CRU: the way we like them

At the right altitude

"I wanted to let you taste the difference between the oil obtained from the same variety of olives that grow in the same valley but at different altitudes. Thus were born the Cru Gaaci, at 600 meters above sea level, and the Riva Gianca, at 60 meters, near the sea. And then all the others were born ”.

Fortune favors the bold

The idea of ​​creating a superior extra virgin Taggiasco oil with a personality of its own was born in the late 1980s. At that time the oil millers of the area, like us, did a great job earning very little. The surplus oil from the needs of families was brought to Imperia, to the Vittorio bar: here the tasters of the large companies on the coast chose the batches to buy for bottling. So we decided to differentiate ourselves, to invest, and create the identity of our oil with our hands.

The first Cru is never forgotten

In 2004 the first real Taggiasca Cru extra virgin olive oil was born: Gaaci, the only oil in the world to report on the label from the cadastral parcel of the olive grove of origin, to the complete analyzes of the oil, passing through those of the soil and the methods of transport and pressing. In short, a sincere product that tells the consumer its story in the simplest and most thorough way of all. A product so sincere and innovative that in 2007 it won the "Top Innovation" award at the Anuga in Cologne, the most important Food and Beverage fair in the world.

Be – Bob – Anuga

And it is precisely to Anuga that our oil owes its success. Even before the creation of our Crus, one night, during a hippie party in a forest, with a German friend we get the idea: why not sell the oil in Germany? We thought that among many poor oils, we would have a success with the sale of Ligurian extra virgin olive oil. So we participated in ANUGA and there the turning point came. We went there in a sleeping bag, sleeping in a kind of municipality, but it was worth it: there we won our first customers, including an association of 300 Italian specialty shops throughout the country.

In vino veritas

Cru is a term usually associated with wine and indicates a single vineyard, often of high quality. But given the characteristics of our plots, why not make Crus in oil too?

We were certified for the PDO and some olive groves, with a particular exposure or soil, produced perfect fruits to extract an oil of unique quality. So we decided to borrow the word "Cru" from our wine grower friends, because just like a good wine is good and unique thanks to the soil in which it grows, the same rule applies to extra virgin olive oil too.

The first certified Cru

In 2007 we made the first certified Cru oil, Gaaci, from 2500 plants that grow at 500 meters above sea level, above Badalucco. On the label, in addition to the location, we also reported the age of the trees, the type of soil, the day of harvest. Many put “Cru” on the label but there must be true traceability; in France it is a very important word, woe to use it inappropriately. Gaaci has started a product line that today boasts 4 Crus, divided by altitude, linked by the same olive: La Taggiasca. Gaaci, Morga, Riva Gianca and Golf, these are the four axes of the company, oils that tell the territory, from Monte Saccarello to the sea, and express its most hidden characteristics.

The great challenge

The latest Cru from the Roi house was more of a challenge than an oil. It comes from the centuries-old olive trees that grow in the historic golf course of Sanremo, to which those of Albenga have now been added. These olive trees were practically abandoned, but with the help of a local cooperative that employs people in difficulty, we took care of them and produced an excellent extra virgin, also certified by the DOP Riviera Ligure as well as the extra virgin Roi Carte Noire, the flagship product. The golf project was born above all from the desire to restore dignity to plants and to a territory that is very dear to both me and my wife Rossella.