Castruriali is dedicated to the restoration of Sicily’s ancient olive trees — safeguarding rare cultivars from extinction and crafting the finest extra virgin olive oil in the historic village of Castroreale.
Castruriali is made at the Mandanici family mill in Castroreale: a hilltop town in the province of Messina, north-east Sicily, at around 400 metres above sea level. The mill has operated for over 70 years. Olives are harvested early and pressed the same day, cold extracted below 27°C. The 2024/2025 Early harvest was independently tested at 410 mg/kg total polyphenols, with free acidity ≤0.30%.Castruriali nasce nel frantoio della famiglia Mandanici a Castroreale, borgo collinare della provincia di Messina, nella Sicilia nord-orientale, a circa 400 metri sul livello del mare. Il frantoio è attivo da oltre settant’anni. Le olive sono raccolte precocemente e frante in giornata, con estrazione a freddo sotto i 27°C. La raccolta precoce 2024/2025 è stata analizzata da un laboratorio indipendente: 410 mg/kg di polifenoli totali e acidità libera ≤0,30%.
The inception of the Mandanici oil mill dates back to the 1950s, when three visionary brothers (Andrea, Giuseppe and Domenico Mandanici) founded it to give the olive growers of their hometown a place to press their harvest.
Through the decades the mill transformed in machinery, location and management, its leadership passed carefully down through generations: the founders’ children and grandchildren guiding its evolution.
The mill & its hills · Castroreale, SiciliaA pivotal shift came in 1987, when the traditional press was replaced by a more advanced continuous-cycle system.
The most transformative change came in 2018, when the company secured European financing to build a modern, innovative enterprise: a new chapter blending tradition with cutting-edge technology, production and sustainability.
The mill is run today by Antonino “Nino” Mandanici, known to many as Antonio, with his children Giuseppe and Natalía. Born in the late 1940s and an expert in olive pressing, Nino has witnessed the entire historical development of extraction technique first-hand.
For years his knowledge sparked calls for him to share more with the world. In 2023, he answered: taking a bold step into a new venture that brings his vision and mastery to life.
“The olive tree has given us so much: sustenance, beauty and life itself. Now it is our responsibility to repay the debt by nurturing the land that sustains us.”
Across Sicily, millions of olive trees stand abandoned as the old growers age and the young move away. Among them are rare native cultivars slipping quietly towards extinction. We are bringing these forgotten groves back to life. And saving their varieties before they vanish.
Every bottle of Castruriali sold funds the restoration of Sicily’s neglected olive trees. And the rescue of cultivars on the edge of extinction.
Castruriali extra virgin olive oilOlio extravergine di oliva Castruriali
Extra virgin olive oil from olives grown in the hills of Salemi, Trapani, made and hand-bottled in Castroreale. 2024/2025 Early harvest: Great Taste 2025, 410mg/kg polyphenols, independently tested. 500ml £35 · 250ml £20.Olio extravergine da olive coltivate sulle colline di Salemi, in provincia di Trapani, prodotto e imbottigliato a mano a Castroreale. Raccolta precoce 2024/2025: Great Taste 2025, 410 mg/kg di polifenoli, analizzati da un laboratorio indipendente.
Letters from Castroreale: the harvest, the mill and the trees we are bringing back to life.