In 1938 in Sant’Elia a Pianisi, a small town in central Italy, Giovanni and Felice Colavita founded a small company specialized in pressing olives. Over the years, the Colavita family has become specialized in the production of 100% Italian extra virgin olive oil. In 1977, brothers Enrico and Leonardo Colavita began bottling extra virgin olive oil under the family name to sell overseas. The care and affinity that Colavita has given to these markets has allowed the company to expand to the more than 70 countries worldwide where the brand is present today, bringing with it the Colavita family’s passion for Italian food. Time by time, thanks to the demands of domestic and international markets, both in rapid expansion, the company outgrew its original plant and was first built a new plant in Campobasso than purchased a new factory near Rome, the second largest olive oil plant in Italy. Today, a leader in the export of extra virgin olive oil to the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South America, Colavita SpA has supported projects for the conservation, protection, and diffusion of Italian cultural and culinary heritage abroad, promoting the use of extra virgin olive oil in kitchens around the world. In pursuit of this objective and in contribution to the conservation of the Italian culinary tradition, in 2001 the Colavita family launched the Colavita Center For Italian Food and Wine, an Italian culinary school located within the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, one of the oldest and most noteworthy culinary institutes which hosts more than 2,000 chefs per year. In 2008, Colavita SpA bought the controlling share of its American distributor, an organization specialized in logistics, distribution and production. Today, Colavita USA is a leading player in the exclusive importation and distribution of the best of Made in Italy brands and products. In 2015, Colavita USA purchased a new plant and warehouse in Dixon, California, and is currently working to install a production line dedicated to bottling 100% Californian extra virgin olive oil. It is the story of a growing company, which with its third generation continues a job started more than 75 years ago, and which continues to evolve and continues to seek new markets and new opportunities, but with deep roots in Italian culture and tradition.
