“On the seventh dayGod rested,
and pleased forhaving created the world,
He took the Earth into his hands and Kissed it …
Sicily lies right thereWhere God laid his lips.”
Lorenzo Barbera
Lorenzo 1^ Gen
1880. L’orologio del Re
There was a time when fencing was more than a sport: the course of lives and love affairs would be decided at the tip of a sword. Back then, Lorenzo Barbera Sr brought honour to the still-young Italian nation when he won a duel against a French champion.
King Umberto I of Italy was so proud of the young Sicilian’s triumph that he gifted him his golden watch.
1890. L'arrivo a Palermo
The Barbera family moved their residence from Menfi to Palermo, where the hunting grounds of the Princes of Buonfornello in Piana dei Colli became Villa Barbera.
1894. La Fondazione
The Oleifici Siciliani company was founded in partnership with the Florio family; today, it is known as Premiati Oleifici Barbera.
1900. I primi Premi Internazionali
The company represented Sicily at the 1900 World Fair in Paris, where it won the gold medal. This important accolade would be followed by gold medals from the World Fairs in Saint Louis in 1904 and Palermo in 1906.
1910. L’olio in bottiglia
An inspired idea from Lorenzo and his young son Manfredi led to EVOO being bottled in glass for the first time, in the same bottles used for Marsala. Now, Sicilian olive oil could travel the Mediterranean and Atlantic seas safely.
1930. Costanti e forti
While the Florio family liquidated their companies, including Oleifici Siciliani, Lorenzo and Vincenzo continued alone with the foundation of “Lorenzo e Vincenzo Barbera Oli”, on which young Manfredi Sr also made his mark. The two brothers concentrated on the local market, but these were tough years.
1935. Manfredi Senior, il colonnello
Starting in the 1930s, Oleifici Barbera was led by Lorenzo’s son Manfredi Sr, known as “the colonel” due to his military-like precision and dedication to his work. His love of olive oil and careful selection of raw materials soon saw him elected head of the International Olive Council.
1950. L'integrale
The economic boom years also saw a further innovation, with the launch of unfiltered must oil on the market. The many people by this point living in industrialised cities could now enjoy oil just as it is when freshly pressed in their own homes.
Manfredi 2^ Gen
Lorenzo 3^ Gen
1960. L’Ulivo Saraceno
This was a complex and eventful decade in Palermo, whose rapid growth demanded more space for its new citizens. The city was changing, with a constantly shifting back-and-forth between light and shadow, and the price was paid by a centuries-old olive tree which grew at the heart of the estate. In front of this majestic tree, Lorenzo saw his father cry for the first time, and wrote the touching poem “Death of a Saracen Olive”. ”
1970. Lorenzo, il poeta
Love for one’s homeland can sometimes take unexpected twists and turns, but whether expressed through the fruit of centuries-old trees or in art, the result is the same. Manfredi’s son Lorenzo, known to all as Renzino, dedicated himself to poetry and literature, depicting Sicily as a land filled with dreams and humour at the same time.
1980. Manfredi, il mastro oleario
As fire strengthens steel, times of crisis can make us all the stronger. When Manfredi Jr joined the business, he brought with him all the lessons he had learned during long road trips with his grandfather, visiting mills throughout Sicily to select olive oil. It was Manfredi Barbera’s keen insight that led to the birth of Frantoia: a tribute to the femininity inherent to our land.
1990. Barbera conquista l'America
This was the decade of new beginnings and entry into international markets. Thanks to Frantoia, we can claim to have made our own discovery of America.
2000. Il frantoio sperimentale
The dawn of the new century saw investments in the production site, the Custonaci plant and the experimental mill. These were years in which all eyes were on the future, represented first by Lorenzo and then by Carlo, the 5th generation of the family.
2010. La filiera olivicola
Our bonds with the land were strengthened and celebrated. The supply chains of COFIOL (the Olive-Growers Consortium) and ORO Sicilia (the Regional Organisation of Olive-Growers) are a testament to the company’s long-standing commitment to celebrating this land.
Manfredi 4^ Gen
LORENZO E CARLO 5^ GEN
Today: Industry 4.0. The story continues
The present is an opportunity to get back to our roots, while looking to the future. A new agriculture 4.0 farm has been developed in these years, where new growing techniques are used for the promotion of native Sicilian production.