These independent specialist olive growers, some with their own artisanal mills or small cooperatives, only produce extra virgin olive oil from native Italian olive varieties. They can therefore guarantee the authenticity and the artisanal character of their oils. They control every step of the process to ensure that only the finest oils are produced.

The association’s aim is to oversee and safeguard the quality of artisanal oils and to present the complexity and diversity of Italy’s olive production through its many regions.

FIOI is an independent body managed by the growers themselves. They are not connected to industrial oil production. Their focus is on preserving and protecting the farmland and olive groves that produce the olives and on monitoring the processes that turn olives into extra virgin oil.

Artisanal extra virgin olive oils are different from the industrially produced, often inexpensive oils that are available in many stores and supermarkets. Members of the FIOI are proud to express themselves in a diversity of excellent oils of unique character and taste, as distinct from the multitudes of anonymous bottles on sale in the mass market.

Italy boasts the largest olive-growing heritage in the world, with over 580 cultivars and a rich diversity of soils and microclimates throughout the country. Olive oil is one of Italy’s greatest natural assets, appreciated at home and across the globe. FIOI is committed to nurturing this patrimony and to preserving the culture of Italian olive-growing – with its many varieties – in all its aspects.

Our aim is to spread awareness about this natural treasure. Our members offer a unique range of extra virgin olive oils, each with its own distinct perfumes, flavours and history. We want to put Italian olive growing at the centre of a study project focused on restoring its economic and gastronomic importance, and by celebrating its role at the heart of Italian culture.