Manfredi Barbera E Figli

It all began long ago in 1888 when the Barbera family, who managed a flourishing farm in Menfi in the province of Agrigento, decided to settle on a splendid estate in San Lorenzo ai Colli. Not far from the city of Palermo, they purchased a 17th-century hunting lodge that once served as the home of the Prince of Buonfornello. At the time, it was common for illustrious Palermo residents to move outside of the city to properties with large and verdant grounds. In the estate of San Lorenzo ai Colli, Lorenzo Barbera, the family patriarch, a man with a strong temperament, together with his brother Vincenzo, began the farm by cultivating mainly olives and citrus. Their oil production was an immediate success and soon after, in 1894, through an ambitious partnership with the Florio family, one of the most powerful and notorious families of the time, the "Oleifici Siciliani" company was born. This year marked the beginning of a long and fortunate history of quality Sicilian oil, renowned throughout the world. Those years marked the first unforgettable successes of the award-winning "Oleifici Siciliani" company, opening doors to foreign markets while collecting honours and prestigious prizes along the way. In 1900 at the International Exposition of Paris, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower, Lorenzo Barbera won an impressive four gold medals and an additional two at the Grand Prize of Saint Louis in the United States. Following these prestigious acknowledgements, market demand rapidly increased, prompting Lorenzo to increase the production of oil and to establish commercial relations with surrounding farms in the area. In 1910, elected deputy of parliament, Renzo passed the helm over to his son Manfredi Sr., whose innate entrepreneurial qualities soon gave new life to the production and sale of the product. This man was responsible for some of the company's most innovative successes. At the time, the company delivered its oil in barrels to the Italian Navigation Company but Manfredi, on the invitation of the general director at the time, offered beautiful hand-crafted oil cruets in Murano glass with the company's raised logo for the on-board restaurants. This initiative was such a success that the company chose other types of bottles and began to sell oil in glass containers, leaving behind the old leather bottles like a memory of the past. In the 1960's, at the height of the economic boom, Manfredi introduced a new innovation to the market known as "olio mosto". This unfiltered, natural oil, which seems to come directly from the oil mill, is bottled after natural decantation. Not long after, thanks to the sophisticated palate of seasoned connoisseurs, it was nominated for recognition by the International Olive Oil Council, the body that regulates extra virgin olive oils. From that moment on, the company was known as "Manfredi Barbera & Figli S.p.A." In the meantime, Manfredi Sr.'s son Lorenzo, also known as Renzino, joined the company at his father's side. The third generation of the family, he was a man with an eclectic and ingenious mind. He distinguished himself as a fine poet who honoured his ties with the land and its traditions; in his verses he sang the praises of the olive trees and the hardships in Sicily. This is the man who made visionary choices in terms of marketing and communication. This brings us to the Barbera family of today with Manfredi Barbera at the helm, representing the family's fourth generation. For over twenty years he has passionately and intuitively guided the company, uniting a love for tradition with a propensity for all of the opportunities offered by modern technology, with a primary focus on perfecting the quality of the product and bringing the company to the international market. His winning instinct has led to the diversification of products and the captivating and original appeal of the packaging. To his son Lorenzo, the fifth generation, at just four years of age, he dedicated the company's first "pitted" oil. The oil, which is made by removing the pits before pressing, is extracted from the tasty Nocellara del Belice cultivar. Aptly named "Lorenzo n°5", his son has become the symbol of one of the company's most important products