Our History
The story of the Gonnelli family dates back to 1585 when on the 13th of February the brothers Francesco, Lorenzo and Giulio, the sons of Taddeo di Michele di Lorenzo, bought for 300 coins from the Friars of the “Convento del Carmine di Firenze” the farm of Santa Téa, as proven in the sales document held at the Public Notary Records office in Florence. At that time the related oil mill, built in 1426, was known and appreciated for its special oil, the result of olives made noble by the particular micro-climate of the sun-baked upland plain of Reggello, 400 meters above sea level, which is 30 minutes from Florence in a southerly direction.
since 1585
Company
Our olive groves
Today Gonnelli directly oversees approximately 48.000 olive trees located between Florence and Siena. The altitude, exposure to the sun and a welldrained soil are important elements for the final quality of the oil and, as such, Gonnelli considers these elements for the selection of its plants. We are increasingly seeing the abandonment of olive groves, due to poor profit margins and the high costs of management, which are difficult to sustain for pure hobby or passion; as a result, certain olive groves, rented by the Gonnelli farm, require major drainage activity and care and it often takes a few years before the olive grove becomes fertile.
The Frantoio di Santa Téa is situated on a balcony over the Arno Valley, on Reggello’s Plateu on 400 m meters above sea level along the valley of the Arno River in the heart of Tuscany. Its altitude, perfect sun exposure and welldrained terrain makes the Reggello area ideal for olive cultivation. The olive grove on the Santa Téa estate operates pursuant to current Organic Agricultural regulations without any use of pesticides or fertilizers. Today, the Frantoio di Santa Téa is considered one of the most cutting edge facilities in the world of extra virgin olive oil production on both qualitative and technological levels. There are many machines designed and patented directly in the mill: from the defoliator, to the washing machine up to the kneaders. This exclusive system, with its two lines of production, was designed and fitted inside the mill’s mechanical workshop and is renewed every year. The olives are all certified in terms of traceability, providing the consumer with maximum transparency. The olives used are all certified in their traceability, guaranteeing the consumer maximum transparency. The olives are pressed within 15 hours of their harvest. Cold extraction only, in partial absence of oxygen and under nitrogen.
Vertine Oil Mill: this is a continuous cycle oil mill that works exclusively with the cold process. It has a milling capacity of 24 quintals per hour. This new line of machines crushes olives in the absence of oxygen.
The oil is then exposed to air until opening of the “Vertine Mill” Chianti Classico olive oil P.D.O. bottle by the customer. From October crushing takes place at the “Vertine Mill”.
The medieval village of Vertine is located in the territory of Chianti, in the heart of Tuscany, and is situated on a 357-metre hill adjoining the village of Gaiole in Chianti. Vertine’s Castle, also called the “walled village”, overlooks the north-eastern extension of Chianti surrounded by the Chianti Mountains, a chain that divides Valdarno from the Upper Chianti.
