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  The next and final step was to totally remove the usage of chemical products. The grass is mechanically cut and used as fertilisers alongside with other organic
compost. Even the leftovers from harvesting and pruning are useful to fight parasites, whilst the remains from the oil pressing -
are all composted and returned to the soil.
The resulting pure gourmet olive oil at Villa Stabbia is thus the product of olives picked from trees that have remained organically grown for ages.
Due to a bad fire some years ago, only 2200 olive trees on about 10 hectare are producing oil
currently at present. However the "new babies" are growing up fast and
more are forthcoming and should start to yield some fruits soon.
Our Organic Trees:
Just as fine wines are made from a vast variety of grapes that determine their flavour, so are
fine olive oil also made from a vast variety of olives that produce
distinct differences in flavour. Some oils are made from a single fruit. Other
more complex oils are made from several types of olives. The actual proportions that
make a specific oil unique are a closely guarded secret.
At Villa Stabbia, the following four traditional Tuscan olive tree varieties are grown:
| Frantoio |
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The tree is widely cultivated due to its high and constant productivity and for the excellent oil
quality. The high quality oil is tasty and aromatic
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| Leccino |
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A self-sterile tree with a high and constant production, where ripening is early and uniform. The oil has a fine spicy taste.
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| Moraiolo |
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The tree has a high oil yield, and its oil is appreciated for its high squalene content.
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| Pendolino |
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The tree is mainly cultivated as the pollinator, but has a high and constant productivity, whilst fruit ripening is medium early and simultaneous. Oil
yield is medium high and the oil is appreciated for its organoleptic properties.
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The Olive Tree:
A low knotty trunk characterises the olive tree. The leaves are coloured a beautiful gloss green, silvery white on the underside. The trees can grow to 15 meters, but
on average they are pollarded at between 5 and 7 meters to ease the harvesting. Olives need very little water, and can search it out at great distances from the tree.
Olive trees have an almost titanic resistance, a vital force that renders them nearly immortal. Despite the near 0 degrees winters and burning summers, despite
truncations, they continue to grow, proud and strong reaching towards the sky, bearing fruit that nourishes and heals inspires and amazes. Temperate climactic
conditions, characterized by warm dry summers and rainy winters, favour plentiful harvests; stone, drought, silence, and solitude are the ideal habitat for
the majestic olive tree.
The best olive oil comes from the juice of olives from low growing trees, with a lot of room and sun so that the fruit can mature correctly and so that each tree
receives sufficient moisture and nutrients from the soil. In
organic farming only natural fertilizers are used, watering is carried out
only when they are babies.
The olive tree is a slow growing tree, which fills during the first 7 years of its life and has a growing productivity between the age of 7 and 35 years. From 35 to
150 years the tree reaches maturity and full production and beyond 150 years the olive tree
starts aging with a remarkable productivity for centuries and sometimes
for thousands of years. The olive trees production is cyclical with more production in one year and significantly less
the following year.
Between April and June a multitude of small, white perfumed flowers
appear in groups under the preceding year's leaves. They only last a few weeks. One olive is born for
around every 20 flowers.
In mid October the harvest starts; the olives must be picked before they become fully ripe as the resulting oil will be rich in un-saturated fat, anti-oxidation
substances and with lower acidity and better organoleptic properties. Olive groves require care throughout the year and the work is
labour-intensive. Almost all operations are totally manual and that is the
main reason for the high prices of olive oil.
For all olive growers, the most feared enemy is the Olive Fly (Dacus Olei). In certain years this insect can destroy the entire crop. The larvae cause premature fruit
drop and yield reduction. An infestation seriously affects oil volume, alters its colour and
increases acidity.
 Farmers use against the fly anti-parasites, poisoned
bait and certain parasites of the olive fly that attack its larvae during summer. There is absolutely no use of pesticides at Villa Stabbia.
An interesting usage of the natural resources to fight parasites, are the leftovers from the pruning of the trees. The branches are left on the round near the tree,
as the parasite Phleotribus scarabeoides, which is constantly looking for an olive tree to lay its eggs in, will use the cut-off branch instead of infesting the tree.
A month later, once the egg-laying season is over, the branches are collected and burnt.
(Excerpt from EU definition of organic farming)
Increased consumer awareness of food safety issues and environmental concerns has contributed to the
growth in organic farming over the last few years. Organic
farming has to be understood as part of a sustainable farming system and a viable alternative to the more traditional approaches to agriculture. Since the EU rules on
organic farming came into force in 1992, tens of thousands of farms have been converted to this system, as a result of
increased consumer awareness of, and demand for, organically grown products.
The sustainability of both agriculture and the environment is a key policy objective of today's common agricultural policy (the
'CAP'): 'Sustainable development must encompass food production alongside conservation of finite resources and protection of the natural environment so that the
needs of people living today can be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. 'This objective requires farmers to consider the effect that their activities will have on the future of agriculture and how the systems they employ shape the environment. As a consequence, farmers, consumers and
policy makers have shown a renewed interest in organic farming.
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