Nonna Rosa Bianca's Interview 

Imperia, 22nd October 2017

1- Full Name

Rosa Bianca Berio

2- Where and what year was she born?

Imperia, 1926

3- How many children and grandchildren does she have?

One daughter (Serena), two grandsons (Fabrizio and Federico), 4 great grandsons (Filippo 10yo, Enrico 6yo, Nora 3yo, Nina 9 months)

4- Does she have a favorite place in Imperia where  she goes with friends/family or alone to think/relax? Where is it?

To be honest I don’t have a favorite place to think or relax. I have always loved reading and I have always found a place of escapism in books. I have always been able to lose myself in books. When I was a girl reading was my way to forget everything and relax.

I lost my mom when I was 3 years old, I can say that I didn’t know her. I have been raised by my grandmother who used to say that books were useless. But because kids always do the opposite that adults tell them, I have started reading more and more.

If I left a book that I liked it was like someone was waiting for me. I had the feeling that a friend was waiting for me to keep going with the speech and the story even if they weren’t my speech or my story. It was a story about someone else but at the end the characters turned to me my friends too.

5- How did she begin in the oil business? What year did she start working with her husband?

The company business has been started with my dad. When he was a military during the war of ‘15-’18 he had some comrades who suggested him to go in their cities in Piemonte to sell the oil directly to the families. They could have helped him to make the oil known and to teach how to introduce it the families recipes. At those times, in Piemonte, families used to use butter and bacon instead of oil...all animal fat that now we avoid to have an healthy diet!

His spirit for enterprise was payed, and by word of mouth and thanks to the quality of the Olive Oil the business started to grow. After the Second World War the company passed to me and my two brothers. During that time I got married with Giuseppe, my husband, and we decided to buy the brand and to start our adventure.My husband bought his first car and every week he used to deliver the Oil himself directly to our customers. He was our sales manager as we could say now. I was in charge of all the rest.

6- Did she always work in oil? If not what was her very first job?

Yes, I can say I spent all my life in oil. If not only for one year after I graduated when I worked as a teacher in a school.

7- When she was little what did she dream of becoming?

I loved to play the piano...a piano that I never had. I dreamt to play piano but my grandmother used to tell me to learn to do housework instead of wasting time with music. Yes, I wanted to be a musician. I have always loved music. I could have never thought to become an entrepreneur.

8- What is one of her favorite memories she holds dear of her husband?

When Serena, my daughter, was a child. If I have to tell one memory I would pick up the one when she was a little girl and she burned her legs with hot water. I know that it’s not we can commonly define a nice memory but I still have impressed in my mind the way in which Giuseppe, my husband, was cuddling her. How he tried to make me and her relaxed and calm. It was a bad moment but with an endless tenderness.

9- What is her definition of super taster?

First of all a super taster has to have a great sense of smell, he has to understand the oil only smelling it. Moreover he doesn’t have to smoke or drink because he needs a clean mouth. My Godfather was an amazing tester even if in those times there weren’t any schools to attend to learn how to recognise a good oil. Experience and practice were our schools and teachers. My grandsons still ask me what I think about oil. I smell and taste it and if I like it...I tell them! That’s it. 

10- Does she consider herself a super taster?

I don’t know if I can say super… I use old methods but usually if I like the oil everybody likes it. I’m kind of sophisticated in my judgement.

11- Who else in the family does she think is it the best after herself? What did you teach them?

Both of my grandsons have great taste and they know how to recognize a good oil. I taught them that they have to work constantly and hard if they want to reach their goals.  You have to know that my grandsons are really different from each other but maybe it’s the secret to make a great team! Moreover I taught them that they have to be always curious. Sometimes people ask me “how can you be like that at 90 years old?”. I answered them that is the curiosity that moves me to look at the future. Maybe I will not able to learn anything more of what I already know but I keep myself curious. I try to be updated, to discover and learn new things. Everyday of my life.

12- What advice would you suggest to someone new to the Olive Oil business?

Patience. You can’t always find oil on the market because it depends from seasons and harvests. And you have to consider that the olive tree is not a tree that you plant and it’s immediately productive. It needs time, constancy and patience. It’s a really beautiful tree the olive tree. It has always accompanied the people who live in our land. Moreover in our days it’s fundamental to focus on quality. You can only direct your business on quality, if not there are so many products that your product could never be different. Quality product is the result of experience, hard work, passion and love that the producer puts in what he does.

13- What is her favorite recipe using Olive Oil?

Bread, tomatoes, salt and oil. It’s the only recipe that even if I’m not hungry it whets my appetite! In the simplicity you can find the best things.

14- What does she consider her greatest accomplishment of her life?

To have raised my daughter.

15- What 3 characteristics define her favorite oil?

The smell, the taste and the colour because also eyes want their part!

16- Best advice she would give to me to make a happy life?

I don’t really know because it depends from what people want and intend for happiness. Someone is happy if does something, someone else is happy of doing nothing! For sure to be happy, I believe, you need a good health and an harmonious family. Good health is matter of luck.

About the harmony in the family, that is fundamental to have an happy life, you need a strong volition. If you don’t have in your mind the goal to build something with someone, if you don’t share your achievements, if you don’t work for a common future then you don’t go anywhere. You have already lost. And moreover you have to forget mistakes and be forgiven.

17- What has changed most within the olive oil business from when she first started  compared to today?

I can say, for sure, that the sense of quality has changed. People pay more attention to the products they buy, from their origin and the production chain. Also the quantity has changed. When I started we used to sell 50lt jug and now we have in our catalogue even a bottle of 250ml! Oil has often substituted the butter in the kitchen but it’s also true that families are smaller and that we have lunch and dinner at home less than in the past. Another thing, one time families prefered cans but now we basically only sell bottles. 

The world has changed and so the business and the customers needs. For example, now, there is a lot of attention about brand and packaging!

18- A day in the world history that was the happiest or saddest that she remembers?

My philosophy of life removes sad or bad days from my memory. So, I would say all day have been happy days.

19- Can she remember and share one of the best day of her life - when was it? What happened that day?

When my daughter Serena was born.

20- Using word association what comes first to her mind after hearing the next three words:

LOVE: you can’t live without it. Without love life is empty. It doesn’t matter if is love for your children, for your man or for whatever you want but if you don’t have a love you’re over. It doesn’t make any sense living. 

WOMAN: variety. Variety of women and how they are. Women can be great Women or women who ruin what they have around. It’s a power that women have. It’s only about how they use their power.

SATISFACTION: reach your goal, whatever it is.