Our origins
Azienda Fior di Maiella
Fior Di Maiella has been expertly blending aromatic herbs and more for three generations.
Our location
Casoli is a small town in the province of Chieti and lies at the foot of the Maiella massif; it has been part of the ‘Borghi più belli d’Italia’ association since 2020. Casoli overlooks the Aventino valley, one of the most beautiful areas of Abruzzo.
Our history
Once upon a time there was Grandma Santina
It was Santina who first started gathering herbs on the slopes of the Maiella in Guardiagrele more than 50 years ago. The best time of the day for this activity was early morning, when the night dew was drying and the sun was not yet scorching.
Grandma personally picked all the herbs, selecting only the best. She would leave them to dry in shaded, well-ventilated places, then carefully place them on hand-woven cloths, grind them in a mortar and blend them. She would make sachets of this precious condiment: her roast preparation.
She would sell it on Saturdays and Sundays in the district of Bocca Di Valle. Her products were very popular with local customers, who grew increasingly in number.
Second generation
Her son Pio would help grandma to process and distribute her precious preparation. They soon started packaging it in jars.
Blends for pasta and bruschetta, some hot and some milder, were added to the range. They expanded their customer base and started to sell their products in neighbouring villages and in supermarkets.
Tourists from all over Italy would come to buy Maiella flavours for their pantries every year.
The new millennium
The third generation, headed by Mirko, expanded the family business. At the start of the new millennium, in addition to the packaging of preparations, which by now have made their way into the kitchens and the hearts of customers, and following market trends, they diversified the range and added new products with a focus on ‘ready to cook’. The new range included risottos, polentas and soups made with the best, carefully selected ingredients.
These were highly productive years of testing and the creation of many new recipes to refine the product range. Due to the increased demand, the production lines were expanded with new cutting-edge machinery. The company moved to new premises in the neighbouring town of Casoli in 2015.
Development
Today, Fior Di Maiella continues to develop new product lines to satisfy customer demand, who are increasingly drawn to products from sustainable agriculture and high-quality materials. But the plans also extended to packaging, with a switch to using recyclable and FSC-certified paper labels and ‘green’ production using a photovoltaic system to power the company.
The dedication and passion we at Fior Di Maiella have put into our work for more than 50 years is shared by our partners, who every day strive to give strength and substance to our enterprise.