Gianni and Luca Calvi are fourth-generation olive oil merchants, producers, and farmers of the traditional company Olio Calvi. Here, in the eastern, more modern district of Imperia, there is both the commercial port and the location of the food production of the provincial capital. Rich in history, their origin lies in the Middle Ages. A kind of conglomerate of the eleven surrounding villages and municipalities and the union of Oneglia and Porto Maurizio shape this place not only in its infrastructure, but the Ligurians themselves are a special kind of people. It may be the hilly, winding landscape or the arguably most laborious way to harvest olives imaginable (not without reason do some farmers call their groves Italy’s Machu Picchu).
Smelling and tasting an oil and giving a judgment is one thing; distinguishing a good oil from a faulty one is another. Even trickier is recognizing small differences in the scent and aroma of two different oils or remembering the uniqueness of one specific region compared to another and being able to determine where an oil comes from solely based on what you taste. Giovanni Senior had this ability; it was, alongside experience, a natural gift. And despite this gift, he always opposed cultivating his own trees. History and personal experience painted a clear picture for him. Only with the takeover by Gianni and Luca did Olio Calvi’s approach change to a holistic process.
Now they not only create the finest blends but also buy olive groves, cultivate plants, and press oil from their own olives. Additionally, they run an "Olive School" at their mill, where they share their knowledge about sustainable management of the Ligurian heritage. By the way, the very first trees the family planted were planted by their grandfather back in the home garden. Despite all their love for olives, they mischievously admit that the best thing about Oneglia, where they live, is that there are only pine trees there.
