There is no need to repeat the words about the benefits of olive oil. This is already known to all. Olive oil is used not only for cooking, but also in cosmetology. This product is especially valuable for hair beauty. Creams in olive oil make the skin smooth and supple. And if you often eat this product as food, your nails will be strong, your teeth will be healthy, and your hair will be shiny and shiny.
In countries - the largest producers of olive oil (Spain, Greece, Italy), this product is treated like good wine. Thus, the concept of DOC applies to it. Behind this abbreviation is “Quality Controlled by Origin”. That is, not only the spin cycle and the processing conditions of the berries are important, but also the region where the olive oil was produced. “Monini” - today we will devote all our attention to this brand. What kind of manufacturer is this? What is his assortment? How much is olive oil of this brand in Russia? These questions will be answered by our article.
Manufacturer Information
Along with huge national corporations, which occupy the lion's share of imports of olive oil products, in Spain, Italy and Greece there are small, one might say, family-owned enterprises. One of those was the Monini brand. It was founded in 1920 by Zefferino Monini, who opened a small enterprise for the production and sale of food products in the city of Spoleto, in the Umbria region (Southern Italy). Ten years later, he abandoned other directions and focused exclusively on olive oil.
After the end of World War II, the four sons of Zefferino stood at the helm of the family business. Their innovations consisted in the fact that Monini olive oil began to be produced in glass containers of one or two liters, while other companies supplied large capacities to stores that poured oil into customers' bottles. Since the 60s, brothers began to buy olive plantations in other regions of Italy. Now the family business is headed by brother and sister Zefferino and Maria Flora - great-grandchildren of the founder of the company.
Monini brand in Russia
A family business does not always mean something small or third-rate. Just one hundred percent of the shares of companies are concentrated in the hands of members of the Monini clan. But the family has a scientific laboratory where experts test blends, the quality of olives from different fields and the subtleties of oil production. Also available are plantations, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, one hundred and seventy stainless steel tankers.
In Italy alone, 18.3 million liters of olive oil are sold. Export is six and a half million liters of products. Monini olive oil is supplied to fifty countries of the world. Russians have been able to get acquainted with Monini products since 1995 thanks to the official distributor of the Ameria company.
Product range
The great-grandchildren of the founder of the company in the 90s of the last century decided to return to the activities of their ancestor. They have expanded the product range. However, they did not go far from the production of olive oil. In Italy, pesto sauce is very much appreciated and often eaten. The main ingredient is finely chopped olives and olive oil. Monini produce a variety of pesto, as well as grapes and lemons.
Russian consumers can buy balsamic vinegar of this brand. High concentration lemon juice, grape seed oil, and the like are also available. Quite a wide selection of olive pastes (pesto). You can buy not only natural oil, but also flavored with various additives - spices, vegetables or herbs. The company produces canned olives.
Assortment of oils
Despite the fact that the scope of the company has expanded, the Monini family focuses on squeezing olives. About a hundred thousand bottles of oil are packed up daily at a factory in the Umbrian city of Spoleto. Quality requirements are very stringent. Every twenty bottle is uncorked for tasting. If the quality of the sample did not please the specialists, the entire batch of goods is removed from sales.
As for olive oils, the company produces about ten types of products. Among them there are goods of a high price segment. This is, first of all, olive oil Extra Vergin DOP But there are also cheaper products. Available to the Russian buyer is the olive oil Monini Classico and EB Delicato. The cheapest product from this company is Monini Anfora. It is known that olive oil is best preserved in glass containers. So it does not lose its valuable nutritional properties. And the company "Monini" produces all its products in small volumes in glass.
Extra Vergin DOP
What is Extra Virgin Oil? The most ripe and juicy olives are used for it. They are pressed the same day when they harvested. After all, olive is a moody berry. The Extra Virgin spinning technology is as old as human civilization itself. Olives are simply squeezed by a press. The oil thus obtained is filtered and immediately bottled. No other effect on the berries of the olive tree is carried out.
The abbreviation DOP means that the olive crop was harvested on the plantations of the company only in Umbria or only in Sicily - these subtleties are indicated on the label. After all, the best oil is obtained from berries that are collected in one locality. Extra Virgin has a greenish color and a specific bitter taste that emphasizes the piquancy of dishes. This is the best Monini olive oil. Its price is therefore quite high - one thousand one hundred rubles per liter. This oil is available in 1 liter, 0.5 and 0.25 liter packaging. It is convenient to buy it in the form of a spray (0.2 l) for spraying salads.
"Monini EV Classico"
Now consider other, cheaper, types of products of this brand. Monini Classico olive oil is called an ideal option for those people who do not like the characteristic bitter taste of Extra Virgin. It is also unrefined. After the first extraction, the berries are subjected to heat treatment, due to which it is possible to get some more oil. But no chemicals are used.
Due to the fact that the tannins went into the first spin, the oil has a very soft delicate taste and is completely bitter. The color of the product is also not greenish, but yellow. They can season salads and prepared meals. The price of such a product is somewhat cheaper than Extra Virgin - nine hundred rubles per liter.
"Monini EV Delicato"
The composition of this oil was developed by specialists of the company specifically for export. People who are not accustomed to Mediterranean cuisine cannot appreciate the spicy-bitter taste of dishes seasoned with Extra Virgin.
Delicato is also the best oil. It is extracted using cold-pressed technology and is not refined. This oil has all the beneficial properties of Extra Virgin, but there is no bitter taste. Reviews notice that if you are using a spoonful of pure olives for medical purposes, it is best to choose this brand. Based on the fact that Delicato Monini is cold-pressed unrefined olive oil, it is also expensive. The price of a liter is one thousand one hundred rubles.
Monini Refined Olive Oil
Customer reviews greatly praise this product, indispensable for frying. You ask: "What is better in this sense than olive oil than sunflower or corn?" Higher smoke temperatures. Other oils, with high heating, change their properties and begin to produce carcinogens.
Monini's Anfor is a blended product. It is ninety percent refined olive oil. But the remaining 10% in it is pure Extra Virgin. Thanks to this composition, the oil not only does not form harmful substances when frying, but also does not change the taste of the dishes. It does not foam and does not hiss at high heat treatment.
Four hundred and fifty rubles - the cost of olive oil "Monini" (500 ml). The price is quite reasonable to buy a wonderful product from Italy. And for those who love flavored olive oils, the Monini company presents a choice of at least ten names of such products.