The link between the Romano family and oil was born in 1959 when the Romano brothers took over the first oil mill in Bronte, on the western side of Etna.
In 1997, the Frantoio Romano Vincenzo was founded by Vincenzo Romano and his sons Pasquale and Francesco, which mainly deals with the transformation of olives into oil, both for third parties and on its own.
With a strong propensity for innovation and a precise production philosophy, over the years the company has used cutting-edge technologies in the olive processing process, purchasing Pieralisi plants from the beginning of its business.
In the last twenty years, important investments have been made with the installation of a plant with a Pieralisi integral continuous extraction system, entirely built in stainless steel and totally washable from batch to batch precisely to prevent there being mixes in the oil between one batch and the other and alterations in its organoleptic qualities.
“We favor the most valuable native varieties and the national varieties that best adapt to our territory, enhancing the raw materials with a careful selection of olives and constant attention to the work in the mill in the extraction, storage and bottling phases” – he tells us Mr. Pasquale Romano, a great specialist in Nocellara Etnea.
“We are very satisfied with our choice. We have always purchased Pieralisi systems and if we went back we would do the same thing again. The advantages of having Pieralisi continuous systems are numerous ” – continues Mr. Pasquale proudly – “ Compared to a traditional system, the continuous system requires reduced manpower, productivity is greater, the machinery is cleaner and the quality of the oil product turns out to be better. Furthermore, the continuous system takes up less space, the surface area occupied is significantly smaller than the traditional system.”
Vincenzo, an oil mill operator since 1959, left the management of the oil mill to his sons in 2001 who, after years of experimentation, brought their oils into the main competitions, obtaining excellent results.
Two years ago one of the most important awards in the world arrived, the Sol di Verona , won with Le Sciare , a blend of Nocellara Etnea (80%), Biancolilla (10%) and Tonda Iblea (10%).
In May 2016, again with Le Sciare, Romano won the Domina 2016 international competition in Palermo , in its first edition, but with the organization of a great competition behind it: 327 oils from 21 countries and 16 expert judges arriving from Italy, Japan , Portugal, Greece, Argentina, Palestine, Israel and Turkey.
First place with Le Sciare in the Intense Fruity category at the 2016 Oil World Records Oscar Award , a competition reserved for all those companies that, over the course of the previous three years (2013-2015), had ranked first or second place in competitions national or international stature. A sort of screening that limited registration to companies that, in the evaluation of other qualified juries, could unequivocally demonstrate how the excellence of the product with which they proposed themselves to the attention of the consumer market was a constant in the philosophy of their entrepreneurial activity.
The awards in 2016 continue to arrive in large numbers:
Great mention “Sol D'oro International Competition 2016” Romano label (single variety Nocellara dell'Etna)
Great mention “International Competition L'Orciolo D'Oro 2016” label LE SCIARE
Mention of the tasting jury and finalist cat. Intense fruity “Olio Capitale International Competition 2016” Romano label (single variety Nocellara dell'Etna)
First place in the Intense Fruity category “National Competition Sirena D'oro di Sorrento 2016” Monte Etna Dop label
Certificate of distinction "International Aipo D'argento Competition 2016" Monte Etna Dop label
Certificate of distinction “International Aipo D'argento Competition 2016” Romano label
Certificate of distinction "International Aipo D'argento Competition 2016" labeled LE SCIARE
Third place in the Intense Fruity category “Der Fenschmecker International Competition 2016” LE SCIARE label
Gold medal “International Olive Japan Competition 2016” label LE SCIARE
First place in the Medium Fruity category “International Competition Japan Olive Oils Prize 2016” labeled LE SCIARE
Top 10 “Terra Olivo International Competition 2016” labeled LE SCIARE
First place in the Intense Fruity category "Regional Olive Oil Competition Expo Sicily Citta dell'Olio" LE SCIARE
Second place in the pluricultivar section “Montiferru National Competition” 2016 LE SCIARE
We conclude this interesting success story with the words of Mr. Pasquale: “Passion is the driving force behind everything, I work all year round to make a great oil. It's my mission."