Oil in a day's work

30/Jan/2012

Danilo Manco of the Olive Oil Company talks about playing in his grandfather's olive groves as a child, and sampling olive oil at 8am.

How long have you been at Borough Market?
We've been here since 2001. I came here by accident really – I was studying international trade in London, and paid a visit to Vinopolis. I saw Borough Market, which was pretty small back then, and just fell in love with it. It's thanks to our customers that we're still here, because I've never done any advertising. It has all been word of mouth.

What does your job involve?
When the oil comes from Italy, my job is to taste it, bottle it and fulfil the wholesale orders for mail customers and restaurants. Luckily I like olive oil, because I have to taste a lot of it. Sometimes it's 8am and I am having to try a glass of oil!

Where in Italy are you from?
I come from a region called Puglia in the south-east of Italy, at the heel. It is very famous for the production of olive oil, because the region is surrounded by sea – that makes the soil high in potassium, so it appears red – and the climate is good, with plenty of sunshine. Almost every family grows olive trees. Puglia accounts for 50 per cent of Italy's olive oil.

What's your earliest memory of olive oil?
When I was kid, in order to stop me from playing in the street my grandfather, who grew olives, would pick me up and I would play on the olive fields. I wasn't very happy about that at the time but it did mean I grew up surrounded by olive oil and I helped at harvest.

What happens at harvest time?
Harvest time is usually the beginning of October, although if it's been very dry you can delay for a week or so. You harvest when the olives are green and still on the trees, but are starting to turn black. If they are completely black then they are too sweet.
Producing a quality olive oil is very labour-intensive because you have to crush the olives within 24 hours of picking, so everybody is very busy during harvest. The whole family gets involved, from the youngest nephew to my grandfather. He's 93 and this is the first year he won't be involved. It's very much a family thing.

Is all your olive oil from your grandfather's plantation?
No. As well as the family plantation we use a number of producers, because there is a limited batch from each one. They are all very small producers, single estate oils, and because of that you find you don't ever get more than 100 litres from each one.
The fact that we work with small producers means that we keep carefully selecting throughout the year. The great result is that quality is so much higher than if you went to a big producer. Most of our suppliers don't usually export. They don't even sell around Italy. They just sell locally, on markets in the village.

How do the Italian and English food cultures differ?
When I first came here I remember being shocked when I went to rent a flat and noticed they didn't really have tables because so many people eat on the couch, or by themselves. At home it is the time of the day when the family sits altogether, when the parents catch up with the kids. Even if we didn't want food when we were younger we had to stay until dinner was finished.

Do you like to cook?
I like to cook, yes – but I never cook just for myself. I grew up in a country where the table and the way we share the food is very important, and a meal is like a social event. We eat for the pleasure of eating, not just because we're starving. So if I'm by myself I just have a sandwich or something – but if there is someone in the house then I am very happy to do starter, first course, second course, because you have the beauty of cooking and of sharing. Also, when I'm by myself I rarely open a good bottle of wine, because it tastes different when you have someone to share it with.

How do you use olive oil?
I use three or four different oils for cooking and dressing: a gentle, mild olive oil on linguine vongole, or for delicate dishes where you don't want to overcome the flavour of the dish. If you are making something more robust, like a bean soup, steak or bruschetta, you use something more fruity. Then for dressings you want a medium light oil and a stronger olive oil, just to drizzle a bit over the dish. If you use quality olive oil in the right way, it lasts a surprisingly long time.