il circolo

We are a small company with the goal to change the olive oil market and make the production of excellent olive oil exploitation free. The Problem For many farmers it is not worthwhile to produce good olive oil. Even at a low cost and without harming nature, most of the olive growers can barely survive. In fact, the average olive farmer is exploited economically, right among us here in Europe. Is it surprising that olive farmers end up in a poverty trap and illegal employment, that their children flee to the north, and that olive groves are neglected and go up in flames? Exploitation? How come? Unfortunately, it is difficult for the consumer to distinguish really good from bad extra virgin olive oil. Such a market can end up in a downward spiral where suppliers of better quality are being displaced by cheap and adulterated goods. (In 2001, George Akerlof received the Nobel Prize for this insight.) The victims of this downward spiral are ultimately those who care for the centuries-...