This oil is coming primarily from the farm Le Timpe by Ricciardo Brothers, situated on the hills of Ficarra.  The Ricciardo Brothers own the mill so the olives are processed immediately after harvesting. Sicilians are proud of the oil produced from this variety.

The Minuta olive, also known as Saracena, grows only in the north of Sicily on the high hills of an  area called Valdemone. The Minuta is considered one of the most ancient cultivated olives. The plant is well adapted to the rough environment. The olives are the smallest produced and toughest to pick.  The oil yield is low,  around 15% of volume. So we need almost 7 pounds of olives to fill a 500 ml bottle.

This oil is light in flavor and has a taste that is appreciated by many Sicilians. The linoleic acid (an omega 6 fatty acid) content is high at about 13%; the linolenic acid (an omega 3 fatty acid) content is almost 1%; and the oleic acid (monounsaturated fatty acid, good fats) content is about 67%.

It is uncommon for farmers to plant new trees of this cultivar because of the low yield and slow growth. So this variety is in decline.