The historical name of the first land of the Mocciaro Li Destri di Equila family, our company now encompasses two labels of different organic evo oils: Santa Barbara and Alburchia, from the names of their respective olive groves, located in the Madonie area.
TWO COMPANIES, ONE STORY
Most probably of Spanish origins, the Mocciaro Li Destri family has been intertwined with the historical and economic events of the mountainous Alte Madonie region in Sicily since the 17th century. The Santa Barbara Estate, also known as Pintorna, is the oldest property of the Azienda Agricola Alessandro Mocciaro Li Destri, which has been cultivating the land since 1776.
The name of the estate passed from Pintorna to Santa Barbara after the arrival of Garibaldi in Sicily. It seems that the baron Salvatore Li Destri had distinguished himself in supporting the occupation of the island in 1860 and that in his estate he had hidden an arsenal for Garibaldi’s troops, the so-called “Santa Barbara”. This is how the munition depots on warships were called after the invention of gunpowder, when the risk of enemy attacks and explosions became higher and the protective image of Saint Barbara, patron saint of firefighters and sailors was revered.
In the twentieth century, the family had to face the settlements of history. The tenacity of Giuseppina Li Destri manages to preserve the partial integrity of the historic farm during the years of industrialization, in the Fifties. Since then, the company has spread over more than 500Ha. in the municipalities of Blufi, Gangi and Geraci Siculo, in the province of Palermo.
Today, Alessandro Mocciaro Li Destri is committed with his wife, Valentina Bruschi to enhance the agricultural products and the identity of the extraordinary territory of the Alte Madonie where his family business has been located for centuries, through a sustainable and organic production system, in a combination of past techniques and the most advanced technologies.
The activity of the Azienda Agricola Valentina Bruschi dates back to the beginning of the 18th century, with the planting of the first 800 trees still in production today. The farm has belonged to the family of the current owners for centuries and until 2000, it was a typical ‘all-inclusive’ farm, where durum wheat and other cereals were cultivated, sheep and cattle were reared and wheat, cereals, fodder, olives, vegetables and fruit were produced. The Mocciaro Li Destri family has maintained and enhanced this first centuries-old plantation by adding a second olive grove for a total of about 1300 trees in the Casalgiordano district.
TELLING THE PROCESS
The olive harvest period depends on the different geographical positions of our two olive groves. Normally it starts in the first half of October and continues until the end of November, depending on the different climatic conditions. On our farm we still practice the hand picking of the olives with the aid of small electric harvesters, when necessary. At the end of each harvest day, the olives are transported to a modern mill which is a few kilometers away from the olive grove. The cold pressing of the olives and their transformation into extra virgin olive oil always takes place within 24 hours of harvesting. Subsequently, the oil obtained is decanted in small steel tanks for about a month and is then bottled in the same place, ready to be shipped all over the world.
Our EVOO is not just a product of organic agriculture, obtained with natural methods which respect the environment without the use of pesticides, but we believe that also the particular location of our farm, in the heart of the Madonie Mountains of Sicily makes our product unique. Our olives groves are surrounded by miles of uncontaminated landscape, and our eyes can fully embrace the spectacle of nature framed by the green valleys and thick forests that extend across them. As an alternative to pesticides, we have many animals on the farm, amongst which small – size donkeys. Thanks to these, we do not have to work the soil mechanically, saving CO2. Also, each of our actions respects bees, our allies. The energy we consume on the farm is all produced by using solar-panels and the wood yield from pruning is used to heat the house in winter.
