There are 150 hectares of olive groves on the sea: an important Planeta project for the protection of both landscape and quality of the oil was completed in Menfi. Sicilian sea, hills of Menfi, and a large olive grove: in the first weeks of 2017 further 13,000 olive trees were planted at Capparrina, 50 more hectares in addition to the 100 existing ones, forming one of the largest olive groves in a unique body in Sicily.
Both cultivation of olives and production of oil have always been part of the local family traditions. For centuries this production has been destined to family consumption and for the many people who over time have lived and worked in the community only.
Since 1998, instead, oil production has become a project that was combined to the one of wine, with equal dignity. The hill of Capparrina has slowly been covered with greenery and plants that increase its beauty and charm: east and west of the hill are now covered by trees. The south of the hill - facing the sea - is a big spot of Mediterranean plants to protect the coast. This oasis gathers rare species of flora, from dwarf palm to sea lilies, and is a natural habitat for wild animals, from porcupines to hoopoes and various diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey. It is the place of passage of the great migrations, where almost every year Caretta Caretta sea turtles lay their eggs.
Planting trees clearly has a strong environmental value. Many plants and an oil mill are just in the centre of the company: a new two-phase decanter, complete with overlapping presses that carries out gently the extraction. The olives are harvested by hand and then come straight to pressing: in a few hours the olives become extra virgin olive oil.
Thus the three Planeta oils were born: Tradizionale (Traditional), by cold pressing of the whole olives coming from Nocellara del Belice, Biancolilla and Cerasuola, blended together, and the two pitted products. They all are realised carefully following the specification for this PDO and through rigorous quality controls.
If we think that Italy, even with more than one million hectares of olive groves, only covers 35% of its needs of olive oil, it is easy to see what a huge opportunity is for our Country to invest in the creation of new olive groves, also giving a tangible and significant contribution to protection of both environment and landscape.
