Adriano Fusi born in 1935 is the youngest of seven brothers: Lina the oldest, Adriana, Ornella, Gino, Mario, Fernando. Adriano was "a bump in the road", the age difference with his older brothers was such that he was breastfed by his sister and attended middle school with his nephew Rolando. The Fusi family is of humble origins, the father Egisto is a cobbler and his children worked as they could to support themselves The real activity, begins in the immediate post-war period with the opening of a small food business and tobacco resale by the older brothers Gino and Mario. Adriano who had focused on studies after a short experience at the Bonazza’s farm joins the activity.
Parallel to the resale of products in the shop, the three brother load the food on a cart and then exchange it for two main types of products:
cereals and olive oil at the time more common than wine in Tuscany.
The oil from the countryside surrounding Tavarnelle, was then stored in barrels and sold to Tuscan oil mills already active in the area.
What, however, gave the A to an activity exclusively focused on extra virgin olive oil was the cold winter of 1956.
The wave of frost that fell on Tuscany, not only wiped out the olive-growing of the ’56 but greatly reduced the productive capacity of the region for years to come. The Fusi brothers then, began to go beyond the regional borders by selecting oils from the areas least affected by the frost, in particular Garda lake,
in order to satisfy the requests of the Tuscan oil factories and ensure a sufficient supply of extra virgin olive oil.
The “Fusi Mario and brothers” begins to become a recognized business, following the first successes was built the first operational headquarters. The structure hosted on the first floor the houses of the 3 brothers and families, while on the ground floor the warehouse, where the barrels are stored and where for the first time underground tanks are built to ensure better storage capacity and a better conservation of the product.
The business roles of brothers over time were defined more clearly. Adriano, who has now gained adequate experience, deals with the logistics management of the entire warehouse and the blend of oils. Avant-garde for the time, he had worked to learn how to taste, attending “Don Violante” at the Chamber of Commerce of Bari, an activity in which Adriano distinguished himself throughout his career, Mario instead deals with the commercial side of the business and Gino the transport of oil to customers.
The work is not lacking and the business continues to grow, in ’71 the brothers decided to expand further, building the first true Tuscan oil mill, changing the name of the company into Valpesana oil company, name that then will become an authority within the oil sector.
Around the end of the 80s Francesco, son of Adriano, started working in the company and after an initial experience in stock begins to accompany his uncle Mario and his cousin Fabrizio in their business visits to customers, showing an innate predisposition to sale. The atmosphere is no longer that of the beginnings, the internal frictions with the arrival of the second generation are evident and the lack of respect for previously defined roles is the drop that breaks the camel’s back. The needs of the two parties become irreconcilable, so much that, Francesco after a period of thinking with his father Adriano, in 1992 at the age of only 26 years takes over the management of the company liquidating Fabrizio and Mario thanks to the close alliance with Gino and his sons, Elisabetta and Marco. Francesco can now give free rein to his abilities. Despite his young age, his successes were not long in coming and his intuition proved to be winning. Valpesana goes from 11,000 tons a year marketed in 1991, to 40,000 tons in 1995. In 1995 the last division was made and the Valpesana remained the sole property of Adriano and Francesco. At the end of the 90s the growing quantity of oil moved and the scarcity of storage no longer allow Valpesana to work optimally, Francesco then looks for a new location.
In 1997, the land was identified and work began immediately and was completed in record time, finally transferring the company in 2001. The new headquarters for the Tuscan oil mill is a technical masterpiece, the high level of automation allows to minimize errors and waste.
The continuous and daily engagement in the activity allows the history to repeat itself, the job grows and the 40000 tons enlivened in 1995 become 60000 during the beginning of the years 2000. The company’s reputation is at its peak and the Tuscan oil mill now enjoys national and international customers.
We go back to being Valpesana without shame, proud of what we have been able to achieve in recent years, proud of not having given up, proud of customers who for all this time have continued to believe in us and in the goodness of our work.
We look to the future, aware that intuition and good things have been the architects of our success in the past and will continue to be in the years to come.
