LOCATION AND CLIMATE

 

As you might expect, olives grown in cooler areas where there is more moisture (rainfall and dew) exhibit leaner, more restrained characteristics.  This doesn’t however mean that great oil can now be made in Iceland – you need a minimum amount of sunshine to make your Extra Virgin Olive Oil taste remarkable, similarly to tomatoes or stone fruit.

Olive trees are sensitive to winter freeze (the Casaliva cultivar is more resistant to cold, hence being grown in the Garda region).  It is also easier to farm organically where the climate is more stable and less chemical sprays are required to keep the trees healthy.

OLIVE MATURITY

 

Here’s the thing – all olives are green.  When they become fully mature, they turn black.
Olive maturity at the time of harvest is a major factor in flavour and quality: olives harvested earlier (green olives) feature more bitter, grassy characteristics, with lower yields and with the highest anti-oxidant content.  The oil is a much more intense green colour and has a longer shelf-life.  In terms of production, milling can take longer with green olives (a longer malaxation - the action of slowly churning milled olives to release droplets of oil - is needed and can be more complicated) but the results are far superior!  Don’t choose olive oil from over mature fruit: it lacks all the potential goodness and flavour.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN GROVE AND MILL

 

People who care passionately about what they make and follow it personally every day have the capacity to create products with far higher quality, with integrity, and that taste of where they come from.  They are also able to do this by caring for the environment they inhabit.

FRANTOIO DI RIVA BOX

This box contains 6 bottles of extra virgin olive oil made exclusively by Frantoio di Riva from groves on the banks of lake Garda.

Frantoio di Riva, 46°PARALLELO green label x 3 bottles (50cl)
Frantoio di Riva, 46°PARALLELO organic white label x 1 bottle (50cl)
Frantoio di Riva, 46°PARALLELO blue label x 1 bottle (50cl)
Frantoio di Riva, ULIVA Garda Trentino DOP x 1 bottle (50cl)

November 27, 2017 In Health

The Latest Research and why EVOO is so good for us

There have been a series of interesting reads recently on the health benefits of increasing Extra Virgin Olive Oil in your diet.  We’ve highlighted some of the main stories here to give you an overview of the latest research.

Component in EVOO kills cancer cells

Relating to research first published in the journal of Molecular and cellular Oncology in 2015, this study has proven that the ingredient oleocanthal causes cancerous cells to rupture releasing enzymes and obliterating the cancerous cells without harming healthy cells.  Oleocanthal is made when the olive is crushed to make the pulp from which olive oil is pressed and is one of the important phenolic compounds in EVOO.  This would therefore be more present in new season oil, when the polyphenolic content is at its highest.

The full story can be found here.

 

EVOO prevents dementia by prompting the brain to clear out harmful debris

Research conducted at Temple Universitiy in Pennsylvania in June 2017 has shown that regular consumption of EVOO can “protect your memory and your ability to learn new things as you age”.  The study found that the connections between neurons were found to be better preserved where olive oil was consumed and there was an increase in nerve cell autophagy activation (which clears toxins from the brain).  Scientists believe that the reduction in autophagy is involved at the onset of Alzheimers, so this is believed to be an important breakthrough that could help to treat the disease.

The full story can be found here.

 

Frying Vegetables in EVOO recommended for Men with Prostate Cancer

This study by Mary Flynn (Brown University Miriam Hospital, Rhode Island, USA) revealed that adding extra virgin olive oil to the plant-based diet recommended by the Prostate Cancer Foundation assisted weight loss and helped to increase the absorption of compounds with anticancer properties (carotenoids).

The full story can be found here.

 

The higher quality the EVOO you consume and the fresher it is, the better the oil is for you, which is why we recommend new season oil shipped directly from the press to your door.