Frantoio Paparella

The people behind it

According to the family, the story of Frantoio Paparella begins in 1891 in Barletta, with grandfather Salvatore, head of the Paparella family and founder of the mill that bears his name. The website tells it as a dream born among the olive trees of the Apulian countryside: a full-flavoured oil, first made for the family, which over time became hard but rewarding work, handed down from father to son. The company that runs the mill today is called Paparella Salvatore e Francesco, and it is under this name that the business appears among the winners of the NYIOOC, the New York international competition for extra virgin olive oil.

The owner is Michele Paparella. In July 2025, commenting on a recognition for LÓLIO Bio from the international Evooleum guide, he spoke of the family's pride and of their land, and of the daily work of showcasing Coratina on its own; in the 2026 NYIOOC release it is he who says the award celebrates the family's heritage, craftsmanship and pursuit of quality, and spurs them to keep innovating. Alongside tradition, the website does indeed stress innovation: the mill, the family writes, is committed to the continual improvement of its olive-processing methods and techniques.

Sources: Frantoio Paparella — La nostra storia, dal 1891 · Frantoio Paparella — notizia del 14 luglio 2025 su LÓLIO Bio · NYIOOC — Paparella Salvatore e Francesco wins 2026 NYIOOC Gold for Lolio Coratina · Frantoio Paparella — Contatti

What they make

The mill presents its production under the LÓLIO brand. Its flagship, the company writes, is LÓLIO Monocultivar Coratina, made only from Coratina, the typical Apulian cultivar: an oil of character, with intense fruity notes and a decided, peppery finish. LÓLIO Fruttato is instead a blend of local cultivars, Peranzana, Coratina and Ogliarola, designed for a gentler, more versatile taste; BioLÓLIO is a Coratina from organic farming, and the LÓLIO Aromatic line offers flavoured oils.

The oils come in many formats: bottles and small flasks, the Ceramic Collection with the ceramic bottles Galassia, Tramonto and Orizzonte, and for restaurants the large formats, with three- and five-litre bag-in-box packs and a five-litre tin. The mill also offers LÓLIO for ceremonies, and says its oil is sold in more than twenty countries. In 2023 the LÓLIO Aromatic with wasabi was named, according to the website, among the twenty most innovative products at TuttoFood in Milan. Those who want to taste the oil from afar can order from the online shop on the website or write on WhatsApp to the advice and sales service.

Sources: Frantoio Paparella — Scopri LÓLIO · Frantoio Paparella — sito ufficiale · Frantoio Paparella — notizia del 14 luglio 2025 su LÓLIO Bio · Frantoio Paparella — Premi e certificazioni

Ingredients and territory

Frantoio Paparella works only with Apulian olives and makes 100% Italian extra virgin olive oil. The mill is at Viale Ippocrate 16-18, in Barletta, between the Ofanto valley and the plains of the Tavoliere, and covers more than 5,000 square metres: besides the large area where the oil is extracted there are offices, meeting rooms, a showroom and the bottling line. According to the NYIOOC release the olives are picked by hand when they reach the right ripeness and milled in less than twelve hours, to preserve their organoleptic qualities; the website adds that extraction takes place below 27 degrees.

The variety that defines the mill is Coratina, which the company uses on its own in its flagship oil and in its organic line. BioLÓLIO, a news item published by the mill explains, comes from Coratina olives grown under certified organic methods in Apulia, picked in the first days of the harvest and cold-milled at the Barletta plant, with an intense, bitter and peppery profile. For the Fruttato, Coratina is blended with Peranzana and Ogliarola. When choosing between bottles this is the place to start: a single cultivar with a bold taste, or a softer blend for everyday cooking.

Sources: Frantoio Paparella — La nostra storia, dal 1891 · Frantoio Paparella — sito ufficiale · NYIOOC — Paparella Salvatore e Francesco wins 2026 NYIOOC Gold for Lolio Coratina · Frantoio Paparella — Scopri LÓLIO · Frantoio Paparella — notizia del 14 luglio 2025 su LÓLIO Bio

Recognition

At the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition in New York, Lolio Coratina, the mill's single-variety Coratina oil, won a Gold Award. The release published by the competition on 17 March 2026 describes it as a medium-intensity extra virgin oil made only from Coratina, with notes of artichoke and green almond, herbaceous hints and a peppery finish recalling red chilli. It is the company's third Gold at the NYIOOC, after those of 2019 and 2025, and the competition notes that the company traces its milling tradition to the mill founded in 1891, among the oldest still active in Apulia.

The mill's awards page lists other recognitions from recent years. In 2025 LÓLIO Monocultivar Coratina and LÓLIO Bio entered the Evooleum World's Top 100, the international guide produced by the Spanish magazine Mercacei with the Spanish association of olive-growing municipalities; the same year the company received a gold medal at Olive Japan and five drops from the Bibenda guide. In 2024 Gambero Rosso's Oli d'Italia guide gave it two leaves, and in 2023 came a silver at the Berlin Global Olive Oil Awards.

Sources: NYIOOC — Paparella Salvatore e Francesco wins 2026 NYIOOC Gold for Lolio Coratina · Frantoio Paparella — Premi e certificazioni · Frantoio Paparella — notizia del 14 luglio 2025 su LÓLIO Bio

Going there

The mill is in Barletta, at Viale Ippocrate 16-18, a town the family places between the Ofanto valley and the plains of the Tavoliere. The building also houses a showroom, where the LÓLIO brand displays its bottles and collections. For a visit, a tasting or a meeting at the mill, the contacts given by the company are the landline 0883 891352, the email address info@frantoiopaparella.it and the advice and sales number, 379 2221891, also on WhatsApp: it is best to arrange things in advance, giving the day and the number of people.

For its organic line the company picks Coratina in the first days of the olive harvest, when the first olives of the year reach the Barletta mill for pressing. The mill makes 100% Italian extra virgin olive oil from Apulian olives only, and the showroom is the right place to compare the bolder Monocultivar Coratina side by side with the gentler Fruttato and the organic Coratina. Those who cannot stop by the mill will find the whole range in the online shop, with shipping across Italy and customer service on WhatsApp.

Sources: Frantoio Paparella — Contatti · Frantoio Paparella — La nostra storia, dal 1891 · Frantoio Paparella — sito ufficiale · Frantoio Paparella — notizia del 14 luglio 2025 su LÓLIO Bio · Frantoio Paparella — Scopri LÓLIO

Products and flavours

Puglian olive oil

Fruitiness, bitterness and pepperiness: exploring Puglian olive oils through flavour and place.

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Photo: N i c o l a / Flickr — CC BY 2.0 · Resized and converted to WebP.

The region

Puglia