My Personal Story

In the late 1990’s I was interviewing architects for a commercial project I had on the Navajo Nation. One of the applicants, Marco Defilippis, had an impressive resume along with a degree from Milan, Italy. We worked together for a few years and during that time we became the best of friends. Years later, I met his father Angelo who lived half of the year in Italy and half the year in the U.S. while visiting his 4 sons. As my friendship grew with the whole family, Angelo would tease me by calling me Nonno (or grandpa), in spite of his being 25 years older than I, because his father in law’s name was John or Giovanni Mancini, the same as mine. 

Later, Angelo had to remain in the U.S. for medical treatment and was never well enough to return to Italy permanently. In conversing with Marco he told me that the family was considering selling their property in Italy. To my surprise, he told me they had olive groves on this property and I exclaimed, “My family’s Italian…I’ll buy those olive groves and make olive oil!” I purchased my first 120 olive trees of the Itrana varietal. 

I knew absolutely nothing about growing olive trees or making olive oil. Being a beginner is sometimes a tremendous benefit. I took an olive oil milling course offered at the Robert Mondavi Wine institute and olive oil center at UC Davis. Over the course of the intensive seminar, I was introduced to the olive oil industry. I purchased and read volumes of books on the subject from growing, to pruning, to fertilizing, to harvesting, to milling, malaxing, separating, storing, bottling and etc. On my second trip to Fondi and Lenola Italy in 2014, I formed a partnership with the Guglietta Frantoio, a 3rd generation olive oil producing family.

I then began to read scientific journals on producing the highest quality olive oils. My research revealed a concept called “High Phenolic Compound” olive oil focusing on a particular family of polyphenols called Tyrosols, Hydroxytyrosols and their derivatives. It is the method of producing olive oil that maximizes the health benefits in the oil. My mission was clear, produce the healthiest possible olive oil I could. Since that moment of clarity and being the obsessive-compulsive person I am, I plowed ahead relentlessly. Three years later, I received an award from the University of Athens and The Olympia Health and Nutrition Committee for the Healthiest EVOO in the country of Italy. Brezza Tirrena Italia has gone from 120 trees to over 2,200 with over ten international gold medals.

Continuing the tradition

Fondi and the nearby town of Lenola are filled with tradition of family, food, and of course, olive oil. Many families own olive groves which have been passed down from generation to generation. Olives are harvested and processed yearly to create oil for their own personal use. It’s a tradition that goes back generations and even has found it’s way into historical texts.  The writings of the Ancient Romans centuries ago note that this area produced the finest olive oil.