The olive trees came to the Lario area in Roman times, brought by Greek settlers. We find traces of their presence in the municipal statutes that document the spread of this cultivation. Since their origin they have had an enormous mercantile importance. The location on the lake, behind the mountains, helped their growth, protecting them from cold winds and favouring their exposure to the sun, proved to be beneficial for the fruits.
At the beginning oil’s production was destined for lighting, the so-called lamp oil, so it wasn’t important that it was good quality, and the focus of production was mainly based on quantity.
In the second half of the last century some pioneers revived the land with terraces in phase of abandonment, restarting planting olive trees more carefully.
Since the 2000s, particularly in April 2011, the Cooperative “Olivicoltori Lake Como” was set up, and has become one of the largest companies of production of Extra Virgin Olive oil in the northernmost area for this type of cultivation.
It is a group of about 40/50 members with a total of over 4000 olive trees. This association provides an annual pruning of individual plants to avoid excessive size: each year there are 800/900 olive trees. This oil of northern Italy is spreading quickly and is appreciated for its spicy, average and good smell taste, thanks to
the climatic conditions.