It all started with our great great grandfather Giuseppe Ingrilli (1st generation), a farmer in northern Sicily who grew chili peppers and other vegetables. Every Saturday, he would travel 50 miles to sell his harvest at the Messina fresh market, where he began to notice that lemons were growing in popularity among Messina’s wealthy and aristocratic families.
He decided to plant young lemon trees in his hometown of Capo d’Orlando in Costa Tramontana so he could sell the fruit in the fresh markets. Soon, his orchard reached over 100 hectares and other farmers began to follow suit. Before long, Capo d’Orlando became one of the most popular lemon growing areas in Sicily.