This story begins more than thirty years ago, when an olive grove full of centuries-old trees was abandoned. But the story we want to tell is one of rebirth: since 2019, Verbum Caudo Cooperative’s agriculturists have started to bring this olive grove back to life, dedicating time, passion and hard work to regenerate its production of oil to a level that’s worthy of its history. Three years on, the olive grove is producing its first organic extra virgin olive oil and creating work for young people in the community.

It hasn’t been easy to harvest in the grove again and gather the trees’ olives amongst neglected plants and towering, bushy shrubs. The whole process has demanded great energy and the road ahead is long and windy: making up for thirty years of abandonment is slow, constant work. As well as maintaining the land and its plants, it is of vital importance that we carry out research on every single tree to identify and map out their cultivar. This will allow us to develop effective practices that improve our oil production and bring oil to everyone’s table.