The Story of Olio Calvi

ITALIAN OIL IN EVERY DROP

Since 1921

In 1919, the young Giuseppe Calvi, born into a family of olive growers from Western Liguria, had just returned from the First World War, decided to take up the business of oil merchant. Giuseppe started out with others, but soon decided to create his own business and established the “Fratelli Calvi” with his brother Paolo: it was 1921 and the history of the Calvi company began.

Giuseppe Calvi

Giuseppe Calvi began his small business by packaging his olive oil in demijohns and flasks and selling it in Piedmont and Lombardy, two regions bordering Liguria. However, he soon managed to begin exporting his oil, packaged in cans, to the United States and South America, where the many Italian immigrants wanted to use oil from their homeland.

In the 1950s, Giuseppe’s children, Gianni (Giovanni) and Anna Bianca, took over the company: the constancy with which they took care of the quality of the product offered earned the company trust from consumers and respect from competitors. In the 1970s, Gianni and Anna Bianca presented for the first time “Mosto Oro”, a highly prestigious Taggiasco monocultivar which today stands almost as a symbol of our company and moreover, it was one of the very first oils to be offered wrapped in gold paper.

Our prices in 1934

This price list offers a snapshot of an era that is still relatively recent, yet so very different in consumption habits. As can be seen, the oil was mainly sold in demijohns and sent directly to families, mostly by train. The containers were all recovered, washed and reused: very little waste was produced and consumerism was still to come.

The 1990s

In the 1990s, Giovanni’s eldest son, Gianni Junior, upon graduating from university, joined the company. In this period the company developed its international market which quickly came to account for 50% of the company’s turnover. At the beginning of the year 2000 the “Lucinasco” Riviera Ligure D.O.P. was launched, obtained exclusively from olive groves in the municipality of Lucinasco. In 2007, the second son, Luca, also decided to join the family business.

The Calvi brothers

Gianni and Luca’s two younger brothers, Marco and Enrico, are involved in other businesses, nevertheless, they are a source of advice and encouragement. Our father sadly died in 2009, and our aunt Anna Bianca not many years after, however, in the meantime our family has continued to grow with the arrival of many grandchildren… In terms of business, the last few years have been characterized by important investments in our oil mill and agricultural business.

Today

Today our company has two premises: our oil mill, located in Via Nazionale 28, Pontedassio (IM), amongst the olive groves of the Oneglia valley and our small packaging plant in Via Garessio, 56, in the centre of Imperia Oneglia.