The first organized planting of olive trees at Fattoria Colle Verde in the hills of Matraja was in the 16th Century.
Today our olive groves contain approximately 3,000 trees distributed over 17 hectares (51 acres). The varieties of olive trees cultivated on the estate are representative of those traditionally planted in the Lucca region and consist of Frantoio (90%), Leccino (5%) and Moraiolo (5%).
Olive trees must be pruned every year to optimize production, improve the quality of the olives, and limit their exposure to diseases, since manufacturing top quality “extra virgin” oil requires a perfectly healthy, unblemished fruit.
In order to totally avoid the use of chemicals and pesticides, we only use special pheromone-based ‘eco-traps’ to control the population of dangerous insects. In addition a small grazing herd of 5 Häflinger ponies takes care of the natural fertilization and weeding of the olive groves, making the production of our olive oil ‘organic’ in all respects.