Let's discover the Frantoio Le Fascine brand: here is our interview

Puglia: the region of a thousand flavors. This land is characterized by many typical products, the result of a tradition that has been going on for centuries. Among the most famous dishes and products native to this territory, there is certainly Extra Virgin Olive Oil, also called Apulian green gold, which is part of the Italian cultural heritage. This ancient food is the protagonist of a dream: in the middle of the Tavoliere delle Puglie, in 1987, the Frantoio Le Fascine was founded.

Michele was born in San Severo, a town in the province of Foggia, in the 1930s. His family has always dedicated their energy to the production of wine and oil and he, immersed in this passion from an early age, has the desire to make Provençal Extra Virgin Olive Oil known to the world.
In 1985 his dream began to take shape and with commitment, work, sacrifices and dedication he founded Le Fascine and worked to allow the creation of a label that could be recognized all over the world for quality and excellence.

We like these realities, 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 learn about Frantoio Le Fascine: read the answers!

• Who are we talking to?
  My name is Roberto Prattichizzo, Director of Frantoio Le Fascine.
  
• Is the company family run? What year was it founded and how did the early years develop?
  The company has been family-run for 3 generations. It was founded by my dad, Michele Prattichizzo, in 1985 and immediately managed together with my brothers who in recent years have welcomed the third generation.
  
• 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 company was founded as an “agricultural fund” in 1725 and after more than two and a half centuries, thanks to Michele Prattichizzo, it was transformed into an oil mill in 1985. Michele was a profound connoisseur and admirer of the Provençal olive tree and had a great passion for its fruits that were able to give Mediterranean cuisine incomparable fragrances. After several years spent in the agri-food sector and with the savings of hard work, in 1985 he was able to realize his dream: he founded the Le Fascìne Oil Mill, an oil mill where he could control the various phases of processing and obtain a valuable product with very high production standards.
  
• What is the real reason or the triggering fact behind the birth of this company and when did it happen?
  He wanted to do everything to create a label that could be recognized worldwide as synonymous with Excellence. But it is faced with a harsh reality, made up of unfair competition and a smoky regulation that is no friend of honest producers. Year after year, during a lifetime spent fighting not to give in to mediocrity, he succeeds. We are well aware that he has not fully realized his dream. But Michele never gave up! This is the lesson he has left us.
  
• What is your relationship with the land of origin and its typicality? And why do you want to tell them with your products?
  Our ancestors planted those same trees more than 250 years ago that, even today, continue to give us their fruits. Those same fruits that provide for the livelihood of those who work with the land, respect it and love it.
  
• What was the first product you created?
  The Monocultivar Classic Provençal EVO Oil.
  
• What is the product that today, on the other hand, do you consider “top”?
  The ORGANIC Provençal Monocultivar EVO Oil.
  
• 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?
  The Monocultivar Classic Provençal EVO Oil with intense but not aggressive fruity, round, complete, pleasant on the palate thanks to careful selection and skilful processing.
  
• Let's talk about today: how big has the company grown since its inception? Can we get some numbers?
  Here are some numbers that represent our business reality: 153 hectares are the land of the family farm; 22,577 olive trees, of which 12,350 are centuries-old; 128 farms we trust that give their harvest annually to the Le Fascine oil mill; 1787 tons of olives delivered to our harvest deposits in the last 2018/19 oil campaign; 88 is the percentage of our processing destined for wholesale sale to oil mills present throughout the territory national; 175,000 liters as storage capacity in an air-conditioned environment at a constant temperature; 16-08959 is the number of the Biological Certificate of Conformity issued by the Soil and Health control body since 2004.
  
• Right now: more tradition or more innovation?
  Maximum innovation with the utmost devotion to tradition. Without ever forgetting where we started from.
  
• What was the most important evolution of the company to get it to what it is today?
  The development of an online sales network in parallel with the optimization of production processes.
  
• Speaking instead of the future: what tomorrow will the company wait for? Are there any changes or some new evolutionary process planned?
  The company will increasingly try to make its products known abroad and in the world, promoting the Provençal Monocultivar EVO Oil.
  
• Are you planning to create new products?
  We are currently creating a line of preserves “Sottoilnostrolio Le Fascine”.
  
• Having focused on Spaghetti
  S&M