Frantoio di Sant'Agata d'Oneglia - Taggiasche Olives in Brine 200g jar

The Mela family has worked the hills above Imperia in western Liguria since 1827, and the Frantoio di Sant’Agata d’Oneglia is now managed by Antonio and Paola with their daughters Cristiana and Serena. The family tends about 8,000 Taggiasca olive trees, presses its own oil in a family mill, and also makes pesto, patés, and preserved vegetables. Its flagship extra virgin olive oil carries Riviera Ligure DOP status.

The Taggiasca olive was brought to Liguria by Benedictine monks in the 1600s and grows on hillsides along the Ligurian coast. Frantoio grows its olives 200 to 500 meters above sea level and harvests them by hand, working closely with neighboring farms that bring their fruit to the mill. Following local tradition, the olives are preserved in brine, leaving them plump and ready to enjoy.

Small, plump, and brownish green, Taggiasca olives have a delicate, mellow flavor with a gentle bitterness. The firm flesh yields a pleasant bite, and the brine adds savory depth without overpowering the olive’s natural, subtle character. Their refined, understated taste is a hallmark of Ligurian olives.