Paolo Cassini

Region: Liguria

Company name: Cassini Paolo Agricultural Company

Location: Isolabona (Imperia)

Historical context and birth of the company

The Cassini family has been cultivating Taggiasca olive trees for generations. In our valleys all the families in the past had an olive grove for supply and trade: it was completely normal.
“My grandfather Jean and my father Giannino installed the first oil mill in 1962, a traditional plant with mullers and press. In 1993 we adapted to the times by installing a modern continuous cycle extraction system. Recently our passion for oil and love for our land has led us to further refine the plant, to obtain more fruity and superior quality oils.
Currently we continue our journey, in small steps, trying to intentionally remain a small company that produces quality and not numbers, numbers do not produce quality. ”
That of Paolo Cassini is a small family-run business: ten hectares of olive groves and 2000 olive trees of the Taggiasca variety, mainly secular trees. The altitude of the plots varies from 150 to 550 meters above sea level.
The oldest plants were planted by Benedictine monks around the thirteenth century, to “probe” the quality of the soil.
The most developed in height have been lowered with a reform pruning, adapting them as much as possible to modern cultivation standards.
The production in oil is limited but of the highest quality. The latter is the main objective of each vintage, to improve the details to always obtain a product that stands out and has unique characteristics.

“We True producers, we must protect our work and our good name: years of sacrifice, passion and tradition must not be lost in thin air.”
Paolo Cassini

The company is equipped with a modern continuous cycle plant of the latest generation entirely in stainless steel, which works in two phases, that is, it extracts the oil without adding water during centrifugation. This allows us to obtain more fruity and fragrant oils, with a much higher number of polyphenols, to the benefit of our health!
The organoleptic characteristics of the already excellent Taggiasca Extra Virgin Olive Oil are thus further enhanced by this type of processing.
In Liguria only a few oil mills work in two phases, and therefore produce superior quality oils; the others extract the oil by adding large quantities of water.
After the extraction phase, with a special plant, the residue from the processing (pomace) is separated from the kernel and used by biogas plants (biodigesters) for the production of energy; the hazelnut will serve as a fuel for heating (4400 kcal / kg). – Its storage takes place in stainless steel containers with the addition of nitrogen and at controlled temperatures.

For all the terminologies used in olive growing go to our GLOSSARY

• 2003 – Concorso Internazionale Sol D’oro Verona
  
• 2004 – Concorso olio di oliva Taggiasca
  
• 2005 – Gold Medal Award E.V.O. California, Olio DOP riviera dei Fiori, Orciolo D’Oro, Sirena d’Oro di Sorrento, Tesori della Riviera dei Fiori, Concorso Internazionale Sol D’Oro Verona, Slow Food, Ercole Olivario
  
• 2006 – Gold Medal Award EVO California, Tesori della Riviera dei Fiori, Orciolo D’Oro
  
• 2007 – Silver Medal Award S’ciappau Gran Cru California, Finalista Ercole Olivario
  
• 2008 – 1° Premio Camera di Commercio Imperia, Bronze Medal Award S’ciappau Gran Cru California, 2° Premio Comunità Montana Intemelia, Feinschmecker booklet olive oil, Il Golosario, Finalista Ercole Olivario, Orciolo D’Oro, Concorso internazionale Sol D’oro Verona
  
• 2009 – 1° Premio Comunità Montana Intemelia, Bronze Medal Award S’ciappau Gran Cru California, Leone D’Oro dei Maestri Oleari, Guida agli Extravergini, Il Golosario, Orciolo D’Oro
  
• 2010 – Bronze Medal Award S’ciappau Gran Cru California, Slow Food, Montiferru, Le Guide Slow Food, Flos Olei
  
• 2011 – Flos Olei, Orciolo D’oro
  
• 2012 – Merum, Der Feilschmecker, Orciolo D’Oro, Horeca Magazine, Il Golosario, Olio e Olivo, Gambero Rosso, Le Guide del Gambero Rosso, Flos Olei
  
• 2013 – Merum, Flos Olei, Der Feischmecker
  
• 2014 – Il Golosario, Orciolo D’Oro, Aipo D’Argento, Cucina e Vini, Il Tempo (Bibenda), La Gazzetta dello Sport, La Riviera, Le Guide del Gambero Rosso, Flos Olei, Gambero Rosso
  
• 2015 – La Riviera, Der Feischmecker, Orciolo D’Oro, Il Mensile del Gambero Rosso, Slow Food, Aipo D’Argento, Concorso Internazionale Sol d’Oro Verona, La Riviera, Flos Olei
  
• 2016 – Le Guide del Gambero Rosso, Flos Olei, Der Feischmecker, Merum, Masters of Olive Oil, Orciolo D’Oro XXV edizione, Gambero Rosso, Flos Olei the Best 20, Flos Olei, Aipo D’Argento, Trofeo Oscar Oil World Records I Edizione, Concorso Internazionale Sol D’Oro XXIV Edizione, Ercole Olivario XXIV Edizione, Le Fiamme D’Argento
  
• 2017 – Le guide del Gambero Rosso, Flos Olei, Orciolo D’oro XXVI edizione, AIRO Associazione Internazionale Ristoranti dell’Olio, Firenze, Concorso Internazionale Sol D’oro Verona, Der Feischmecker, Bibenda, Cucina e Vini, Il Tempo
  
• 2018 – Le guide del Gambero Rosso, Flos Olei, Masters of Olive Oil
  
• 2019 – Ercole Olivario XXVII Edizione, Maestrod’Olio, Merum, Gambero Rosso, Bibenda
  
• 2020 – Bibenda, Slow Food, Gambero Rosso, Concorso Internazionale Sol D’Oro XVIII Edizione
  
• 2021 – Flos Olei, Slow Food, BIOL XXVI Concorso Internazionale, Gambero Rosso, Premio selezione AIRO, Bibenda