The growing season ends with harvest which for our growers begins in late September or early October, depending on the region and the olive cultivar. All of our growers favour an early harvest when the olives are still green, yielding less oil but much higher aromatic intensity, antioxidants and lower acidity.

Harvest is manual (brucatura) or with gentle mechanical shakers to allow the olives to fall to the nets and avoid bruising. Leaves and twigs are typically separated out by hand in the grove.

The timing is then crucial – the olives must be delivered as swiftly as possible to the frantoio to be pressed in order to avoid oxidation. This is why our growers own their own mill, because they can control the absolute minimum time from tree to press (our growers work within a 4-6 hour window).

Once the olives arrive at the frantoio they are defoliated and washed thoroughly. Any olives that are less than perfect are then discarded. Of course, if you are making a monocultivar olive oil then the varieties must be separated at the point of entering the frantoio.

The olives are then crushed gently in order to rupture the cells and release the oil without over-heating or oxidizing the paste. The temperature needs to be controlled during this part of the process (below 27C), which you may see on the label as ‘cold extraction’ or ‘cold pressed’. Higher temperatures yield more oil but degrade the aromas and polyphenols. In actual fact, our growers are all working much below this temperature and we believe you can taste this in the final oil – the perfumes are much finer.

Following this, gramolatura or malaxation begins where the paste is slowly mixed and microscopic oil droplets are coaxed out of the paste. The resulting oil is then passed through a centrifugal decanter to separate the extra virgin olive oil from any remaining water and pulp.

We favour oils with a light filtration, which contributes to their perfection and stability but doesn’t strip out any of the character or goodness. This typically happens immediately after the gramolatura and removes any micro-particles that could alter the onward journey of the oil.

You then have your extra virgin olive oil and typically this is then stored in a stainless steel tank under a heavy gas such as argon to prevent oxidation and kept in dark conditions at a stable, cool temperature. The analysis is then done in order to confirm and certify the oil as extra virgin.

Shortly afterwards, the oil is bottled in dark glass and with every attention to avoid contact with oxygen in the process. The bottles are then labelled and packed for dispatch. From tree to frantoio, the timing is very rapid, but then there is a bit of time needed to get the oil into the bottle, certified and dispatched. Receiving new season extra virgin olive oil as we enter into the coldest months of the year is an incredible gift to your body, palate and soul.