It begins with a scent. Freshly pressed oil, in October, in a mill in Calabria — green, sharp, alive. Anyone who has known it once will recognise the difference from everything that later sits on a supermarket shelf.
We grew up with that scent. And at some point we realised that our daughter did not know it. The oil we bought in Germany had nothing left in common with the oil of our childhood.
The name
Gaia is the name of our daughter. It is also the ancient name for the Earth — the ground from which everything comes. Terra di Gaia: the earth of Gaia. Both meanings intended, both true.
We wanted an oil where you can taste where it comes from. No blend from three countries, no anonymous bottling. One hill, one variety, one family that stands behind its name.
What that means
Our grove lies near Rossano, in the province of Cosenza. 412 trees, harvested by hand, cold-pressed, bottled unfiltered in black glass. We make around 500 litres a year — no more than the hill gives.
This is not a business idea that happened to land on olive oil. It is the oil we eat ourselves. And the one we hope Gaia will one day pass on.