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Vittorio Cassini
Agricultural Company

The Cassini family has been producing Olive oil for more than seven generations using olive plants that are over 200 years old.

Vittorio Cassini has continued this tradition, strongly tied to the land on which the firm is located.

Using a mix between tradition (the olives are hand picked, so that only the best olives are selected) and innovation (the olives are cold pressed using the continuous cycle method; this avoids the contact with air that might oxidize the oil and alter its rich perfumes), Vittorio offers you an Olive oil with a very low acidity level: a wholesome balanced and healthy condiment, bottled directly on the premises. It is distributed on the Italian market and is also exported to the best restaurants and high quality stores in England, Sweden, Norway, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.

Vittorio Cassini
Agricultural Company

The Agricultural Company Vittorio Cassini is located in the village of Negi Fumei in the municipality of Perinaldo, and it consists of four hectares of olive groves, all of the Taggiasca variety (Cultivar Taggiasca), that lie between the municipalities of Perinaldo and Apricale.


Vittorio Cassini began his olive oil production activity in 1998 by restarting the seven generation Cassini tradition of cultivating olive trees that had been abandoned following World War II.

In the year 2000 he built an olive oil mill that produces 3,000 – 4,000 litres of oil per year.

 

The purpose of the company is to produce high quality olive oil, guaranteed by the fact that it is not produced on large scale but at an artisan level.

Besides commercializing olive oil, the company also produces Taggiasca olives in brine, Perinaldo Artichokes (Slow Food Presidium) and honey.

Products

Extra Virgin Taggiasca Olive Oil – Classic 750 ml.
Extra Virgin Taggiasca Olive Oil – Classic 750 ml.
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Extra Virgin Taggiasca Olive Oil – Classic 500 ml.
Extra Virgin Taggiasca Olive Oil – Classic 500 ml.
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Extra Virgin Taggiasca Olive Oil – I Fumei 500 ml selection
Extra Virgin Taggiasca Olive Oil – I Fumei 500 ml selection
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Olives in Brine
Olives in Brine
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Wildflower and Chestnut Honey
Wildflower and Chestnut Honey
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Perinaldo (IM) Artichokes in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Perinaldo (IM) Artichokes in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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Perinaldo Artichokes: Slow Food Presidium

HISTORY

Perinaldo is a small village that lies at the head of the Crosia Valley, in Western Liguria. This valley is rich in olive groves, whose cultivation is recorded in documents dating back to the 11th Century when, as it seems, the minor San Francis Friars grafted the first Taggiasca olive trees. Less known, however, is the production of an excellent artichoke, imported two centuries ago from nearby Provence which adapted well in this area. This is the French "violet" variety, introduced, according to legend, by Napoleon Bonaparte himself.

It is believed that during the Italian Campaign of 1796 - following a stopover at a noble family of Perinaldo - Napoleon learned that the excellent violet artichokes cultivated in nearby Provence were not known in the area. Thus, he decided to make a gift to the people of Perinaldo of a few plants. From that moment on, the local people started to grow it in their own orchards. The Perinaldo artichoke, cultivated only here and in Provence at an altitude between 400 and 600 meters a.s.l., is without thorns, it is very tender and has no chokes inside. It needs good drainage and it is often found planted along dry-stone walls. It can resist rigid temperatures, withstand drought and does not need chemical treatment, almost like a wild vegetable. It is harvested between the months of May and June.

The people of Perinaldo are very jealous of this rarity, and probably for this reason, and not for the exposition, the terrain characteristics or the local micro-climate, that the Perinaldo violet artichoke is only cultivated in this small community and not in the surrounding villages. It is eaten raw, in salads or cooked as a side dish for meats and game. The traditional recipes of Perinaldo use it in omelettes, bake it with parmesan cheese and mushrooms, or make simple pancakes with garlic and parsley.

CONSORTIUM

Nine producers that cultivate this variety of artichoke – distinguished by an intense purple inflorescence without thorns, harvested from local plants cultivated only in Perinaldo from May to June - are grouped in a consortium. A set of disciplinary rules regulate the method of cultivation and guarantees its traceability. The Perinaldo Artichoke was officially presented in 2008 at the Salone del Gusto di Torino (Turin Taste Show), the largest national market of national fine foods, within the "Terra Madre" project, a world meeting of Food Communities, based on the principles of food safety and on climatic changes to fight against a globalised agriculture based on chemistry and fossil fuels.

Perinaldo, the only Food Community in Liguria, presented its typical artichoke without thorns - which already had the Denominazione Comunale di Origine "De.C.O." (Municipal Denomination of Origin) – under the brand created by the unforgotten Luigi Veronelli, in favour of the small communities that believe in developing typical foods.


SLOW FOOD PRESIDIUM

The Slow Food Presidium is a prestigious recognition that safeguards small productions of excellence made following traditional methods.

The presidium for the Perinaldo Artichoke was obtained thanks to the Liguria Region, the Province of Imperia, the Intemelia Mountain Community and the Company Alta Via.
World fame expert gourmets after trying the new presidium of the "Val Nervia Otto Luoghi" convivium attested its absolute excellence, and representatives from the Università delle Scienze Gastronomiche of Pollenzo expressed their total enjoyment of this food.

Customers

Cassini's products are used by some of the best chefs and restaurants worldwide
and are available through many importers and stores.

Photos

Contacts

We will be happy to talk with you







+39 0184 223845
+39 347 6020143 (Vittorio)

frazione Negi, str. Prov. Seborga
18032 Perinaldo (IM)
Italy

info@cassini.co.it
info@vittoriocassini.it