A Visit to Vigne Nuove Gaetano Farm

When traveling in Europe on my way to Italy, I was determined to visit a real organic olive oil producer – to learn more about how olives are grown and what goes into making the best olive oil – with thoughts in mind of ways to use olive oil in various Paul Penders products. I got to do that… and more than I expected, much more.

On the train, we encountered Mr. Sawillaci Gaetano, the owner of a small olive oil and wine farm outside the city of Catania on the island of Sicily. We shared our philosophies about life and work – and discovered we had much in common. We became true friends. Very soon a meeting was sealed. We would meet again in Catania in a few days.

One of only two metropolitan areas on the island of Sicily, Catania has one of the most dynamic economies in the whole of Southern Italy including a fast-growing tourist industry, with many international visitors coming to visit. The island is filled with history and archaeological sites -- people have been living here since as far back as the 8^th century B.C.

The famous Mt. Etna volcano looms above the city of Catania; the snow-capped mountain is the most prominent landmark of the island of Sicily. At 3,320 m (10,890 ft), it is the tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. Luckily, it has been relatively quiet in recent years and the volcanic ashes have produced a special fertile soil, adapted especially for the growth of grapevines and olive trees.

As we drove out of the city to the plantation, I was touched by what I saw -- the Sicilian countryside has a serene beauty. The land Mr. Gaetano owns has come down to him through generations of his family. He is in many ways a modern man but continues living by the standards of family traditions. He will never give up the land or his way of life.

The plantation is beautiful. Relatively small, it has only 600 olive trees and arcades of dangling grapevines. Besides the olives and grapes, he also showed us his gardens of herbs and organic vegetables: rosemary, fennel, mint. He cares for small orchards of oranges, figs, lemons, prunes, and tangerines. The dry Mediterranean climate also is suitable for cactus and he sliced open a cactus fruit for us to taste. All are grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

His olives taste different. He takes the olives from the trees when they are still young. He explained that other growers let the olives grow much longer on the trees so they become big and fat, picking them only when they are ripe and ready to be squeezed. While he says there is nothing wrong with this commercial approach, it is less healthy. His way gives a "pinch-taste" to the olives, demonstrating true quality. Healthy young olives keep all their vitamins inside and these can be extracted to make pure, vitamin-rich olive oil.

Mr. Gaetano’s organic wine tastes differently, too. It has a fresh, almost serene taste and a fruity aroma -- truly a simple quality wine – and with no pesticides to mar it. We were lucky enough to be gifted with a bottle each of the wine and olive oil to take home.

The oranges that grow there are wonderful as well – they say, "Oranges are just oranges until you have tasted the ones from Sicily!”

There is so much handwork involved in producing the way he does. It was clear that after paying workers that there is simply no money left for profit. With a production of only few thousand bottles, it was clear that money-making is not the priority but he said several times that he would never give up the farm.

This Sicilian farmer has a good life – simple and rich in pleasures if not money. He enjoys where he lives and what he plants -- and his family virtually lives off the fruits of the land. Most of the olive oil and other produce is used by family and friends. They count on what comes from this land.

Mr. Gaetano and I shared many interests during our time together. For all Paul Penders products, we do everything we can to ensure our ingredients are pesticide and chemical-free. In today’s world, however, it takes knowledge and courage for a farmer to choose to ‘go organic.’ And it takes courage to choose to stay small and resist the temptation to sell out – something he and I shared as I have felt that pressure many times with our company as well. It is hopeful to me that there continue to be small farmers like Mr. Gaetano who preserves tradition and cares for his heritage, the land, and his family.

As it turns out, his production is too small to be used for our cosmetics. Legal restrictions and costs also limit the ability of small farmers to obtain the necessary documents that are needed now for all cosmetic ingredients. Nevertheless, he gave us some samples to take back to test in our lab. It will be great to send him a ‘thank you gift’ of a few finished products made from his own olive oil, like shampoo and moisturizer.

Another thing we shared was our love of travel. Mr. Gaetano’s next trip may very well be to our Langkawi Geopark island in Malaysia. We would welcome him to visit us so we could show him the beauty of this great part of the world.

However, finding quality olive oil and wine is difficult on a tropical rainforest island! No doubt that’s why so many Italians living outside their own country long to return to their great motherland – and one reason why I cherish the memories of this trip to Europe. I’ll have more for you in future blogs.

By Paul Penders

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