Meet Your Olive Oil Producers

The long version

1927 — Where It Begins

Our story starts in Calabria in 1927 with Nonno Francesco, a humble farmer who worked the land the way most people in southern Italy did at the time — growing sugar beets, grapes, wheat, and seasonal vegetables, raising chickens, pigs, cows, and horses. Food was grown, preserved, and nothing was wasted.

To preserve the harvest, Nonno Francesco planted olive trees alongside his crops. Each fall, the family would pick the fruit, cure olives for the table, and press the riper fruit into oil — oil that would then be used to preserve vegetables sott'olio through the winter. He tended those groves until his untimely passing.

1992 — Salvatore and Lina Keep the Land Alive

In the early 1990s, Salvatore — Giuseppe's father retired early to focus on raising his son. He returned to the groves as a hobby, planting new trees and tending the land that Nonno Francesco had started. He and his wife Lina worked every harvest together, curing fruit and making oil the way her family always had. As Salvatore grew older, the pace slowed, and the trees grew wild — waiting for whoever would come next.

2017 — Giuseppe and Skyler Take Over

In 2017, Giuseppe and Skyler took over the family land with a clear mission: restore the groves, honor the legacy, and build something that could last another century. In 2018, they launched EXAU Olive Oil, shipping across the United States. Canada and beyond followed soon after.

By 2019, the EXAU Olive Oil Club was born, giving members quarterly access to freshly harvested oil direct from the farm. In 2020 EXAU was named to Oprah's Favorite Things — and again in 2023. Also in 2020, Skyler was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and recognized as one of the very few Black women producing olive oil anywhere in the world. EXAU went on to sign a book deal with Penguin Random House, resulting in The Olive Oil Enthusiast — a guide to buying, using, and understanding great olive oil.

The brand has since been featured in the New York Times, Food & Wine, and La Cucina Italiana, among others.

The Land

Our groves sit on the Ionian coast of Calabria — the toe of Italy's boot — on land that has been in Giuseppe's family since 1927. This stretch of coastline, near Crotone, produces olives with a character you cannot replicate elsewhere. The combination of Ionian sea air, ancient soil, and native Calabrian cultivars creates an oil that is complex, balanced, and a terroir that is specific to this place.

Calabria has more olive biodiversity than any other region in Italy, and Italy has more olive biodiversity than anywhere else in Europe. We grow native cultivars found almost nowhere else in the world. These are not commodity trees. They are part of a living agricultural heritage that goes back millennia.

Today, we farm 100% regeneratively, working with olive agronomists to restore soil health and manage the land in a way that ensures the groves thrive for generations to come. We use exclusively organic inputs on our properties, and all of our partner farms are certified organic under EU standards.

Who We Are

Giuseppe Morisani — Co-Founder

Giuseppe was born and raised in Calabria, Italy. The son and grandson of olive farmers, he spent his childhood working the groves with his parents, learning the rhythms of harvest and the standards of the family table. A third-generation producer and Level II olive oil sommelier, he leads the farming, harvest, and milling — every decision about how the oil is grown and made runs through him. He is the co-author of The Olive Oil Enthusiast (Penguin Random House).

Skyler Mapes — Co-Founder

Skyler grew up in Oakland, California. With a background in architecture and wine, she came to olive oil through Giuseppe and a conviction that everyday food should be honest and traceable. She built EXAU's brand, club, and community from the ground up — and joins the harvest each season. A Level II olive oil sommelier and co-author of The Olive Oil Enthusiast (Penguin Random House), she was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020 and is one of the very few Black women producing olive oil anywhere in the world.