“To make Sicily, the heart of the Mediterranean—and the Mediterranean is the heart of olive growing—the land where the first international olive oil school can be established.” Proposal relaunched by Manfredi Barbera on the occasion of the 15th edition of Treasure Island, the event organized to promote the olive oil sector. A proposal that the island entrepreneur recalls having put forward almost 10 years ago and which he now asks be shared by the institutions, bringing together trade associations and the university world, for a stronger and more unified message (a proposal on which Pieralisi already has support, a leading company in the production of oil processing machinery, with its Academy).
All these subjects participated with great conviction in the two-day demonstration in Palermo promoted by Olive Sector Consortium (Cofiol) which had as its theme "Cultivating the future: training and collaboration are a winning recipe for the Sicilian olive oil industry."
An institutional conference and a roundtable discussion of experts marked the first day, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the Sicilian olive oil sector, the significant opportunities to be seized, and the challenges of overcoming existing critical issues. This will make the island—currently Italy's third-largest olive oil producing region after Puglia and Calabria—a driving force for innovation, training, and development.
“The real challenge – added Manfredi Barbera – It means investing in innovation and technology, creating more modern plants that allow us to obtain spectacular products like the ones we already make, but at very different costs."
These themes were also taken up byPieralisi CEO, Engineer Aldino Zeppelli who gave life, together with university professors Tiziano Caruso e Maurice Servili, to a comparison of the technology applied to oil production.
“We are entering a new era – Zeppelli recalled – But even after 130 years of history, Pieralisi's focus remains on innovation and process. Centrality is the key: technical, social, and cultural centrality, with close relationships with universities, entrepreneurs, and the supply chain. Putting the consumer at the center is essential. Quality also comes from local presence and training: in 2026, the Pieralisi Academy will host specific courses to transfer the knowledge and technologies essential to producing high-quality oils to industry professionals.
In short, Pieralisi is here and is ready to support institutions, trade associations and professional operators around this interesting challenge launched with courage, but also with foresight, by Manfredi Barbera. Who, at the end of the speeches, announced the drafting of a programmatic document to be submitted to sector stakeholders, which will take into account all the requests that emerged during the demonstration.
