Coratina Mono

This oil is born from the desire to express the purest character of the Coratina olive, harvested at an early stage to preserve freshness, aromatic intensity, and structure. Produced in the hills around Cancellara, in Basilicata, the olives are milled within a few hours of harvest to maintain their vivid green profile and natural balance.

The 2025/26 campaign oils are particularly expressive, with pronounced herbaceous and spicy notes that will naturally harmonize over time, allowing the varietal nuances to emerge even more clearly.

Coratina opens with a deep, luminous green color with golden highlights, immediately suggesting freshness and vitality. On the nose, fresh almond, artichoke, green leaf and grass dominate, joined by tomato and thistle notes that add aromatic depth. On the palate, the structure is clean and remarkably crisp, with a vivid green character carried by pronounced but well-defined bitterness and a long, persistent spiciness driven by its rich polyphenolic content.

Despite its intensity, the oil feels light and precise on the palate, leaving space for all its green flavors to unfold clearly, finishing with a lively, peppery persistence that defines its strong Coratina identity.

Olive oil profile

• Fruitiness: Medium–Intense
• Bitterness: Pronounced and well integrated
• Spiciness: Persistent, long-lasting
• Color: Intense green with golden reflections
• Texture: Medium-low fluidity, clean and crisp

The story of Francesco Cillo begins in 1931, in a small village nestled among the quiet hills of Basilicata, where olive trees have shaped both the landscape and local life for centuries. From the very beginning, this has been a place where time moves slowly, where the olive tree is a constant presence.

The groves lie on gently rolling hills formed millions of years ago, composed of clay-rich, pale-blue sands typical of Lucania. These soils, combined with altitude and strong natural temperature variations, create a unique microclimate that has long been recognised for its suitability to olive cultivation. Archaeological traces confirm that olives were already grown here as early as the 6th century BC, rooting today’s production in a land with an exceptionally deep agricultural memory.

The landscape surrounding Cancellara has remained largely untouched, allowing olive trees to develop naturally, in harmony with their environment. This sense of continuity - between land, climate, and human presence - is at the heart of the identity of Francesco Cillo olive oils.

What distinguishes the olive oils of Francesco Cillo today is the way tradition and precision coexist. Each harvest is approached with restraint and clarity: olives are picked at carefully chosen moments, processed within hours, and extracted using modern techniques designed to protect freshness and varietal identity. Storage under controlled conditions and the use of renewable energy throughout production reflect a sustainability mindset rooted in long-term responsibility rather than short-term gain.

This quiet, consistent approach has not gone unnoticed. Over the years, Francesco Cillo olive oils have been repeatedly recognized by some of the most respected international guides and competitions. From being ranked first at the Olio Awards by Der Feinschmecker in 2025, to regular selections in authoritative guides such as FLOS OLEI, Merum, BIBENDA, Slow Food, and Gambero Rosso, the estate has demonstrated remarkable continuity in quality.

International competitions have confirmed this consistency as well. Multiple gold medals at the NYIOOC – World Olive Oil Competition, the JOOP – Japan Olive Oil Prize, and the Berlin GOOA Quality Award underline not only technical excellence, but the estate’s ability to translate terroir into oils that speak clearly across cultures and tasting panels. Recognition for packaging and design further reflects an attention to detail that extends beyond the oil itself.

Yet these awards are not treated as an endpoint, but rather a philosophy that remains unchanged: respect the land, protect the diversity of cultivars, and allow each harvest to express its own character without compromise. The result is an olive oil that does not follow trends, but builds trust year after year, a true expression of place, time, and thoughtful human dedication.

Read the story of how we discovered the olive oils from Francesco Cillo in our journal entry: When taste comes first - Our discovery of Francesco Cillo olive oils

🥇 Der Feinschmecker Olio Award 2025 – Medium Fruity Category : 1st place

This olive oil was awarded first place in the Medium Fruity category at the Olio Award 2025, an international olive oil competition organized annually by Der Feinschmecker. The award is based on blind tastings carried out by an expert jury evaluating olive oils according to aromatic intensity, balance, and overall quality.

Official winners list published by Der Feinschmecker: https://www.feinschmecker.de/olivenoel-2/olio-award/testsieger

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🥇Testsieger – Stiftung Warentest, Heft 2/2026

In the “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” test published by Stiftung Warentest (issue 2/2026), Cillo’s olive oil shared first place (“test winner”) with another product.

The Olio Award is an annual olive oil quality competition organized by Der Feinschmecker, a long-established German gourmet magazine with strong recognition in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The publication has been part of the premium food and gastronomy landscape for decades and is widely read by professionals, specialty retailers, and quality-focused consumers.

Each year, olive oils from international producers are submitted and evaluated through blind tastings conducted by a professional jury. The oils are assessed according to recognized sensory criteria and grouped into aromatic intensity categories such as light fruity, medium fruity, and intensely fruity.

Within each category, the jury identifies the oils that best represent balance, clarity of fruit, and varietal expression. Achieving a top ranking in this competition reflects high sensory quality and consistency, particularly within the competitive gourmet market of German-speaking countries.

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Stiftung Warentest is an independent German consumer organization founded in 1964. It conducts comparative tests and evaluations of products and services across various sectors, publishing its results in the magazines test and Finanztest. The foundation is known for its transparent testing criteria and rigorous, laboratory-based assessments.