift package for each organic olive tree sponsorship, because we have found that most olive tree patents are not done for themselves, but for someone else. They are also very popular as wedding or birthday gifts. That’s why you can simply order the gift package.
This does not change the procedure of normal olive tree adoption. But, you get a package delivered home. This shipment includes the certificate printed on a beautiful paper in a white wooden frame and a vial of organic olive oil from the farm. With this you have something in your hands that you can present at the party or send to the recipient. Delivery time approx. 3-8 working days.
6. the delivery of the premium organic extra virgin olive oil.
Harvesting your Taggiasca olive tree yields between one and six bottles of organic extra virgin olive oil, depending on the size of your tree. We harvest every year from October. Depending on the weather conditions, the harvest lasts until November/December.
Every day the olives are cold pressed. At a special supplier in the region that only processes organic olives. The oil is stored in large barrels until February. Then we fill it up and ship it. In any case of adoption you will receive 0.5 liters of organic extra virgin olive oil automatically sent to your home or to an address you give us.
After we know how the harvest turned out and how much olive oil your tree yielded in that season, you can reorder more olive oil from your tree at a special price.
7. visit your organic olive tree
Our farm is not located in Spain or Crete. Organic Farming Italy is easily accessible by car. From z.B. Munich you are with us in 7 hrs. Imperia is a charming typical Italian town. It is located in a region protected by the state, which means that there is very little tourism and that everyday Italian life still takes place as it should be.
We are on a hill by the sea – Alpicella – between Imperia and Diano Marina. With us it is very quiet and spacious. So you are welcome to come and visit us if you like your tree. Houses to live in are available. Einen Eindruck bekommst Du hier >>
9. find your tree on google maps
All trees from each farm are registered in a Google Map. That makes it easier for us. But you can also use this and find your olive tree from your sponsorship. Just go to the page and enter your order number in the search box. Then you can see exactly where your tree is.
9. support for organic farmers in Liguria
Organic olive farmers in Italy have had virtually no income for 2 years in some cases. Last year the harvest was about 20% compared to a normal year, this year it will be even less due to the drought in the summer.
The organization “Rete Tesori della Riviera” is a newly formed association to help organic farmers. Organic Farming Italy supports this organization: from each adoption a part of the fee goes to the relief fund.
10. the extension of the sponsorship
A normal bio olive tree sponsorship runs for one year. At the end of this year we will write to you and offer you to extend your sponsorship.
You can then renew for one year or for multiple years.
Taggiasca Olive - everything you need to know
Taggiasca Olive - everything you need to know
Taggiasca Olive – everything you need to know: the Taggiasca olive is considered the most famous and probably the tastiest olive in the world. At least that is what the farmers in Liguria claim. The olive growers say the same about their olives in Sicily, Crete, Spain and Provence. So it’s worth getting to the bottom of the taggiasca olive myth and learn more about the famous fruit.
Size, shape and colour of Taggiasca Olive
The fruit of the olive variety Taggiasca is rather small to medium, 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm. It has an elongated shape with a slightly thicker underside and a smooth skin.
The pulp of the olive is very firm and remains stable for a long time. The Taggiasca olive is also special for its variegated coloration: it shows many different colors, even on an olive tree. These colors go from light green to brownish hues, some are purple, some are violet – a play of colors that alone makes the olive unique.
Due to its rather small size, this olive variety develops a very intense aroma depending on climatic conditions. This is due to the fact that this olive stores less water than other olive varieties.
The centuries-old history of an olive variety
As early as the end of the 7th century, Benedictine monks from the French monastery island of Lerins off Cannes on the Cote d’azure moved to the Italian mainland in the valley of the Argentina River. At Taggia they founded the monastery of Santa Maria del Canneto and, according to legend, planted olive trees on the first Taggiasca. Also to help the inhabitants of Valle Argentina, exploited by the Saracens, economically. The Olive was then named after Taggia Province. From this origin, taggiasca Olive conquered the whole of Italy.
Distribution of Taggiasca Olive and climate
From its origin in the municipality of Taggia, the olive actually spread throughout Italy. The main growing area, however, is still the province of Imperia and the adjacent provinces, but also Piedmont and Provence. This is due to the special microclimate, which makes the olive particularly thriving and tasty.
The Riviera Ligure di Ponente is characterized by its very own climatic conditions. The maritime Alps with a height of up to 2,000 meters protect against the cold currents from the north, the Gulf Stream warms from the south. As a result, the region is exposed to very weak temperature fluctuations and the climate is mild all year round. In addition, there are 300 sunny days per year at moderate maximum temperatures. Ideal conditions for this olive variety.
Quality and use
Due to its long-lasting solid consistency of the pulp, taggiasca olive is suitable for preservation in oil or brine. Insertion in brine (Salamoia), a solution made from water and salt, is a centuries-old tradition in conservation technology.
But this type of olive has also become famous for the production of extra virgin olive oil. This olive oil is considered one of the best in the world. The aroma is – depending on the time of consumption after harvest – slightly spicy-hot, fruity with a hint of almond.
This first-class quality of olive oil, directly linked to cultivation in the perfect region, has led to this olive oil being protected by trademark law in 1997. Only extra virgin olive oils from the Taggiasca olive from this region are allowed to bear the designation DOP Riviera Ligure Riviera dei Fiori.
However, the use of this seal costs money and costs for the farmers, who cannot afford many, so there are many oils in the region that meet the criteria but do not bear the seal.
The harvest of olives
Good olive oil is produced in October to December. During this period, the fruit stands are fully formed and the olives have the most intense aroma. Industrial producers leave the olives hanging from the tree until January/February, so that they can draw more water over the winter months, increase in size and generate more yield through the mass. This has a negative effect on the taste.
In Liguria, the olives are harvested by hand. This is due to the landscape. There are no flat areas in which you could plant plantations and harvest them with harvest trackers. That is a good thing. It spares the trees, the inhabitants of the trees such as songbirds and insects.
In the past, the olives were beaten from the branches with a chestnut wood stick called “trappa”. Nets spread under nea caught the olives. Today it is similar, except that the wood has become a vibrating machine that shakes the branches. Nevertheless, a bone work over weeks.
Storage and shelf life
The legal shelf life of olive oil is the duration of 24 months after bottling in bottles or canisters. However, the olive oil is not spoiled afterwards. It lasts a few years in the right place. The same applies to the storage of olive oil as to other foods: heat and light speed up the aging process. Ideally, the olive oil is stored in a cool and dark way.
“Vino vecchio e olio nuovo”
Italian proverb
Even if the olive oil is long-lasting. It loses aroma from the first day after pressing. The first few weeks you can still taste the tenderer sharpness of the olives, which is especially too spicy for many Germans. Then from March after the harvest time, the olive oil becomes much milder. At the end of the shelf life, it has lost its characteristics quite a bit and is usually only used for cooking.
Olive tree sponsorships 2022 ticker
Olive Tree Adoptions 2022: 2022 season updates (adoptions from 11/19/2021 to 9/5/2022).
08.03.2023 Filling the bottles
Today at Olio Calvi our olive oil was bottled and labeled. This time we have two different labels. The well-known GemmaLuce labels and the Organic Farming Italy labels, for Giuseppe Ansaldi’s olive oil. In the video you can see how the production works.
28.02.2023 Olive oil shipment
As is often the case, the bottling of the olive oil has been somewhat delayed. First, there were problems with the labels on a large batch that Luca from Olio Calvi had to finish, and second, the glass supplier let us down with the empty bottles. The bottles are now confirmed for the beginning of next week. That we can start filling immediately.
Then the pallets are shipped to the different countries and from there to the godparents of the trees.
Thank you in these ways for the quick responses to the address emails. We have updated all addresses.
23.12.2022 Your delivery
As we reported last time and you could follow on Facebook and Instagram, in the last weeks we have been working in the Bergen – where it had rained more than with us – many fresh organic olive oils tested to compensate somewhat for our poor harvest on the coast with oil from other farmers for you.
Now it is certain. We buy first-class olive oil from Giuseppe Ansaldi in the mountainous hinterland of Imperia.
It is important to note that the Ansaldi family has been producing organically for many years, but has shied away from the effort and expense of becoming certified organic. So do 80% of the farmers in the area. We have the olive oil tested in the laboratory to make sure that it has no chemical elements.
La Famiglia Ansaldi
Short portrait
A sea of olive groves surrounds the small village of Lucinasco in the hinterland of Imperia, which still lives from the production of the golden nectar. The “Famiglia Ansaldi” farm cultivates about 10,000 olive trees of the “Taggiasca” variety between 200 and 500 meters above sea level. From these trees are processed valuable virgin olive oil, a staple of the famous Mediterranean diet.
Here’s how it goes: we’ll have Giuseppe’s olive oil delivered in January to the Calvi brothers, who will bottle and label it. You will receive an email to check the delivery address.
Then we transport all the olive oil to Germany and other countries where the godparents are at home. From there, the individual shipment is then organized and carried out.
November 25, 2022: on a shopping spree
Our Sassolive olive oil is pressed. We have about 15% olives compared to a normal harvest. We will divide this olive oil among our godmothers.
And we are on a shopping spree. To make up for the lack of our own olive oil for the patrons of the trees, we were at the olive festival Olioliva in Imperia and tested oil for you. It rained more in the mountains than on the coast. Therefore, farmers in the hinterland have more oil and great quality.
Due to the general shortage of olive oil due to the virtual failure of farmers on the coast, this year the demand is very high and prices are high. But we will surely make a deal with one of the farmers from the mountains in the next 14 days and then send the olive oil to our sponsors in January/February.
September 30, 2022: just before harvest.
Actually, the olive harvest begins now. “actually” because due to the drought this year almost no olives are left on the trees ☹. Almost all the trees are not worth harvesting.
A tragic situation all along the coast for all farmers. But we will try to get equivalent olive oil for our adoptive parents. Bianca is already talking to farmers from the mountains where the drought was not quite as bad.
Since there is no harvest this year, you now extend directly to next year after the harvest, so you get olive oil from your tree in any case.
In addition, a portion of each adoption fee goes into a newly established relief fund. “Rete Tesori della Riviera” is an aid organization that helps organic olive farmers to survive. This is so dramatic because the farmers have not been able to earn an income for two years and do not know how to feed their families.
March 16, 2022: We are waiting for rain.
What is great for vacationers is not good for us farmers. All of January and February were too dry. Clouds have finally been coming for a few days. But almost no rain comes to earth. It is important for the olive trees right now, because this is when the inflorescences are formed. So keep your fingers crossed that a lot will come down in the next few days.
February 11, 2022: Important in February: Pruning and fertilizing trees.
There is a lot of work to be done in January and February. Our 1,100 trees from Sassolive, but also the many trees from other farmers, want to be prepared for the coming flowering year. That means everywhere in the country you can now see tons of olive branches from pruning the trees and it smells like fertilizer. To make your trees produce nice fat organic olives, we got a new organic fertilizer that is highly recommended by other organic farmers in Liguria…
Aid Fund Organic Olive Farmers Italy
Aid Fund Organic Olive Farmers Italy Italy: the rescue operation
At the end of 2021, when the olive harvests on Liguria’s coasts were very poor, organic olive growers consoled themselves with the past very good year 2020 and the hope for the following year 2022.
In fact, after a good yield, the olive trees need a kind of recovery period, which usually has the effect that a good year is followed by a less good one. So last winter there was no real cause for concern for olive growers in the region.
But a little later the mood began to tip. Especially in the months of January and February there was almost no rain. These are the two months during which the olive trees form their inflorescences. If there is too little water during this period, the tree responds directly by reducing the formation of flowers. And if there are too few flowers on the trees already in the beginning of the year, it directly affects the harvest in the fall.
Thus, the year 2022 already began with a bad situation for organic olive growers in Liguria. But the real gau followed in the summer of 2022. For months there was almost no rain on the coast. The hardest hit regions were further north in Italy, but there was also no water on Liguria’s coasts. The result: the already too few olives fell from the branches for lack of water, every day, every week of drought.
Thus, today – two weeks before the harvest begins – almost no olives on the trees. This in turn means that harvesting is often not worthwhile at all. If you’re standing in front of a tree with only a handful of olives on it, it’s not worth harvesting the whole tree. Thus, for many farms, the harvest will fail completely.
And the failure of the harvest means for the organic olive growers equally also the complete loss of the yield – and this after a very bad previous year, in which they already had almost no income.
In addition, after the harvest this fall, 2022 will be the expenses for the new year. Pruning trees, fertilizing with organic fertilizer after a price explosion this year. Protecting the trees, etc. So: no income and expenses that you can not handle.
The consequences of the 2022 climate crisis for organic olive growers
Most organic olive farmers in the region are threatened in their existence. No income for two years and expenses that can not afford. Some are facing the end. The consequences
- Organic farm task
- Switch to conventional agriculture
- Saving of the sustainably necessary measures like fertilizing
- Switching to other forms of agriculture
Some farmers already work to feed their families, as bus drivers or teachers. However, this does not allow them to take sufficient care of their farms. The vicious circle continues.
Foundation of the Aid Fund Organic Olive Farmers Italy "Rete Tesori della Riviera
Alberto Dalpiaz, a farmer of Organic Farming Italy and the vice president of the Liguria Association of Organic Farmers has reacted and created an organization to alleviate the situation, the “Rete Tesori della Riviera”. It is a non-profit association of farmers and service providers of organic olive oil production on the West Ligurian coast. The organization’s goal is to mitigate the worst effects of the drought and save organic olive farmers.
- Purchasing group for fertilizers and organic protection
- Sharing workers for the care of trees
- Subsidization of the materials such as fertilizer
- Allocation of aid in cases of extreme hardship (insolvencies)
Currently, a donation account is set up for the relief fund Organic Olive Farmers Italy.
Address:
Rete Tesori della Riviera
Piazza Dante Alighieri 11
18100 Imperia
VAT n. 01626070088
Here you can help the organic farmers in Italy
Click on the following button and donate via Paypal or with your credit card
Here are the bank details for bank transfers:
Bank details for donations:
Owner: Rete Tesori della Riviera
Bank: BANCO BPM
IBAN: IT 79 U 05034 10500 000000022711
BIC: BAPPIT21F20
Sassolive - our mother farm
Sassolive – azienda agricola – the mother of the Organic Farming idea
Organic Farming Italy would not exist without the Sassolive Organic Farm. This wonderful place right by the sea, inseparably linked to the centuries-old tradition of growing olive trees – then the paradgime change to sustainable agriculture. All this was the origin of the vision of bringing organic farming closer to humans.
That’s why Bianca’s Farm is the origin of our initiative to expand organic farming around Sassolive. It cultivates over 1,100 olive trees, the oldest of which have a hundred years on the crowns.
Brief on our history of Sassolive
“We have been producing olive oil for five generations. My great-great-grandfather Mario Novaro started in early 1900, when the olive oil was still bottled in metal cans. Mario exported not only olive oil, but also Italian culture: for example, he published a small book through which he advertised his olive oil, but also presented profiles and works by some aspiring Italian artists. (on www.fondazionenovaro.it you can see the whole story in Italian). Now times have changed, we have been producing extra virgin olive oil for years only from the olives from our own organic park, which is organically certified.
Me and my team do not value the amount of our organic products achieved, but the high quality and harmony with nature during production. But also on respect for the trees and for the land on which they took their roots, just like us. This country is really a special place.”
The mountain of Torre Alpicella
Over 7 hectares of organic park overlooking the sea, guarded by the remains of an old Saracen tower, the Torre Alpicella. The special geographical location offers a temperate climate in winter and a fresh summer. Olive oil has been produced on this particular spot of earth for many generations. Rosetta – Bianca’s great-grandmother – was already engaged in the nature-related care of olive trees, vegetables, orchards and our vineyard.
In recent decades, the inhabitants of the area have been concerned with housing, so the barn has become Villa Bianca, the wooden shed has become Villa Alpicella, the old stable is now Casa del Cedro. Other properties still need to be renovated, we look forward to the next steps. We are also pleased to announce that San Martino has joined Organic Farming Italy. A real enrichment.
Address and contact:
Sassolive – azienda agricola
Via Diano Calderina N.284 Imperia
E-mail: aaa.sassolive@gmail.com
Telephone: +39 347 5976928
P.iva: 01644400085
Cleanest beaches in Italy 2022: Liguria
Cleanest beaches in Italy in Liguria receive the most blue flags from the Foundation for Environmental Education also in 2022
Italy’s cleanest beaches: The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is the world’s largest environmental education organization with members in 77 countries. Through our five groundbreaking programs, we enable people to take meaningful and targeted action to help create a more sustainable world.
The legendary Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognized voluntary eco-labels for the cleanest beaches, marinas and operators of sustainable boat tourists. In order to qualify for the Blue Flag, a number of strict environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria must be met and met.
Environmental
At the heart of the blue flag program’s ideals is to connect the public with their surroundings and encourage them to learn more about their surroundings. It is therefore necessary to offer and promote environmental education activities, as well as a permanent display of information relevant to the site, in relation to biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental phenomena.
A thousand thanks to our many members and adoptive parents of organic trees! Thanks also to you, the beaches in Liguria, the cleanest beaches in Italy, deserve this great award!
After all, our large organic area is located directly above the coast and contributes to this great development with its sustainable agriculture. For us, it’s a great motivation to continue and expand that path.
liguriaCleanest beaches in Italy 2022 award
The criteria for evaluation: cleanest beaches
The municipalities must in order to preserve the Blue Flag for the cleanest beaches in Italy:
- issue information on the environment of the coastal zone, bathing water quality, codes of conduct and the Blue Flag programme itself, as well as offering environmental activities;
- Comply with bathing water quality and treatment requirements: analyse a water sample at intervals of no more than 30 days and inform it after a further month at the latest,
- establish a beach management commission, comply with legal requirements, comply with waste management standards;
- Ensure the presence of lifeguards, first aid equipment and safe access to the beach, as well as provide contingency plans.
If there are higher national standards for individual criteria, such as water quality, then they take precedence. The Blue Flag is often used as a flagship of certain tourist regions. If a beach area is awarded the flag, this should indicate a very high standard of cleanliness of the bathing water and the surrounding nature.
Pruning olive tree is an art
Pruning olive tree: experience, knowledge and a lot of love for the trees
Over 1,200 organic olive trees in the farm Sassolive want to be cherished and cared for every year to develop well and bring a rich harvest. In good years, that’s about 2,000 liters of organic olive oil. The sequence is given every year: Pruning in January/February, fertilizing in March April, protecting in summer and harvesting from October 1. And hope for rain, especially in December and January, because in this period the olive trees form their inflorescences. Then, when there is too little water, fewer flowers are formed, and the whole season is almost decided in terms of harvest.
During the year, olive trees need relatively little water compared to other trees. But completely without water, as in 2022 lead to the fact that the trees drop the olives because they can not “bring them through”.
Pruning olive trees for agriculture is very different from pruning as an ornamental plant, is much more difficult and requires more experience. The point is that at the end of the year, the tree produces many ripe fruits that are of uniform quality. Ideally, the olive tree is grown so that it does not grow too high, so that the olives can be harvested better, so about 3 to 4 meters.
When olive trees grow too tall (up to 6 meters) can be radically shortened, leaving almost only the main trunk with small shoots. After a few weeks, new shoots are formed, of which you leave 3 to 4. which then become supporting branches again.
When pruning annually, make sure that the olive tree forms about 4-5 evenly spaced side branches that should grow spreading, than in width. Because it must necessarily get a lot of light into the interior of the crown. The main shoot is cut. The five main branches are halved to build up the crown. As a result, they continue to branch out.
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Pruning olive tree – a matter of light
As soon as the olive tree gets the desired shape, it is important to preserve the crown as translucent as possible and to ensure a regular re-shoot. Olive trees only carry on one-year-old wood – i.e. on shoots that were created in the previous year. Therefore, once a year the old shoots, which do not carry much, as well as of course the dead wood must be removed. And the branches of the crown are trimmed, which prevent enough light from falling to the lower branches.
Prune the olive treeTo ensure that the olive tree continues to develop new shoots, the branches should be pruned slightly each year and any shoots that did not bear the previous year should be removed. In addition, when pruning olive tree need to remove all new shoots that grow inside the crown. Thus, an olive tree can expel new every year and produce many fruits.
For us as organic farmers, the care of the trees is also particularly complex, because we never work with substances that do not come directly from nature. This is our lot – but we love our work above all pruning the olive tree. Here you can make sponsorships with our trees.
Organic Farm San Martino
Organic Farm San Martino – Alberto’s lifelong dream.
The Organic Farm San Martino is the realization of a lifelong dream for Alberto Dalpiaz and his family. After many years of work as an export manager for several large Italian food companies, Alberto and his wife Giulia Bartellone founded the Azienda Agricola San Martino on the hills behind Porto Maurizio (Imperia) in Liguria.
Since its founding in 2004, Alberto, Giulia and their two sons have worked tirelessly to produce the highest quality food in the most organic way possible. On a nearly 4 hectare San Martino Organic Farm there are three separate vegetable beds as well as a small orchard, olive groves and several beehives. The organic farm San Martino also produces its own extra virgin olive oil from Taggascia-Olive, a highly valued olive variety originating in Liguria.
The latest addition to the farm is a newly renovated guest house with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms overlooking the beautiful Imperia and the sea.
Why we grow organically
On the farm, we pride ourselves on producing and selling local varieties of fresh products without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. For us, this type of sustainable agriculture at Organic Farm San Martino is without alternative. Our farm is based on a deep respect for the natural beauty and value of the land in which it is located. From the beginning (even before passing the organic certification) at Organic Farm San Martino we have embraced the idea of an organic existence. Similar to our friends e.g. from Sassolive
We, Organic Farm San Martino are a certified organic farm under Bio AgriCert Italia.
Our awards:
- Premio BIOL 3° Classificato (26th of May 2018) – Our olive oil has been internationally recognized and awarded a silver medal by BIOL.
- Best in Liguria region – 3rd place for our olive oil.
- Presidio Slow Food – Liguria region (in recognition of traditional preparation and cultivation of Taggascia olives).
Address and contact:
San Martino Organic Farm (Azienda Agricola San Martino)
Via Amanna sup. 43
Phone (or Whatsapp): +39 335 8478123
E-mail: info@extraverginebiologico.it
Olive Tree Sponsorships 2021 Ticker
Olive tree sponsorships 2021: updates of the 2021 season (from 03/01/2021 to 11/18/2021)
March 31, 2022: The shipments arrive at the olive tree sponsors
We receive WhatsApp messages and e-mails with pictures of the shipments that have arrived every day. Coincidentally, the olive oil comes at just the right time because the shelves in the supermarkets have often been hoarded empty. Unfortunately we cannot offer any refills. We sent the last bottle of our organic olive oil to the sponsors. We get our own needs for this year from a neighbor.
March 16, 2022: The harvest is picked up in Imperia
Today, after many obstacles, the 2021 harvest is picked up in Imperia and delivered to various countries in Europe. The trucks have loaded everything. The organic olive oil from San Martino and Sassolive and the many jars of Salamoia olives.
February 22, 2022: Label release Salamoia Olives
The Bio Cert Organization has finally released the 2022 label for the Bio Salamoia olives. Due to the pandemic, the office had many shortfalls on the staff side, so the process took much longer than usual.
Now we can finally print the labels for the olive tree sponsorships 2021 and have them attached to the glasses.
February 11, 2022: Production of the olive oil
After the delivery of the olive oil bottles was delayed and the boxes are not available, production for the olive tree sponsorships 2021 has finally started. Our partner Calvi in Imperia has been at our side for years. Calvi specializes in the processing (pressing, bottling, labeling) of organic olive products. In this step, the olive oil is bottled, sealed and labeled.
December 02, 2021: Dealing with the bad harvest
We have thought about how we can compensate for the loss of the harvest. We have decided that we will do this:
- small tree: 1 x 250ml organic olive oil from the tree plus 2 glasses of Salamoia olives plus voucher 25% off the next order
- normal tree: 1 x 750 ml organic olive oil from the tree plus 2 glasses of Salamoia olives plus voucher 25% off the next order
- Large tree: 2 x 750 ml organic olive oil from the tree plus 2 glasses of Salamoia olives plus voucher 25% off the next order
Thus we deliver exactly the proportion of the quantity per tree and give the Salamoia olives and the voucher on top as a consolation.
November 18, 2021: Harvest Finale 2021
Today we know how the harvest will actually turn out. The yield will be 30% of the previous year :-(. It’s a shame for our adoptive parents and ourselves, but it’s just nature.
Olive harvest in 2021 - a good year is often followed by a less good one
Olive harvest 2021: not every olive year can be a good one.
Olive harvest 2021: the harvest in the last year 2020 spoiled us very much. Dense inflorescences in May and a lush harvest in October. No storms, no droughts, everything went great. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look so good this year. Admittedly, we cannot complain about storms or adverse circumstances. Also, the weather was actually okay. But still, we count fewer olives on the trees. Often there is no real explanation for this. This is nature in its original form and therefore not unusual.
And that’s what makes up our lives as organic farmers. Every year, not knowing how the year will go. Added to this are the changes brought about by climate change, which has not yet been dramatically visible in our area, but which nevertheless has an impact on such a sensitive ecological system as an organic olive farm.
For our community of adoptive parents our organic olive trees, this does not mean anything concrete at this time. But we would like to gently get you in the mood for the fact that we may not be able to send as many bottles per tree as usual and as last year.
Fortunately, we made “Olive in Salamoia” from many olives last year. Should we actually have a worse harvest in 2021, we would add a glass of “Olive in Salamoia” to every adoptive parent as a consolation. So the sponsorship olive tree may not be a big disappointment.
After a week of harvesting the organic olives, we can already estimate a little better what the yield will be this year. Last year we produced about 2,000 liters of organic olive oil with the whole farm. This year it will be a maximum of half. Some trees have so few olives that it is not worth harvesting, as we harvest by hand and need about 1 hour per tree. If there are only a handful of olives in the nets, the effort is simply not worth it.
