Meet the Maker: Badia

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CHIANTI, TUSCANY

Badia a Coltibuono Extra Virgin Olive Oil Celebrating 60 Years

Founded in 1979, De Medici imported Badia a Coltibuono, the first Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil marketed nationally in the U.S.A.

A MOMENT IN HISTORY

Those years are just a moment in the history of an estate whose existence is measured in eras, not years. Phoenician and Greek colonists introduced the olive tree to the Italian peninsula. There is archeologic evidence on the site that the Etruscans cultivated both grapes and olives here in pre- Roman times (about 2500 B.C.E.).

In 1051 the feudal lords who had governed the land for 400 years invited an order of Benedictine monks to found an abbey here. They dedicated themselves to tending the land, raising vines and groves to produce wine and oil. They continued their agricultural and spiritual labors here until

the Napoleonic wars, when in 1810, church lands were seized, secularized and auctioned off.

SIX GENERATIONS

In 1846 Michele Giuntini acquired the property.

In the late 1950’s, his descendent, Piero Stucchi Prinetti, took charge of

the property. He began to bottle the best vintages of the estate’s Chianti Classico Riserva, selling them on the domestic and international markets. He was the first

to realize the potential of another traditional product of the region: extra virgin olive oil. He lavished the same care on his groves, oil production and its marketing as he did the estate’s wines. Today his commitment to the quality wines and oils of the estate is carried on by his and Lorenza dé Medici’s children; Emanuela, Paolo and Roberto.

BENEFITS OF EVOO

• Known and appreciated since ancient times, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is one of the essential components of the Mediterranean Diet and one of the healthiest vegetable fats.

• Excellent for both seasoning and cooking.

• Numerous studies on the beneficial effects due to the presence of vitamins and antioxidants.

• Badia a Coltibuono is 100% estate grown.

• In Italy the olive tree arrived through the Greek and Phoenician colonies and in ancient Rome, the therapeutic virtues of olive oil were appreciated.

• Over time, advances in the production processes have improved the Extra Virgin Olive Oil quality. It is obtained by centrifugal extraction from the olive paste, without further chemical-physical manipulations.

• The extraction takes place at low temperatures and the oil is protected from light and air to keep it in optimal conditions.

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