New to Frantoi? Here’s how it works
If you have just joined us, welcome. Perhaps a friend has poured you something delicious over lunch, or you have heard Elizabeth talking about olive oil and wanted to find out more. However you arrived, we’re very pleased you’re here.
We’re Elizabeth and Kasimir, and we spend a great deal of our time seeking out wonderful extra virgin olive oils from across Italy. We visit the growers, taste their oils and put together collections for you to enjoy at home. You can read a little more about us and how we choose our oils here.
There is one thing to know from the outset: we sell our oils just once a year, during the autumn harvest. You order while the season is under way, and we send your oils from Italy in early December.
It’s a little different from picking up a bottle as you pass the supermarket shelf, but this is by design.
Why just once a year?
Because Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a seasonal product, and we want you to experience this.
Olives are a seasonal fruit. Olive Oil is freshly pressed juice. No additives, no preservatives, other than its own natural antioxidants, and therefore olive oil does not improve with age.
Each autumn, our growers harvest their olives and take them swiftly to their own mill. They harvest when the olives are still green and packed full of polyphenols and bright flavours, which benefit you and your cooking immeasurably. We want to get these insanely good oils into your hands as quickly as possible, so that you can experience the brightness, the freshness and the intensity of the polyphenols right after harvest, which if you happen to live in the northern hemisphere, coincides with our winter – when you need this goodness the most.
Purchasing your oil once a year is a classic Mediterranean ritual and one of the true pillars of the Mediterranean diet. The oils will be intense and peppery on arrival with you, making them a perfect pair for the classic winter base ingredients in your kitchen – ideal with grains, pulses, soups, stews, root vegetables and leafy greens. As the seasons change and you arrive in the spring, your oils will start to gradually edge away from their intensity, allowing them to meet the brightness and freshness of spring vegetables and mid-weight foods in perfect harmony. Then as you roll into summer, they take a further step back allowing the ripe flavours of summer to shine through on your plate.
We do not hold stock. Everything is bottled to order in the firm belief that this is in your greatest interest.
Where do your oils come from?
We hand pick the very best growers and millers from the far north to the deep south of Italy. They care deeply for their own groves, farming sustainably and attentively. Importantly, each grower we select owns their own mill and this ensures total control from tree to bottle. There are a million reasons this is important but what we know for sure is that you will be able to taste that difference in the oils you receive. If you want to know more any time, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Since moving to Italy in 2013, we have spent many days on the road, at kitchen tables and in olive mills, looking for the producers whose oils we want in our own kitchen. Those are the oils we share with you.
There are people, places and particular olive varieties behind every bottle. Getting to know them is a large part of the pleasure. For a little taste of that world, join us in conversation with Marco Viola, who makes some of the best olive oil in the world at his home in Umbria.
And our name? A frantoio is an olive mill. Frantoi is the plural. You will meet quite a few of them here.
I’m new to this. Which olive oil should I choose?
You don’t need to know your cultivars or have a tasting vocabulary. Start with what you like to eat.
Do you make lots of salads? Are beans, soups and roasted vegetables regulars on your table? Do you enjoy a good peppery kick, or prefer something a little gentler?
Our collection boxes bring together different oils for you to explore. Read the descriptions and see what appeals, or email us and tell us a little about your cooking. We are always happy to help you choose.
Having a few different oils to hand is rather lovely. You might find yourself reaching for one to dress your lettuce and another to finish a bowl of lentils. As you taste them, you will soon work out your favourites.
What does “new season” actually mean?
It means the oil comes from the latest olive harvest and has just been released to market.
Our producers generally harvest between late September and early November, depending on where they are, which olives they grow and how the season unfolds. The oils you order from us in the autumn come from that year’s harvest.
If you are curious about other important terms in the world of olive oil, our olive oil glossary is a useful place to start. And if you would like to know more about how olive oil is made, here is how the oil is extracted.
So, how do I order?
Head to the shop, choose your collection and select your delivery destination. If you live in a location not listed, please just email us and we will put a bespoke quote together for you.
For the 2026 harvest, orders open on 26 September and close on 1 December.
While you are choosing, our growers are busy harvesting and milling. Once the oils are ready, we prepare your boxes by hand and send them from Italy by express courier in early December. You will receive tracking details when your order leaves us.
We plan deliveries to arrive in time for Christmas, although exact timings depend on the destination and couriers. You can find the practical details in our delivery information.
If you have found us outside the buying season, please drop us a line at info@frantoi.org and we will see how we can help.
Can I send a box as a present?
Yes, and you can include a personalised message at checkout.
If you wish to send a selection of gifts, please just reach out to us and we will make you a bespoke card to accompany each delivery.
A collection of olive oils makes a luxurious, sustainable and healthy gift that you will be truly thanked for.
For any advice or to put together an order, you can always reach us via email info@frantoi.org.
My box has arrived. What now?
We typically suggest you get some bread ready, and maybe a selection of raw vegetables.
Unlike with fine wine, these beautiful bottles should not be put away for a special occasion, instead they should be enjoyed fully, particularly when you have just received them and the polyphenols are at their highest.
Pour a little, taste it, then try it with something simple – freshly toasted bread, a boiled potato or a spoonful of beans gives you plenty of room to notice the flavour.
Follow the QR code inside your box to find out more about each oil and discover a recipe to go with it. You can also browse our seasonal recipes whenever you need a little inspiration for supper.
Keep your bottles tightly closed in an upright position, away from heat fluctuations particularly caused by the stove and sunlight.
Then use them. Put them on the table. Try a swirl over soup, over your pasta, dress your vegetables, drizzle over fish or meat and see what a difference the right oil makes to something you cook all the time.
That is what we hope Frantoi brings to your kitchen: the pleasure of knowing where your olive oil comes from, discovering what you love and eating very well along the way.
Have a look at this year’s collection →
And if you have any questions, we’re here.
Buona bruschetta!