"From trees that are more than 500 years old."
- Region
- Puglia — Salento
- Current owner
- Marta and Vito Lisi
The Merico family is among the pioneers of organic olive growing in Salento.
The family has been growing olives for oil for centuries, and the current generation is already the ninth. About twenty years ago they switched to organic farming, marking the start of sustainable production, which was still a rarity at the time. The centuries-old olive groves of the Merico estate are in the lower Salento (near Specchia, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy), some of them within the protected area of the Otranto - S.M. di Leuca nature park. The olive varieties used are the traditional Cellina and Ogliarola.
Merico's olive oil is called "La piana degli ulivi" (“The plain of the olive trees”) and has received countless prizes and recognitions over the years, including appointment as a Slow Food Presidium, which protects small high-quality productions. Besides producing excellent oil with respect for the environment and natural cycles, the Merico family has for years been committed to protecting the territory against overexploitation and promotes appreciation of the cultural and natural heritage of Salento. The family is actively involved in the "Manu Manu reforestation" project, which aims to reforest a vast area in Salento and restore lost biodiversity.
To protect the environment and biodiversity, they practise a form of non-intensive farming without wasting water. They use no pesticides or herbicides, which protects bees and preserves all naturally occurring nutrients in the fruit: proteins, vitamins, in particular vitamin E, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese and iron. These compounds are responsible for the antioxidant properties, that is, the ability to protect our body against the harmful effects of free radicals.
Their products are of the very highest quality and made in small-scale production, and you can really taste that. Not only in their spectacular olive oil, but also in the artisanal and wholemeal Puglian pasta (“orecchiette” – little ears) and savoury biscuits (‘tarallini’).
"We represent the ninth generation of our family."— Marta and Vito Lisi, Olio Merico
"From trees that are more than 500 years old."
- Region
- Puglia — Salento
- Current owner
- Marta and Vito Lisi
The Merico family is among the pioneers of organic olive growing in Salento.
The family has been growing olives for oil for centuries, and the current generation is already the ninth. About twenty years ago they switched to organic farming, marking the start of sustainable production, which was still a rarity at the time. The centuries-old olive groves of the Merico estate are in the lower Salento (near Specchia, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy), some of them within the protected area of the Otranto - S.M. di Leuca nature park. The olive varieties used are the traditional Cellina and Ogliarola.
Merico's olive oil is called "La piana degli ulivi" (“The plain of the olive trees”) and has received countless prizes and recognitions over the years, including appointment as a Slow Food Presidium, which protects small high-quality productions. Besides producing excellent oil with respect for the environment and natural cycles, the Merico family has for years been committed to protecting the territory against overexploitation and promotes appreciation of the cultural and natural heritage of Salento. The family is actively involved in the "Manu Manu reforestation" project, which aims to reforest a vast area in Salento and restore lost biodiversity.
To protect the environment and biodiversity, they practise a form of non-intensive farming without wasting water. They use no pesticides or herbicides, which protects bees and preserves all naturally occurring nutrients in the fruit: proteins, vitamins, in particular vitamin E, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese and iron. These compounds are responsible for the antioxidant properties, that is, the ability to protect our body against the harmful effects of free radicals.
Their products are of the very highest quality and made in small-scale production, and you can really taste that. Not only in their spectacular olive oil, but also in the artisanal and wholemeal Puglian pasta (“orecchiette” – little ears) and savoury biscuits (‘tarallini’).
"We represent the ninth generation of our family."— Marta and Vito Lisi, Olio Merico