Taking care of the olive trees
Everything starts with the maintenance of the olive grove and the care of our olive trees. During the year we are making sure that the trees are well watered, well fed with the necessary nutrients, well protected from pests and in general they are well treated and prepared for the upcoming harvesting period.
Harvest the olives
In our area we usually start between the end of November and the first days of December until the first two weeks of January. Until some years ago we were harvesting the olives entirely by hand, then we started using also mechanical means when needed and nowadays we try to use electrically powered olive rakes. A normal day starts early in the morning when we place big nets around the trees and we immediately start harvesting. Around noon we stop for lunch and we start again until the sunset. The harvested olives are stored in plastic containers that are suitable for food (virgin HDPE) until we transport them to the mill.
Extract the oil
Finishing the harvesting does not mean that the day is also finished. The stored olives are transported to the mill and we try to start the extraction process the same day. Many times this means "long nights", because other producers are waiting for the same reason. The extraction process is very interesting and, depending on the amount of the harvested olives, can last several hours. In the mill the olives are getting cleaned and other objects like leafs, pieces of wood and rocks are getting removed. Then the olives are getting crashed and the olive mixture is getting blended. After this step, the olive oil is separated and it is ready either for filtering and bottling, either for storing.
Bottling & Standardization
Immediately after its extraction our olive oil goes to the bottling company where it undergoes a mild filtration before it goes into bottles. In the meantime we send the olive oil for several checks:
- A chemical analysis that checks the acidity, the peroxide value and the UV absorption.
- An analysis that measures the amount of polyphenols per Kg of olive oil.
- An organoleptic evaluation. This is the only official method that can legally confirm whether an olive oil is extra virgin. It is a sensory test where the testers "look" for any defects and evaluate the three desirable characteristics of an olive oil (fruitiness, bitterness & spiciness).
After all the above, our precious extra virgin olive oil is ready for transportation and delivery to any part of the globe!