Production
From harvesting to bottling, the time and care put into making premium quality olive oil is the same today as it was centuries ago. Virtually all olive oil is produced in Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Tunisia, with a very small percentage produced in California, Australia and parts of South America.
Harvesting
Across the globe, the olive oil production process begins with whole, clean olives that are harvested from olive trees at the moment of optimum ripeness. Varying from region to region, olive harvests usually take place between mid-November and mid-January. The olives are collected in nets that are placed around the foot of the tree, and within 24 hours of harvest, the olives are taken to a mill to be pressed into olive oil.
Pressing
An olive paste is created by crushing the whole fruit, including the pits. This is usually done under granite or steel mill stones that resemble those used more than 1,000 years ago. The paste is then spread onto thin mats, which are stacked and placed into a machine press. As the press applies several hundred pounds of pressure, the olive paste yields oil and water that seep out of the mats, and drip into collection vats. This process requires no heat -- hence the term "first cold pressed" olive oil. Other methods, such as centrifugation, are also used to extract oil from olives, but mechanical pressing is most prevalent. After pressing, the oil is then allowed to settle, and any vegetable water is removed by centrifuge machines. Some mills still remove the water by using a natural decantation process. When the olive oil created from the first pressing meets the criteria for extra virgin olive oil, it is set aside.
Quality Evaluation
The quality of olive oil is evaluated like fine wines are evaluated -- mainly by tasting and also by measuring its acidity level. Following the testing, the mill technicians determine into which groups the oils should be stored. If the olive oil has been cold pressed, has an acidity level of less than 1%, and meets exacting taste and aroma standards, it is graded extra virgin olive oil. The cold pressed olive oil with an acidity level higher than 1% is refined to produce olive oil, or "pure" olive oil, and "light" olive oil. Just before bottling, a final analysis is performed to assure quality of the olive oil.
To Your Table
After olive oil is bottled and shipped to North America, it continues to undergo periodic quality control testing conducted by the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA). The NAOOA is committed to excellence in the production and marketing of olive oils sold in the U.S. and Canada and its quality assurance program gives consumers and restaurant buyers the utmost confidence in the product they are buying.
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