PREVITE OLIVE OIL
A TASTE OF ITALY, RIGHT AT HOME
Previte Olive Oil – History
Nunzio Pietro Previte was born in Enna, a small mountaintop town in the exact center of Sicily. From a young age, he learned the art of peddling olive oil and Italian specialty products from his father, who had inherited the craft from his father before him. The art of salesmanship had been passed down through generations of the family, and their olive oil and strategic blends were a prized local treasure, loved for their smooth flavor and rich aroma. Nunzio was a “super salesman” from an early age.
However, in the 1920s, the winds of change began to blow in Italy. Nunzio’s village, like many others, was struggling to survive amid economic hardship. The Great War had left scars, and opportunities were scarce. After a few years of trying to make ends meet, Nunzio realized that his family’s future might lie beyond the borders of Enna and Sicily.
In 1939, at the age of 26, Nunzio boarded a steamship bound for the United States, carrying little more than a handful of personal belongings and a deep-rooted hope for a better life. He passed through Ellis Island in New York City, where countless immigrants had passed before and have passed since, all chasing their version of the American Dream.
Nunzio quickly worked his way north to Boston, where life in the bustling city was exciting and very different from his upbringing in a mountaintop village, but he loved it and thrived! Nunzio found work at a small grocery store owned by another Italian immigrant. The shop was packed with an assortment of food items, but Nunzio saw an opportunity: delivering authentic olive oil and specialty products—the true tastes of their native country—door-to-door, directly to consumers. The oil available in the market was mass-produced and lacked the rich flavor of the olive oil he had known back home.
After saving enough money, he rented a small packaging and distribution facility in Boston’s Little Italy on Commercial Wharf. He received all the best products directly from Italy, arriving at the Boston wharves where he prepared it for his clients. It wasn’t just products; it was a piece of home and a taste of their heritage for the many Italian immigrants who settled in Boston and the surrounding towns.
In the beginning,
business was slow. Most of his customers were skeptical of paying more for top-quality olive oil and a premium to have it delivered. However, Nunzio, with his passion, product knowledge, creativity, hard work ethic, and “super” salesmanship, was able to tell the story of the olives, the groves, the products, and the generations of care that went into curating every product. Slowly, word began to spread. People started buying in, not just for the olive oil, but for a connection to a tradition they had long forgotten. Nunzio was able to “put a piece of bread on the table” for his growing family!Nunzio’s business grew,
and as it did, so did his reputation. In time, he began to import other Italian food products, including pasta, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and cheeses. But his olive oil was always the centerpiece—rich, golden, and a symbol of his family’s dedication to quality.As the years passed, Nunzio’s children, Frank and Steven, took over the business.
They expanded to other neighborhoods, eventually reaching cities across the Commonwealth. What started as a small immigrant’s dream became a beloved brand, known not just for its olive oil, but for the story of a Sicilian immigrant who came to America with nothing but a bottle of tradition.Nunzio never forgot his roots.
He unfortunately was never able to return to his village in Enna but always told his family about the land where their story had begun. Nunzio always remembered the olive groves from his childhood—those ancient trees that had given their fruit for generations.In the end, the Francesco Previte family’s success wasn’t just about selling olive oil. It was about bringing a piece of Italy to America, and sharing a story of perseverance, tradition, and the power of food to connect us all.
1939
Nunzio Peter Previte created Francesco Previte brand Extra Fine Oil to honor his father.
1940
Nunzio founded N.P. Previte, Importer of Pure Oil and sent a professionally photographed picture to his mother in Sicily.
1939 – 1953
Between 1939 to 1953 Nunzio built the California Olive Oil Company.
1953
In 1953 Nunzio founded Supreme Olive Oil Company
In 1899,
Francesco Previte bottled and sold olive oil from his shop in Enna, Sicily.
In 1939,
his son Nunzio came to American and established the Francesco Previte brand in honor of his father in Boston’s North End, our “Little Italy”. Nunzio was an olive oil businessman with lifelong dedication to family, hard work, honesty and virtues, and pursuit of the American Dream.
In 1989,
Nunzio’s son, Frank, founded EnviroBusiness, Inc./EBI Consulting and was soon joined by sons Nolan and Jeff, creating jobs and business value for their clients. Frank, Nolan and Jeff hope they and Nunzio’s great grandchildren (the third, fourth, and fifth generations) continue these traditions and including providing the very finest, supreme quality, extra virgin olive oil for the enjoyment of our friends and family.
