A family steeped in olive oil! There are families who produce olive oil. And then there are families for whom olive oil becomes a story, a culture, almost a way of looking at the world. The Mugelli family, in Torre Bianca, is one such family.
It all began with Marco Mugelli, the father of Matteo and Marta. An agronomist, researcher, olive oil taster and tireless innovator, Marco devoted much of his life to the study of extra virgin olive oil, becoming a leading figure in the entire Italian olive oil sector. In the 1970s, he began his journey of research and development in the world of olive oil, and in 2005 he realised one of his greatest dreams: to build the family’s own oil mill at Torre Bianca, in the hills of San Casciano in Val di Pesa, where he could put years of study, experimentation and insight into practice.
Marco was convinced that quality was never a final destination. One had to study, experiment, measure, taste and keep improving. It is precisely this spirit that made him one of the great innovators of Italian olive growing and which continues to be commemorated through initiatives dedicated to innovation and the quality of extra virgin olive oil. When Marco passed away in 2011, that story did not end. It passed into the hands of his children.
Today, Matteo Mugelli carries on the legacy of Torre Bianca and its oil mill, upholding his father’s teachings without allowing them to become set in stone: he continues to experiment and utilise new technologies, in keeping with the very philosophy of continuous improvement that Marco had passed on to the family. The company’s website lists Matteo as the manager of the oil mill and the cellar.
And working alongside Matteo is his sister, Marta Mugelli. A professional olive oil taster, founding member and now president of AIRO (the International Association of Olive Oil Restaurants), Marta works to bring the culture of extra virgin olive oil into the restaurant sector and to introduce more and more people to the world of quality olive oil and its tasting. Marco, Matteo, Marta. Three names, three generations sharing the same vision of olive oil.
A father who studied and innovated. A son who continues to experiment in the mill. A daughter who brings the culture of olive oil to the table and shares its story with people.
Perhaps this is precisely what is most wonderful about Torre Bianca: here, olive oil is not simply an agricultural product. It is memory, research, family and the future. And it is hard to imagine a story that better embodies the spirit of the ‘Frantoiani Coraggiosi’.