In honor of the founder of the Monini company, and on the occasion of the 2023/2024 oil campaign, we present the 2nd Edition of the Zefferino d’Oro, the celebration through which we want to valorize the commitment, dedication and competence of our raw material suppliers 100% Italian, with the aim of raising awareness and involving oil millers in the creation of solid relationships aimed at enhancing the entire oil supply chain.
Here are the Italian millers who, on the evening of May 24th 2024, were celebrated with the Zefferino D’Oro 2nd Edition:
INTENSE FRUITY category
| CIRULLI GIUSEPPE AND SONS Frantoio Oleario Cirulli has been operating in the sector for about 70 years, when Nicola Cirulli, an agricultural entrepreneur, following his instinct and sensing his own organizational skills, began the milling activity in Andria (Puglia) in the 1950s, starting to produce Extra Virgin Olive Oil. |
MEDIUM FRUITY category
| OLEIFICIO LUONGO SRL Since 1978, the Oleificio Luongo has perpetuated the family tradition of “extra virgin olive oil from Grandma’s kitchen” which has also conquered the kitchens of starred chefs. Family-run, proudly artisanal and a rigorous custodian of the values and nutritional and organoleptic properties of extra virgin olive oil, the Oleificio Luongo wins the Zefferino d’Oro 2024 for the Medium Fruity category. |
LIGHT FRUITY category
| LAMONARCA VINICOLA OLIVE OIL COMPANY A family history dating back to 1947 when the founder opened a first oil mill in that hilly and fertile area at the foot of the Alta Murgia that also overlooks the sea, making it suited to the production of excellence such as extra virgin olive oil, which Lamonarca today produces in two variants, Fruity and Organic, and the wines to which the company has been dedicated in parallel since 1972 thanks to the intuition and spirit of innovation of the founder’s son Francesco. |
ORGANIC category
| SOCIETA’ AGRICOLA BIORUSSI SNC Four generations of olive growers are in the DNA of the two brothers Maria Giulia and Domenico who today run the family oil mill. A century-old history of “organic by tradition” production, fruit of the olive trees of the Carpino plain, the city of oil in the Gargano National Park, and of the passion that the two brothers learned from an early age in the fields where they took their first steps in the world of extra virgin olive oil with their father and which today lead them to collect the coveted Zefferino d’Oro 2024 for the Organic category. |
CELEBRATING THE ITALIAN EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL SUPPLY CHAIN
The history of Monini is a family history. A story that began in 1920, thanks to an intuition of Zefferino Monini, which continues today with his grandchildren Maria Flora and Zefferino.
RECOGNISING VALUE TO CREATE VALUE
Our work has always been built on knowing how to recognize: a quality oil, the fruit of a quality mill and a quality miller. Our commitment, today, is to recognize the value of the supply chain from which an excellent product originates, which today more than ever needs to be enhanced, so that it can grow and evolve into a system of care, ethics, and planning, with the broader objective of building value for the future.
THE SELECTION PARAMETERS
The selection parameters of the Zefferino d’Oro do not represent an exception or an exclusive for the initiative itself, but rather testify to the guaranteed quality in all the blends that are made daily at Monini.
DIGLYCERIDES
Ratio of 1.2 diglycerides / 1.3 diglycerides greater than or equal to 90%: this is a parameter that conveys the freshness of the product, a freshly pressed oil at the height of its sensory expressiveness.
ACIDITY
Maximum acidity level of less than 0.40%: the minimum acidity level (considering even the worst years) that an oil must have to participate in the Zefferino D’oro is a value 50% lower than the limit set by law. Because an oil with low acidity is a sign of a healthy and quickly pressed fruit.
ETHYL ESTERS
Maximum ethyl ester content of less than 15.0 mg/kg: An oil from healthy, quickly pressed olives and a mill that follows the rules of cleanliness and sanitation returns a value with a very low ethyl ester content. The minimum value to participate in the Zefferino d’ORO is more than 50 per cent lower than the maximum legal limit for an extra virgin olive oil.
PESTICIDE RESIDUES
Maximum number of permitted pesticide residues of 4: because a quality raw material is not only good, but also healthy. The use of many substances and/or the use of pesticides to preserve olives from parasitic attacks is not a correct and prosecutable course of action, even if the limits are within the appropriate law. Oils participating in the Zefferino d’oro must have received restrained, correct and planned treatments.
POLYPHENOLS
The sample must contain a polyphenol concentration of at least 250 mg/kg. Polyphenols, the antioxidant substances contained in extra virgin olive oils, not only represent a fundamental contribution to health, but are direct witnesses to the goodness and freshness of olives picked early in ripening when the concentration of nutraceutical substances is at its highest.
“The hope is that this choice can represent a first step towards an Italian extra virgin olive oil that is increasingly of quality and towards a system that protects the richness of our territory. Italian olive growing is not going through a simple moment: there is a need for a change of course, an evolution towards a modern and sustainable production in environmental, economic, and obviously social terms. In our view, this change can no longer be postponed, and requires a joint effort by all players in the supply chain. We, as a company, try to set a good example and are proud to be able to count on the collaboration of producers who share our values, putting them into practice every day, and with whom a relationship of mutual trust has been established.“
Zefferino Monini, CEO and President, Monini SpA
A HAND FOR THE FUTURE
In 2020, on our 100th anniversary, we presented our Sustainability Plan “A Hand For The Future”: a challenging plan, with a commitment to take care of our earth and the will to preserve its precious fruits for future generations.
To define the horizons to 2030, we have not only rethought our operations, but also identified actions that will contribute to a widespread and profound cultural change. We want to offer a product of superior quality, good for the health and with an unmistakable taste to all our consumers, not only in Italy but also in the rest of the world, creating value for the entire Italian olive oil chain.
Extra virgin olive oil is our passion and for this reason we want to make it the heritage of all, starting from those who work with us every day to create a product of excellence, with passion, vocation, and competence: our millers.
