Castruriali · Castroreale, Sicily

We make one oil.
We make it properly.

Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, grown in the hills of Salemi and pressed by the Mandanici family in Castroreale, Messina. Cold extracted from three native Sicilian varieties. Independently verified. Great Taste 2025.

In brief

Castruriali is a British company making Sicilian extra virgin olive oil with the Mandanici family mill in Castroreale, a hilltop town in the province of Messina, northeastern Sicily. The oil is cold pressed by the Mandanici family — whose mill has operated in Castroreale for over 70 years — from three native Sicilian olive varieties: Nocellara del Belice, Cerasuola and Biancolilla. The 2024/2025 Early harvest is independently verified at 410mg/kg total polyphenols.

70+

Years the Mandanici mill has operated in Castroreale

410mg/kg

Total polyphenols, 2024/2025 Early harvest, independently verified

Native Sicilian olive varieties — Nocellara, Cerasuola, Biancolilla

Estate. One origin, one mill, one provenance

The place

Castroreale is a hilltop town in the province of Messina in northeastern Sicily, at approximately 400 metres above sea level. It sits in the Peloritani mountains, on ancient schist and limestone, looking south towards Etna and north towards the Tyrrhenian coast. It is not a well-known name in olive oil. It should be.

The mill

The Mandanici family have pressed olives in Castroreale for over 70 years. Their mill is a traditional Sicilian stone-built frantoio — not an industrial facility, but a working family mill that services the surrounding groves. Olives arrive the morning after picking and are cold pressed the same day, below 27°C. The yield is lower this way. The quality is not.

The varieties

Three native Sicilian cultivars go into every bottle: Nocellara del Belice, which provides fruity freshness and a green-almond character; Cerasuola, which delivers the high polyphenol content and the peppery oleocanthal finish; and Biancolilla, which adds floral lightness and aromatic complexity. These varieties are native to Sicily. Their combination is specific to this part of the island.

The standard

We submit every harvest for independent laboratory analysis. The 2024/2025 Early harvest was certified at 410mg/kg total polyphenols, free acidity ≤0.30% and peroxide values below 2 meq O₂/kg. The full certificate is published at castruriali.com/info. We do not ask you to take our word for any of this.

The mission

Sicily has lost over 40% of its olive groves in the past 50 years — abandoned as young people left for cities and the economics of mass production made small-scale traditional groves unviable. Castruriali exists partly to reverse this. Revenue from every bottle goes towards the restoration of ancient groves and the preservation of rare native varieties. This is not a marketing statement — it is the reason the company was founded.

The recognition

Great Taste 2025. Endorsed by Gennaro Contaldo at the BBC Good Food Show — "This is a beautiful oil. The polyphenols, the freshness. This is the real thing." Stocked by independent fine food retailers and delicatessens across the UK, and served at restaurant partners from London to Edinburgh.