Olio Calvi – Taggiasca Olive Oil from Liguria
Olio Calvi is one of Liguria's best olive oil producers. Giuseppe Calvi started trading olive oil in 1919 after returning from World War I. Initially, he sold oil from other olive oil farmers, but he soon decided to launch his own Calvi olive oil. His particularly aromatic, yet typically Ligurian mild olive oil quickly became known beyond the region and was sold in the USA and South America. Today, the golden bottles of Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva Taggiasca Rivera di Liugure D.O.P, made from 100% cold-pressed Taggiasca olives, known to every gourmet, can be found in the best delicatessens worldwide and, of course, with us.
An Italian Success Story
It was 1921, and the history of the Calvi company began when young Giuseppe Calvi, born in Oneglia into a family of Western Ligurian olive farmers, became self-employed and founded Fratelli Calvi (Calvi Brothers) with his brother Paolo.
Giuseppe Calvi opened a small business packaging his olive oil in wicker bottles and regular bottles, which he sold in Piedmont and Lombardy, bordering Liguria. The glass bottles were all returned, washed, and reused, producing very little waste.
He soon managed to export his canned oil to the United States and South America, where many Italian immigrants longed for oil from their homeland.
Calvi Olive Oil | from the family for the family
In the 1950s, Giuseppe's children Gianni (Giovanni) and Anna Bianca took over the business. The consistent quality of Calvi olive oil built consumer trust and gave them an advantage over the competition. In the 1970s, Gianni and Annabianca developed "Mosto Oro," a monovarietal extra virgin olive oil made exclusively from the Ligurian Taggiasca olive. Today, Mosto Oro, one of the very first oils to have gilded packaging, is the symbol of the Olio Calvi company.
In the 90s, Giovanni's eldest son, Gianni Junior, who had just graduated, joined the company. In these years, the company entered the international market, which quickly accounted for 50% of the company's sales. Around the turn of the millennium, "Lucinasco," Riviera Ligure D.O.P., was born. An olive oil exclusively from olive groves in the municipality of Lucinasco. In 2007, the second son, Luca, also decided to join the family business.
Gianni and Luca's other two brothers, Marco and Enrico, are dedicated to other activities but are a source of advice and encouragement. Sadly, their father passed away in 2009, and their aunt Anna Bianca has also left us, but many grandchildren have joined in the meantime. The last few years have seen significant investments in the Calvi oil mill and the farm. The story continues...
