Massimo Carlino, expert oil connoisseur and founder of Val Paradiso, is producer of the year and influential figure in the field of food and wine according to All Food Sicily.
Geologist by profession and olive grower for passion, Massimo is the beating soul of the Val Paradiso company. He defines himself as “Gelio“, uniting the two souls in a perfect union: the land and its extra virgin olive oil. In his homeland, Naro in the province of Agrigento, Massimo cultivates over 100 hectares of organic olive groves with dedication and love.
His philosophy it is based on the rediscovery of ancient cultivation techniques, combined with innovation in order to obtain a very high quality product. There are four lines of extra virgin olive oil from Val Paradiso: Classic, Organic, PGI Sicilia Bio and Diodoros Valley of the Temples. Each of them contains a unique essence, a sensorial journey that conquers the palate with unmistakable aromas and flavors.
Furthermore, the company directly produces high quality aromatic herbsdried naturally in the sun within a small space of 6 hectares where the production of takes place oregano and rosemary among the main ones, then laurel and many others. All coming from biological agriculture according to a principle of sustainability which is based on absolute respect for the natural growth cycle of the plant.
Val Paradiso has a corporate strategy that has always been attentive to attention to detail in all phases of the production of aromatic plants and oil, with the use of advanced technologies in full respect for nature and the environment.
We interviewed Massimo Carlino who recently received awards from All Food Sicily Of “producer of the year” and of “influential figure in the field of food and wine”.
Can you tell us the secrets that have led your company to see its merits recognized in recent years by obtaining prestigious awards?
“Even today after so many years, we have the privilege of receiving prizes and see us recognized for inclusion in guides at a national and international level that fill us with pride. On the other hand the All Food Sicily Award constitutes further confirmation of the goodness of our work as producers of high quality oil. A difficult challenge for a small company like ours, but the only one that allows us to consolidate our role as a point of reference in the market. To these recognitions was added, with great satisfaction of all the Val Paradiso staff, the inclusion in the guide “Oils of Italy” of the prestigious national magazine “Red shrimp“, which has always been committed to enhancing thefood and wine of excellence and everything connected to sustainable agri-food production.
READ ALSO: How to choose a good oil: we talk about it with Massimo Carlino from Val Paradiso
What is the hope for your company which has been committed for years to producing genuine and high quality oils?
“We hope that more recognition will be given to Val Paradisocapable of providing added value and which are clearly recognizable by consumers, for seriousness and prestige, as well as those already attributed by magazines that have an international echo.”
What does it mean for a Sicilian company to receive prestigious awards for the production of excellent oils?
“I take this opportunity to thank all the prestigious newspapers for the attention they have always shown towards Val Paradiso but in general towards those companies that in Sicily have undertaken a production path of real quality, made of commitment, sacrifice, passion, in order to achieve results which unfortunately often are not up to the level of the investments and sacrifices that companies have made, but which contribute, in any case , to the growth, in the perception of consumers, of the Sicilian Quality Brand.”
© All rights reserved
