A list of Abruzzo extra virgin olive oil distributed among restaurants and accommodation facilities. It is the new project conceived and implemented by the Chieti-Pescara Chamber of Commerce, together with the Aprutino Pescara Dop Consortium and the Oil Tourism Movement, in partnership with Circle Studio.
Next July the first oil list which takes up the concept of the wine list present in all the restaurants in the world, will be officially presented during Mediterranea, the agri-food excellence fair organized every year by the Chamber of Commerce. In the meantime, the search is underway for producing companies that will apply for their oil to be included in the menu and for restaurants that want to include the oil menu in their structure and that will train themselves to illustrate to their customers all the characteristics and properties of the individual oils on paper. However, if in the case of wines it is the individual restaurateur, often with the help of a sommelier, who creates his personal wine list, in the case of the oil list, the list will be the same for all participating structures that wish to adopt it.
“With this project we want to make people understand the uniqueness of this Abruzzo product – said the president of the Chamber of Commerce Gennaro Strever who presented the project together with Silvano Ferri, president of the Aprutino DOP oil consortium, Pier Carmine Tilli, at the helm of the Oil Tourism Movement and Francesco Cinapri of Circle – . The initiative for the valorisation of the territory’s extra virgin olive oil and DOP takes shape from a clear objective: to discover the qualities of Abruzzo through extra virgin olive oil, in a tour that starts from the table and travels around the world, bringing the excellence of an entire territory. The Oil Charter is a project on which to work as a team, which fully expresses the chamber’s mission, protecting the market and making us promoters of quality at 360 degrees, as the only and true competitive factor of companies. I take advantage of this opportunity to express my wish and launch the idea of a single brand for oil, ‘Abruzzo oil’, just as it has now been recognized for wine, because unity is strength and because by uniting under one big umbrella we can truly compete in the international markets that are emerging”.
“Today we begin a journey that should have begun years ago – analyzed Tilli -. Abruzzo must work to create a strong brand, enhance the oil and therefore the economy of the agricultural companies. The Abruzzo extra virgin olive oil menu is a great opportunity for the Abruzzo olive growing and restaurant sectors. Thanks to the sensitivity of the Chieti Pescara Chamber of Commerce, which accepted our project proposal, we will be able to implement an initiative that will increase the awareness of consumers and enthusiasts of extra virgin olive oil and, at the same time, will be an opportunity for restaurants to meet and the producers”.
“There are three words that link the sector: typicality, quality, olive-growing landscape – he added Silvano Ferri, president of the Aprutino Pescara PDO Consortium – . The typicality is the result of the heritage of 24 native cultivars and the 3 DOP Aprutino-Pescarese, Colline Teatine and Pretruziano delle Colline Teramane. Quality, however, is now a constant thanks to the professionalism and passion of our producers. The continuous search for quality for our producers is not only aimed at a change in price to build customer loyalty to promote our territory in a tourist-gastronomic key”.
“We immediately embraced the Oil Project promoted by the Chamber of Commerce, feeling a strong will to give our contribution, giving a graphic look and an identity to the project”.
CPT Dritta of the Pescaresi Lands
The headquarters of the CPT “Dritta delle Terre Pescaresi” is at the headquarters of the leader, Associazione Culturale Pleiadi, in Via della Monache n.4 in Loreto Aprutino. The “Terre Pescaresi” GAL has also granted the use of the “Terre dei Vestini” Gallery of Taste in the premises of the former Court of Penne in Largo San Giovanni Battista for the activities. The Galleria del Gusto is the third in Abruzzo after that of the “Province of Chieti” opened in Casoli (CH) in September 2008 and the “Terre Pescaresi” inaugurated in Manoppello (PE) in August 2015. The project was born in Abruzzo within of the local development plans promoted by the LAGs, to create knowledge centers on the culture of the territory and food. The Municipality of Penne accepted the invitation of the GAL Terre Pescaresi to create a space dedicated to food and wine and the territory in the city, inside a building of historical and architectural value. The intervention was financed by the GAL Terre Pescaresi within its Local Development Plan, PSR Abruzzo 2007-2013, with the co-financing of European Community Funds EAFRD.
“The weather cooling down and the sea rippling. Everything tells me that winter has arrived for me andthat I must, without delay, harvest my olives andoffer the virgin oil to everyone. ‘altar of the good God.”
Frédéric Mistral