Last May the hills of Florence saw a beautiful "mignola", the spring "bocciolaatura" of the olive trees, whose fruits have matured then in a warm and sunny September. A real birthday present for the Laudemio Frescobaldi oil, Tuscan wine of great quality that in this excellent vintage is three decades old. And he dresses in gold to celebrate.

Evolution, how Italian oil consumption changes

Not only that: for the occasion the brand has commissioned one research at Nomisma for investigate the placement of the oil between products luxury in consumer perception and consumption habits in the tables of restaurants and Italian diets. Sample: 1,000 Italians between 18 and 65 years.

Well, here are the 4 consumer profiles emerged from this research.

The "essential": cautious and traditionalists, they aim at saving and are not interested in luxury products. They are 46% of consumers and they are mainly men.

The "aware": they are lovers of cooking, health conscious and responsible :. They are 20% of consumers; mainly women.

The "stars": they are experimenters and trendy, interested in luxury food and gourmet cuisine. I'm men and represent 19% of consumers.

THE "luxury ": they lead a wealthy and mundane lifestyle by surrounding themselves with luxury goods (15%).

"The research shows how EVO oil takes on a central role, passing from commodity to value good – says Denis Pantini, Nomisma manager – In the ranking of food products perceived as sought after goods we find the truffle first (28% of consumers), followed by caviar (23%), champagne (20%) and oysters (13%). In fifth place with 7% there is extra virgin olive oil of fine olive ".

Furthermore: 34% of consumers often prefer those with brand names of producers known / famous but as many as 67% look specifically for producers' EVO oils locals. 47% always pay attention to the quality of the oil proposed when eating out and rate the level of a restaurant also by the quality of the proposed oil. How do you get to know the new EVO quality features? Word of mouth, mainly.

Cultivating the diversity and the Tuscan variety

Laudemio Frescobaldi, whose history is a story of agricultural vocation, learns about precious oils: the Frescobaldi family for seven hundred years, precisely from the early fourteenth century, produces wine in Tuscany, but also extra virgin olive oil. Winner, over the years, of many national and international awards (including the four assigned by Slow Food). The company philosophy is summarized in the sentence: "Cultivating Toscana Diversity". An English motto for a company that at the moment exports 80% of its oil product (in particular, USA and Japan) but with the aim of doubling the sale in Italy in the next two years. A motto which ratifies the family bond with the variety of the Tuscan territory, represented by its seven estates, by the wines and oils of the characteristics of each individual terroir.

The Laudemio Frescobaldi is a Tuscan oil from the intense and spicy flavor, characterized by a emerald green color bright and a scent of mown grass and artichoke. Her bottle with octagonal section, with a retro design, is recognizable at first sight. That of the 2018 collection, collection of the thirtieth anniversary, is gold with a special label and contains the fruit of one very pure cold pressing. But where does the high quality of this oil come from?

The specification

We now demand it as consumers, an affirmation. We believe that producers – above all those who bring primary goods such as olive oil on our tables – guarantee us origin, production methods and organoleptic characteristics. We claim, in short, a disciplinary. Laudemio Frescobaldi was precursor of the times: it was 1989 when the company developed it and started to follow one – while the European Union regulations and the subsequent IGP and DOP were born later, in the 90s. Here are some key points of the specification that today follow all the companies of the consortium L'origine degli ulivi: duse of "percussion means" or the sticks that pull the barrel to the branches to drop the olives, they damage them; absolute prohibition to collect olives that have fallen spontaneously; pressing within 48 hours from the collection. The Laudemio Frescobaldi brand, however, chooses to go far beyond: the oices are broken on the day of collection. Always. And normally within 6 hours at most: a real point in favor of quality. And the olives – to be regulated by the consortium must be collected by 30 November, for Laudemio the harvest usually takes place within the month of October. All rules, these, that guarantee one minimum acidity, a great aromatic profile and high nutritional properties.

THEat first bottle di Laudemio Frescobaldi 2018, as usual, was sent on November 14th to Prince Charles of England, an exceptional enthusiast, who in 1986 planted an olive tree in the Frescobaldi estate of Castello Nipozzano. Her sisters are now on the shelves for the joy of that 54% of consumers who do not recognize themselves as "essential", because they want something more from extra virgin olive oil …

Stella Rita
December 2018

DISCOVER SALE & PEPE COOKING COURSES