1894

The Prestigious Barbera Oil Mills were formed in 1894 by Renzo Barbera, who, with his brother Vincenzo, started producing and then marketing olive oil from the S. Lorenzo ai Colli estate. Soon the firm grew and the Barbera brand received its first international awards. Currently, it operates as an association, managing approximately 15 thousand hectares of olive groves, thanks to 10 thousand producers and 25 associated oil mills. Olives are hand picked slightly ahead of time and taken to the associated oil mills on the same day of their picking. Oil is allowed to settle in steel tanks for a period of time that ranges between 2 to 10 weeks, and is then bottled as single variety or extra virgin blends of different kinds. Two research laboratories, one of which is internal, perform quality controls and work on developing new products. One of the upcoming projects involves creating an experimental oil mill.