From lemon to juice: every stage of production by Giancarlo Polenghi

For 50 years, Polenghi has been bringing the authentic taste of lemon to the table, transforming a fruit that symbolises Italian tradition into a practical, safe and ready-to-use product.

Lemon juice is found in 97.8% of Italian kitchens and 7 out of 10 Italians associate it with Italy: an everyday, familiar ingredient capable of adding freshness and character to any dish. Since 1976, Polenghi has been honouring this passion through a supply chain that combines raw material selection, production expertise, quality control and a focus on sustainability.

50 years of expertise: Polenghi’s identity in lemon processing

In 2026, Polenghi will celebrate 50 years in business: half a century of experience in lemon processing and the production of lemon juice for the Italian and international markets.

A story that began in Colturano, Lombardy, thanks to Giancarlo Polenghi’s vision: to make lemon juice available in practical packs, designed to bring freshness, flavour and ease of use to the kitchen. Since then, the company has grown to become a leading name in lemon juice production, maintaining a strong connection with the raw material and with the Italian citrus-growing tradition.

From Colturano to San Rocco al Porto: the milestones of a truly Italian story

Every bottle of Polenghi lemon juice is the result of 50 years of experience, dedication and passion for the raw ingredient. The company’s history began in 1976, when Giancarlo Polenghi had the idea of producing and marketing lemon juice in plastic and glass bottles, using citrus fruits selected from the Conca d’Oro area of Palermo. Within a few years, the product had conquered the Italian market and was beginning to make a name for itself across Europe. In the 1980s, Polenghi expanded its presence abroad, reaching the United States and the Middle East, and in 1983 moved production to San Rocco al Porto, where the factory gradually became the company’s manufacturing hub.

Growth continued with the diversification of the product range: from juices to condiments, from flavoured oils to lemon and citrus sorbets. In recent years, Polenghi has continued to innovate with products such as Spinagallo, Acti Lemon and ReaLemon, confirming an international reputation recognised worldwide.

The raw material: from Sicilian lemon groves to fruit selection

The lemons used by Polenghi are carefully selected and grown in areas where the climate, soil and agricultural expertise all contribute to the quality of the fruit.
One of the most representative supply chains is that linked to the Spinagallo Estate in Syracuse, where Polenghi Spinagallo organic juice is produced. Here, the Femminello Siracusano variety grows in a microclimate favoured by sea and volcanic winds, in an area renowned for the quality of its citrus fruits.

The Femminello Siracusano PGI: the lemon chosen by Polenghi

The Femminello Siracusano PGI is one of Italy’s finest citrus fruits and serves as the key ingredient in Polenghi lemon juice. Grown in the Syracuse area, it is one of Italy’s Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) lemons and is distinguished by its rich juice, the quality of its essential oils and the plant’s exceptional fertility.

The name “Femminello” evokes precisely this characteristic: a generous plant, capable of flowering several times a year and producing fruit with an intense and distinctive aromatic profile. Its roots are ancient and trace a journey from the Middle East to the Mediterranean, where the lemon found ideal conditions to thrive and become one of the symbols of Sicilian agricultural tradition.

What makes the Siracusan Femminello so valuable to Polenghi is the balance between peel, juice and essential oils. The high-quality peel and the fragrant, generous juice make it suitable for various uses in the food industry: ice cream, sweets, baked goods, drinks and, of course, Giancarlo Polenghi lemon juice.

Hand-picking and selection: the first stage of quality control

Right from the lemon grove, long before pressing: care for the fruit begins at the tree, with constant attention paid to the development of the blossoms and unripe lemons, so as to monitor every stage of growth and identify the best time for harvesting.
Every lemon is picked by hand: a process that requires experience, professionalism and a thorough understanding of the raw material. Hand-picking allows the fruit to be selected with greater care, assessing its appearance, ripeness and quality, so that only the most suitable lemons are sent for juicing.

Once harvested, the fruit is taken to specialist citrus juicing facilities. Here, it enters a delicate production phase designed to preserve the freshness and natural characteristics of the lemon: within 24 hours of harvesting, the lemons are juiced and the juice is then sent to the Polenghi factories for the subsequent stages of quality control, processing and packaging.

How Polenghi lemon juice is made: cold pressing

The production of Polenghi juice is part of an integrated supply chain, in which every stage helps to preserve the natural quality of the lemon: from growing the fruit to harvesting, and on to pressing and packaging. The aim is to transform a simple, natural ingredient into an authentic juice, whilst keeping the lemon’s purity and original characteristics intact.

Cold pressing meets this requirement perfectly, as it allows the fruit to be processed with care, preserving its aroma and quality, and producing a juice that is true to the raw material from which it is made.

The extraction method: gentle cutting and pressing to preserve freshness and flavour

Vilfredo Raymo, General Manager of Simone Gatto—a company specialising in citrus fruit pressing and part of the Polenghi supply chain—provides a more detailed account of the extraction method.

The technique used is characterised by a gentle approach applied on an industrial scale, very similar to the domestic act of squeezing a lemon by hand. The fruit is first cut in half and then pressed through rotating rollers, similar in shape to a traditional citrus juicer. This allows the juice to be extracted without subjecting it to high pressure or excessive speed, preserving the lemon’s freshness, aroma and organoleptic characteristics.

It is precisely this gentle squeezing that contributes to the quality of Polenghi juice: a controlled industrial process that respects the natural qualities of the raw material and yields a product with an authentic taste, close to that of a freshly squeezed lemon.

From raw juice to the bottle: transport, storage and bottling

After pressing, the lemon juice is transferred from the press in Sicily to the Polenghi plant in San Rocco al Porto. From here, the production process continues, taking the juice through to the final packaging stage.

Here are the stages in detail:

• Transport of the juice: it is sent to the Polenghi plant in tanks or frozen drums.
• Arrival at San Rocco al Porto: product management and control activities continue at the plant.
• Storage: the juice is stored prior to the subsequent production stages.
• Quality controls: the product is checked in accordance with the company’s standards.
• Bottling: the juice is packaged in the various formats intended for the market.

Polenghi’s scale of production is also reflected in the figures: every year, the company processes around 535 million Italian lemons, bringing the juice to consumers in Italy and around the world.

Quality and food safety: checks throughout the supply chain

The quality of Polenghi lemon juice stems from a system of checks that covers every stage of the supply chain: from the selection of the lemons to the juicing process, right through to bottling and the finished product.

The aim is to guarantee food safety, traceability and consistent standards over time, whilst enhancing the natural qualities of the raw material. To this end, alongside its production expertise, Polenghi invests in quality control, research and development, analysis and recognised certifications.

Polenghi’s certifications: ISO 9001, BRC, IFS, EU Organic and Kosher

The production of Polenghi juice is underpinned by a rigorous control system designed to ensure food safety, traceability and high standards in international markets.
The company therefore collaborates with accredited research centres and testing institutes and holds internationally recognised certifications, including UNI EN ISO 9001, BRCGS Food Safety, IFS, Kosher and EU, NOP and JAS organic certifications, alongside Demeter and Bio Suisse.

A set of guarantees that demonstrates Polenghi’s commitment from raw materials to final packaging.

R&D and in-house laboratory: technology at the service of naturalness

Behind a simple, natural product such as lemon juice lies constant research, analysis and quality control. At Polenghi, the Research and Development department and the in-house laboratory operate throughout the supply chain to verify the quality of the raw materials, monitor the production stages and ensure that the finished product meets consistently high standards.

This is where technology plays a fundamental role: it is not used to transform the juice, but to protect its identity. Every check is designed to preserve the purity, freshness and natural characteristics of the lemon, keeping the product as true to its origins as possible.

This is the virtuous paradox of Polenghi juice: using technical expertise, analytical tools and step-by-step checks to preserve the naturalness of a simple ingredient. From the selection of the lemons to the final packaging, innovation and quality work together to offer a juice that is safe, controlled and consistent in taste.

Sustainable production: Polenghi’s green commitment across the lemon supply chain

For Polenghi, producing lemon juice means making the most of the raw material through innovative production techniques, with a focus on sustainability and respect for nature. It is a commitment that runs throughout the entire supply chain and translates into concrete choices to reduce environmental impact.

For over 25 years, Polenghi has been working on organic production, with the aim of protecting the local environment and offering a product that is tasty, safe and more environmentally friendly. Added to this is investment in renewable energy, which began as early as 2008 with the installation of the first photovoltaic system.

Sustainability also extends to packaging. For Polenghi, the container is not merely a wrapper, but a means of combining quality, functionality and respect for the environment. The glass bottle embodies this vision perfectly: it preserves the freshness of the juice, enhances the product and makes the packaging an integral part of the consumer experience.

Polenghi lemon juice on tables around the world: exported to 90 countries

The raw material that has made Polenghi lemon juice so distinctive comes from Sicily and is now exported all over the world. Polenghi is an international group that brings the freshness of Italian lemons to tables in 90 countries.

Let yourself be won over by the fresh, intense flavour of Polenghi lemon juice and choose the format that best suits your recipes. The range includes brands designed for different needs:

• Polenghi Spinagallo, which showcases the Femminello Siracusano variety and the Sicilian supply chain;
• Acti Lemon, featuring lemon and ginger in handy single-serve portions;
• ReaLemon, a versatile and convenient range for everyday use in the kitchen.

Visit our website to discover all our products: each with its own unique characteristics, all united by the quality of Italian lemons.

Frequently asked questions about the production of Polenghi lemon juice

How is Polenghi lemon juice produced? Polenghi juice is the result of an integrated production process: the lemons are selected and harvested by hand, then pressed within 24 hours of harvesting using a cold-pressing method that replicates home-style juicing. The juice is then transported to the San Rocco al Porto plant for packaging.

What is cold-pressing of lemons?

Cold-pressing is an extraction technique that processes the fruit without high pressure or excessive speed. In the case of Polenghi, the lemon is cut in half and pressed through rotating rollers shaped like a lemon squeezer, to preserve as much of the aroma and organoleptic characteristics as possible.

Is Polenghi lemon juice organic?

Yes, part of the Polenghi range, specifically Polenghi Spinagallo, is certified organic. The company has been producing organic products for over 25 years and holds EU, NOP and JAS certifications.

Does Polenghi lemon juice contain preservatives?

No. Unlike other brands on the market, Polenghi Spinagallo and Polenghi Senza Conservanti bottles, as well as Acti Lemon single-serve packs, contain 100% pure lemon juice with no preservatives.

What certifications does Polenghi hold?

Polenghi holds UNI EN ISO 9001, BRCGS Food Safety, IFS, Kosher, EU/NOP/JAS Organic, Demeter and Bio Suisse certifications.