The people behind the oil. You know their names because that’s the point.

Grower · Paciano, Umbria

Stijn Taillieu

He didn’t plan to end up in Umbria. Stijn retired from a career in corporate life and started slow-travelling with no fixed destination, no timeline. Then he arrived in Paciano, fell in love with the land and the centuries-old art of making oil, and stayed. Over 1,200 trees, some between 100 and 200 years old, now in his care.

Grower · Petrignano del Lago, Umbria

Jury Presenti

Jury didn’t set out to be a producer. He set out to understand the tree. A certified olive pruner trained by the Scuola Potatura Olivo, he teaches other growers and manages his groves in the hills above Lake Trasimeno with what he calls agroecology. This year, he joins SOLO for the first time.