Behind the scenes of how we make our olive oil.
Discover the meticulous craftsmanship behind our premium extra virgin olive oil.
From hand-harvesting our olives at the correct ripeness to the delicate process of malaxation and extraction, every step is carefully executed to ensure the highest quality for your enjoyment. Join us as we delve into the intricate details of how we transform sun-kissed olives into the exquisite elixir you savour.
- Harvesting: We hand-harvest our olives exactly when we need them.
- Sorting, Cleaning, Crushing: The process involves removing any unwanted materials from the olives, followed by using machines to crush them into a fine pulp. This is then milled into a thick paste.
- Malaxation: We then incorporate water into the paste for a smooth and balanced texture. The mixture is gently churned and malaxed to facilitate the separation of the olive oil droplets from the rest of the mixture.
- Extraction: A centrifuge, rotating at a high speed, extracts the olive oil from the water and pulp. In this manner, we separate the oil, water, and solids.
- Rack and Purge: Purging – The transfer of unfiltered extra virgin olive oil into stainless steel tanks, followed by the removal of sediment and fruit water after a period. Racking involves pumping extra virgin olive oil from the top of a stainless-steel tank into a clean holding tank to separate sediment, water, and oil.
- Filtering: A clean stainless-steel tank pumps oil through a filter to stainless steel production tanks for bottling.
- Bottling: We undergo various quality and sensory tests before expertly bottling, packaging, and shipping our Extra Virgin Olive Oil to either the discerning consumer or the esteemed distributor.
For edibility, olives are then processed, or “cured,” to remove most of the oleuropein, which is found in the leaves and fruit of the tree. Oleuropein is the main antioxidant in olives, but extremely bitter. Curing neutralizes this compound in different ways, each resulting in particular tastes and textures. The easiest and quickest way to cure olives at home is with water. In this method, the freshly picked olives are sliced or cracked to expose the interior of the fruit, they are immersed in water, which is changed once a day for five to eight days and then soaked in finishing brine with vinegar. You can even add flavours of your liking such as rosemary, chillies or garlic.
Brine curing is also a secure method where the olives are soaked in a water solution and pickling salt over several months. A fermentation process takes place during brining, which alters the flavour profile in distinctive ways. Dry salting is another simple option, resulting in a shrivelled olive that is slightly bitter and quite salty. Lye curing is perhaps the last frontier for home olive processing, but it needn’t be intimidating. Following some necessary precautions, lye will wholly and quickly neutralize the oleuropein in the olives, leaving a de-bittered olive with crunchy texture.
In addition to curing for eating or cooking, olives can be processed at home for their precious oil. Historically, the process relied on large stone grinding wheels drawn by livestock. Expensive grinders and oil presses may be purchased, but with a streak of “maker” inventiveness and experiments of others posted on YouTube as a guide, the necessary equipment can be rummaged or cobbled together for much less depending on the scale of the operation.
Whether the final product is olives eaten out of hand or drizzled from golden bottles of silky oil, harvesting and processing olives at home is a nutritional, gratifying reconnection with a deep agricultural and culinary history.
