OLIO DESIDERIO SAS DI RINALDI SERGIO & C.

Oil has always been a precious good, since the times when it was marketed along the network of Roman roads. One of them led to Mondovì through the town of Viola, whose original name, “Via Olei,” meant oil road. Oil was therefore a treasure, and it was the treasure that Desiderio Rinaldi set out to find at the end of the Second World War. The first of seven brother, in 1949 he decided to try his fortune, leaving behind his father’s farm to undertake a new lifelong project. The disasters of the war had won down the meagre finances of the family, and so it was the Desiderio travelled back over ancient roads, bygone vocations and deep-rooted traditions, laying the foundations for the company of today. Within a short time, his intuition, commitment, and focus on top quality products were bringing in excellent results, and he was joined by his brother Franco, Teresio and Dante. Dante still heads the business today alongside his sons Mauro and Sergio. For years, Olio Desiderio has chosen its olives from within Italy alone, keeping an eye on the harvesting, which is carried out manually with the comb method and at just the right moment of ripening; this prevents the olives falling to the ground and becoming bruised and spoilt. After being placed in baskets, the olives are taken to the oil mill where the cold pressing and subsequent centrifugation allow the oil to be separated from the vegetation water. This is how Desiderio extra virgin olive oil is created, on a continuously cross-checked journey to the dining table to ensure that the consumer receives genuine fragrance and authentic flavors. A 100% Italian production that stands out for its variety, quality, and particular attention to mono cultivar oils – that is, oils coming from one single type of olives. That’s the case for Gentile di Chieti , for example, extracted from monovarietal Abruzzo olives, or Apulia’s Peranzana, or the many other products that Desiderio brings to our table, also offering tastings in its Diano d’Alba headquarter. If the oil isn’t enough, we recommend trying Desiderio’s many gastronomical treats: dressings, appetizers, sauces, olives, and many more specialties. The company’s activity is enthusiastically carried on by the owners’ sons, bringing the family tradition to its third generation.