Let's discover the Antico Frantoio di Saguato brand: our interview

The story of the Ancient Oil Mill of Saguato Stefano is a story of passion and unforgettable flavors. The Antico Frantoio is located in an enchanting town in the western Ligurian hinterland, where olive trees overlook the sea and the sea breeze caresses the leaves. In fact, we are in Diano San Pietro, from which we overlook the entire bay of Diano Marina.

The oil mill is a beautiful and very ancient structure from 1200: according to some documents it seems that in 1537 it housed a few friars and later became the property of the convent of Santa Caterina in Genoa. At the beginning of the 17th century, the structure was rented and annually gave the friars fifteen large barrels of “good, clear and marketable” oil. Even the mill and the oil mill, existing inside the building, were leased for the value of three barrels of oil per year. Around the middle of the 18th century, during the Civil War, the strong house was used as a barracks, but starting in 1805 it became a permanent oil processing center.
Today, the Antico Frantoio Saguato produces mainly extra virgin olive oil “from 100% Taggiasca monocultivar”, produced exclusively with only one type of small and aromatic olive, the precious Taggiasca olive, which gives a particularly sweet and unique oil.
The oil is then kept in the ancient clarifiers at a constant temperature all year round, so as to guarantee a product of excellent quality. This is a very valuable product, so much so that it is produced in limited quantities precisely to follow the processing at every stage, so as to guarantee excellent production. Craftsmanship and quality in their purest purity: a guarantee for those who want to bring taste and quality to the table.

We like these artisans, these producers of unique, certified and award-winning delicacies: they are real treasures embedded in our Peninsula between seas and mountains and in the most remote streets of villages and countryside. We don't stop to experience only their products, but we want to discover more closely the protagonists of this brand. That's why we sent some questions to those who manage communication with us.

Stay with us and get to know the Ancient Oil Mill of Saguato Stefano: read the answers!

• Who are we talking to?
  I'm Pierre Saguato, son of the owner.
  
• Is the company family run? What year was the company founded and who was the founder?
  The company has been family-run for four generations and it all started in 1915.
  
• Who was the founder and what was his training or what is the branch of work and professional from which he came if different from the current one?
  The founder was Stefano Saguato, Pietro's father and Stefano's grandfather, the current owner, my father. We are all farmers and oil mills.
  
• What is the real reason or the triggering fact behind the birth of this company and when did it happen?
  The passion for agriculture, but in particular the passion for the cultivation of olive groves.
  
• What is your relationship with the land of origin and its typicality? And why do you want to tell them with your products?
  Since we were all born in Liguria, we really want to produce and sponsor the local specialties of our land.
  
• What was the first product you created?
  Taggiasca olive oil.
  
• What is the product that today, on the other hand, do you consider “top”?
  Always the same extra virgin olive oil from the Taggiasca variety.
  
• And what is the product that in the entire history of the company has most carried with it the beating heart, philosophy and soul of the company itself?
  Taggiasca olive oil is not only the heart, but the soul of our business.
  
• Let's talk about today: how big has the company grown since its inception? Can we get some numbers?
  Our company is constantly growing and has decisively changed a lot compared to when it was founded. Evolution here is experienced every day.
  
• Right now: more tradition or more innovation?
  For an optimal company performance, it is right to always be in step with the times and therefore with technology, methods of cultivation, harvesting and processing. It is also very important that our products are of excellent quality and never deviate from what is the tradition of our typical products.
  
• What was the most important evolution of the company to get it to what it is today?
  Being moved from a traditional oil mill to a continuous cycle oil mill
  
• Speaking instead of the future: what tomorrow will the company wait for? Are there any changes or some new evolutionary process planned?
  In our tomorrow, there is always the search for innovation and evolution. We never stop.
  
• Are you planning to create new products?
  We are doing tests for the creation of new products that will be proposed only when they meet all the necessary parameters.
  
• Having focused on Spaghetti
  S&M