Our Groves

Aurea Lux San Silvestro

San Silvestro is the name of the hill, right under Montecchio castle, where our first grove is situated. This orchard, situated on the Antica Via Romea, came along with the home we fell in love with at first sight in 2023. Our first ever EVOO was produced from olives harvested from this grove, in October 2024. We named the oil coming from this boutique-y size grove  “Aurea Lux”, Latin for “Golden Light”, as a tribute to the sunset light bathing the hills and valleys we are surrounded by. The precious olive oil from this grove sold out immediately after pressing.

Ever Onward

And here comes our friend Peter in the picture. Back to Seattle and to our daily lives, we met with Peter for a casual dinner in the beginning of the summer in 2025. Before we finished our story, Peter exclaimed “I’m in!” We joined forces and now Peter is the proud owner of the grove named “Ever Onward” (in honor of his mom’s philosophy of life), situated across from San Silvestro.  Our “Aurea Lux” EVOO is sold exclusively online on the website www.everonwardoliveoil.com

Peter’s support and guidance were key in us rescuing the third grove. We take loving care of the Ever Onward grove and Peter is helping us with his skills mastered over decades as a high-tech sales and marketing executive.

Cortona Grove

Cortona is an ancient Etruscan hill town in Tuscany, Italy, renowned for its history, art, and scenic views over the Valdichiana valley and Lake Trasimeno. The famous book and movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, were written and produced here.

Olive groves in Cortona have been cultivated for centuries, benefiting from ideal environmental conditions. Our grove of several hundred trees and adjoining forest is nestled in the hills near this World Heritage city. We discovered this property for sale in Fall 2025, walked among the grove and forest with the previous owners and then were offered a precious bottle of their early harvest. We were blown away! Absolutely the best olive oil we had tasted in the previous 5 years.

As the owners were sick and frail, they were practically weeping that they could not complete the harvest. They asked if we were interested. We didn’t hesitate! We collaborated immediately and spent a week harvesting and producing our first Essence of Cortona olive oil in November 2025.  It sold out within weeks.

For 2026, we will only produce “olio nuovo” (early harvest/new oil) from harvesting during the first two weeks of October. It will sell out. We are offering this early harvest as a pre-sale allocation now.