What’s so special about Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Ask any Italian which ingredient they miss most when they are abroad or can’t live without and the chances are they will tell you extra virgin olive oil. In Italy, olive oil is not a condiment, it is an essential part of each and every day. A symbol of family traditions. A natural product of sun, soil and olive. Cultivated by hardworking people who have passed their knowledge and passion on through the generations.

But what makes Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil so particular and so exceptional?

To begin with, we should understand that by the time we are talking about Extra Virgin Olive Oil, you already have a decent seat. To be labelled Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the olives must have been pressed at a low temperature (under 27°C) and without the addition of chemicals. The oil must have low acidity (under 0.8%) and it must have a clean, fruity, superior taste.

Narrowing down to Italy, there are a few factors that make Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil so compelling and here we move to the dress circle.

Artisan craftsmanship
Extra Virgin Olive Oil production is an artisan craft that requires a precise, dedicated and detail-driven approach. These are fine qualities that you can find within the Italian psyche, nurtured through the generations and visible across a spectrum of industries from fine art and design to fashion and leatherwork, to winemaking, food production and, of course, the art of olive oil making.

You might think Italians are completely laid-back, and in some regards they are, but in others they have the ability to apply an attention to detail to a fine craft that is second to none.

Italians are also masters at running their own businesses. There are more than four million small businesses in this wildly complicated country, representing over 99% of its business structure. Somewhere between 3.5 and 4.3 million are specifically classified as small or micro-enterprises, employing over 76% of the workforce. This is a nation of fiercely independent thinkers, committed to doing things their own way. Out of this comes a spectrum of brilliance.

Tradition meets innovation
Faithfulness to tradition is also a key truth of Italian business, many of which have been handed down through the generations, passing expertise and knowledge in a profound way. This is not a handover meeting; it is something you are brought up with. Messages, micro-intuitions, perceptions and observations are naturally passed down from parent to child over many years.

As the generations change, so too has innovation been embraced. This is also something that Italian culture is noted for – innovation not for innovation’s sake, but to genuinely enhance and improve a working practice. The equipment that I see now in the mills of our frantoiani is absolutely outstanding, and this impacts quality hugely. Old machinery looks beautifully romantic, but it should be archived to the museum – exceptional oil is made in state-of-the-art facilities.

Diversity of cultivars and regional identity
With over 600 identified olive cultivars in Italy alone, there is incredible diversity on offer. This becomes a question of suitability and specificity. If you think about other produce, it isn’t possible to grow every fruit or vegetable in every part of the world without intervention and while adhering to sustainable practices. Certain things simply grow better in certain soils and certain climates. So it is with olives.

Olives don’t grow in Iceland or Kenya because the climate isn’t suited to them. Looking more closely, the Taggiasca cultivar doesn’t naturally grow in Puglia, but has its home in Liguria, where it performs at its best. Replicate this all over Italy and you begin to appreciate just how complex the mosaic of Italian olive production really is.

Within the spectrum of Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, however, there are also very many variations in quality, and this is where we come into our own, offering you front row seats. It is our mission to seek out the very best, to find the artisans who are true masters of their craft, with an honest and inquisitive approach in both the grove and the frantoio that delivers superior quality in every single drop.

That’s why, until now, we have only offered Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil exclusively when it has just been pressed. We don’t supply throughout the year and we don’t hold stock, in the firm belief that it is not in your interest for us to do so.

We are Frantoi, and we are delighted to have you along for the ride with us.