Straight to the source(2)
Small family businesses usually find it difficult to compete against big corporations, according to Nicola Ruggiero, president of Oliveti d'Italia, the first consortium of Italian olive oil growers set up in 1997, in Andria. Therefore producers in Andria and Puglia set up consortiums to increase their strength.
"People know Italy for its high quality oil, but there are too many small producers, which disperse their strength," he says. "Our aim is to return power to the producers. And our focus is to promote high quality olive oil, and develop the market."
Ruggiero stresses the importance of DOP, the protected designation of origin in Europe, which recognizes quality not just in the product, but also in the whole process, starting from olive picking. He showed off one of the company's star products, Natquid, an olive oil conveniently contained in a dropper bottle, with 42 different flavors, such as lime, garlic, mint and basil.
Many of Italy's olive oil companies tried to enter the Chinese market, a collective effort, in 2007, when Piazza Italia opened in Beijing. But it closed in 2010. So while some companies, like Monini, have entered the Chinese market by themselves, most others are still looking for a good partner to get into China.
Stevie Kim, senior advisor to the CEO of Veronafiere, organizer of Vinitaly, said the organization would use Hong Kong, where Vinitaly was held in November, as a port to get into the Chinese mainland. "We'll consider getting into the mainland market in 2012," she says. "We'll present Italian olive oil along with Italian cuisine, which is popular in China."
Kim's idea was echoed by chef Claudio Sadler, at Sadler Italian Restaurant at Ch'ien Men 23, in Beijing. On a recent visit, the two-star Michelin chef paired Italian olive oil with his foods.
In the media demonstration, Sadler used an olive oil from Tuscany to go with red meats, another bottle of olive oil from Sicily, with herb and artichoke notes, to pair with pasta, salad and fishes. He also used oil from Liguria in northern Italy, which is delicate and light and suitable for vegetables, salads, boar and fish.
During our Italian tour, Monini's executive chef Angelo Maria Franchini showed how olive oil could be used to make some delectable Italian foods. It can be easily sprayed onto diced salad vegetables to make a traditional starter, or used to roast veal rolls with aubergine.
The weeklong tour took us to seaside restaurants, village cafes and mountain top bistros. Like art and natural scenic beauty, good food and wine are innate to the people of Italy.
