The Belìce Valley is the largest monovarietal olive grove area in the Mediterranean. Here the growing of the “Nocellara del Belìce” cultivar dominates the landscape from the gentle inland hills to the mouth of the Belìce river. The discovery of ancient millstones in the Archaeological Park of Selinunte shows that the production of olive oil has been widespread in this area since the 5th century BC. However, it was not until the 1700s that olive-growing really began to spread throughout the Belìce Valley. 

This extraordinary potential is linked to a specialised intensive and irrigated cropping system, which is the only one in Europe to have two PDOs for the same cultivar: the “Valle del Belìce” extra virgin olive oil, with fruity and spicy notes, and the “Nocellara del Belìce” table olive, which can be green or black. However, several economic, social and environmental factors, such as a low propensity to cooperate, delays in adopting innovations and investments, rising production costs, the devastating effects of climate change, information asymmetries and low bargaining power vis-à-vis processors and distributors, have prevented the many small local olive growers from making the most of their “green gold”.  

The excursion will allow participants to visit two of the best examples of companies which have been able to combine local identity productions and consumption in a modern Italian style with a global perspective. Both companies emphasise the importance of setting up long-term collaborations among local producers in view of co-building up and successfully managing the entire supply chain, from tree to shelf. Through significant investments in technology and innovation, they have achieved a balance between food safety, quality, and sustainability in production techniques (e.g. organic farming).  

More specifically, the Asaro family, which has been farming in the Valle del Belìce for over 100 years, is a very dynamic export-oriented player in the olive oil sector. Its flagship products are the “Partanna” extra virgin olive oil and the “Oleato”, a new line of beverages based on extra virgin olive oil and Arabica coffee, created in partnership with Starbucks.  

The Geolive Belice Company has over than 70 years of experience in the production and marketing of table olives. Its flagship product is the Nocellara del Belìce PDO olive, which preserves and packages directly for sale on foreign markets (Europe, the USA, Australia, etc.). The company also boasts a ten-year collaboration with the University of Palermo in the field of table olive fermentation. 

The two companies are heavily engaged in careful relationships with local suppliers of olives. Asaro has recently launched the “Belìce Valley Farmers’ Club”, based on the model of the Sturbacks Farmer Support Centers, while Geolive Belice is a member of the Producers’ Organisation “Terra degli Ulivi Società Cooperativa”, thanks to which about 100 of its suppliers are provided with technical assistance and phytosanitary monitoring services (e.g. traps, weekly bulletins, etc.). 

The green gold of Belìce Valley is particularly connected to the following IFSA2024 themes: 

Theme 3 – Capacity development to support systemic change: approaches, methods and tools 

Theme 4 – Rethinking and reconfiguring food production and consumption 

Theme 2 – Approaches to local development: harmonising agriculture and communities