Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Monini

The All-Italian StoryMonini EPD01 ® , December 2012of a Passionp. 2MONINI,THE ALL-ITALIAN STORYOF A PASSIONA passion for qualitythat dates back over a centuryThe Monini company is an Italian successstory based on tradition and quality. Thecompany was founded in 1920 by ZefferinoMonini, who, following his entrepreneurialinstinct, decided to establish a business inthe town of Spoleto, in the Italian region ofUmbria. Thanks to its hills covered with olivegroves, from which an oil with an intense yetbalanced flavour is obtained, the Spoletoarea has always been dedicated tothe production of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.The passion that Zefferino Monini Sr.developed for olives at an early age led himto dedicate himself to the production of ExtraVirgin Olive Oil, whereby he founded thecompany "Zefferino Monini Olio di Oliva" in1930. The knowledge and consumption ofExtra Virgin Olive Oil at the time was limited,and was locally confined exclusively to itsareas of production. Most Italians, above allin the larger cities, either out of habit or lackof knowledge, used almost exclusively regularolive oil, rather than the extra virgin variety.By deciding to market Extra Virgin Olive Oilbeyond the confines of the Umbria region,Zefferino Monini launched a new trend inthe oil industry. Thanks to his initiative andhis passion for the natural product of hishomeland, together with the exceptionalquality of the oil obtained from the hills ofUmbria, Zefferino Monini succeeded in writingthe first page in the history of the ExtraVirgin Olive Oil market. Once brought to theattention of a wider audience, Monini extravirgin olive oil became increasingly popularand began to be demanded by customerseven further afield. The company ceasedoperations during the war as the product wassubject to rationing. Once the distribution offoodstuffs was deregulated in 1945, however,the company's operations continued withrenewed energy. It was at this time thatZefferino's sons, Giuseppe and Paolo, joinedthe company. Giuseppe and Nello flankedtheir father in his traditional laboratory,learning the all the tricks of the trade.At the time, shopkeepers sold the productin bulk. Anticipating the future needs of themarket, however, the first glass bottles beganflanking the traditional demijohns by the year1950.