Olivella Gourmet is a project by Cantine Olivella, created to promote and revive the family’s agricultural tradition, now in its fourth generation.
The families behind the Sant’Anastasia winery, farmers for generations, have always safeguarded this small treasure of traditions; they cultivate grapes, tomatoes, apricots, and other products such as the now almost forgotten sorb fruit.
Olivella Gourmet was founded with the aim of protecting, enhancing, and bringing back the typical products of the territory that still exist but are gradually disappearing.**
Pomodorino del Piennolodel Vesuvio DOP
The Olivella Gourmet project begins with the cultivation of Pomodorini del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP.
Today, just as in the past, the selection of the best crops is carried out thanks to the expertise acquired over several generations, using empirical yet infallible techniques such as visual evaluation, aroma, and taste.
The seeds, which will be used the following year, are carefully selected.
In the past, when the tomato harvest began, the head of the family would select the tomatoes chosen for their typical characteristics. The shape of the tomato was examined: it had to have four facets and a pronounced tip.
This is how the Pomodorino del Piennolo DOP of Vesuvius was born—and still is today.
Even today, the first tomatoes from the “scocche” of the initial harvest, called “pericine,” are selected. From these tomatoes, the seeds are extracted by cutting them, then washed and left to dry. They will be used the following year, when they are planted in February.
With this technique, it is ensured that the best tomato is obtained, maintaining the same shape, flavor, and texture year after year.
In the past, when it was time to establish a new tomato plantation, small greenhouses were built to plant the seeds selected the previous year, called “prote.” In these little shelters, the seeds were left to sprout until they became seedlings, which were then transplanted into the open field to form the new plantation.
Today, the seed is selected directly by Olivella Gourmet using the very same technique. At the end of January, it is delivered to a specialized nursery to be planted in specific containers. This ensures the traceability of the DOP process and the health of the seedlings that will later produce the new fruits.
The name given to this tomato is “mulignana” (eggplant), due to its characteristic broad, open leaf, which closely resembles that of the eggplant.
Today, from the selection made by the Pomodorino del Piennolo DOP consortium, this cultivar has been given the name “lucariello.”
The strong point of this tomato is undoubtedly its high sugar content, equal to 7 Brix, which ensures perfect preservation in jars and a distinctly sweet taste.
The tomato, being low in water content, has a firm and crunchy pulp. On the palate, it reveals a marked minerality, derived from the mineral-rich volcanic soil in which it is grown.
The company is deeply tied to the memory and identity of the Vesuvian territory, with unique characteristics resulting from a specific land and a cultivation method developed thanks to the strong connection with the pedoclimatic features of Mount Somma.
The cultivation system is eco-sustainable, as manual practices are prioritized, and when mechanical interventions are used, they are low-impact and environmentally friendly.