People have been making olive oil for thousands of years. While the production technology has evolved, the core principles remain constant: harvesting at the right time, crushing the olives, and separating the oil from solids and water. In this post, we'll guide you step by step through the journey of how high-quality olive oil, like Wildly Virgin's, is produced.
1. Timing is Key
The art of olive oil production hinges on harvesting at the perfect moment. Olives are fruits, and olive oil is simply olive juice! As the growing season progresses, olives transition from green to purple and finally to black. The harvest timing is crucial—it's about striking the right balance between ripeness and flavor intensity, which varies based on the desired olive oil characteristics.
- Early Harvest: This occurs when olives are still green or just beginning to turn purple. Early-harvest olives yield oil that's more robust, bitter, and peppery due to higher polyphenol levels (making them healthier too). These oils boast vibrant, grassy, and herbaceous flavor profiles. While early-harvest oils produce less volume due to lower moisture content in the olives, the resulting product is often superior in quality and boasts a longer shelf life thanks to its higher antioxidant content.
- Mid to Late Harvest: As olives ripen further, they darken and produce milder, smoother oil with fruity and buttery notes. These oils typically have lower polyphenol levels, resulting in a sweeter and rounder flavor profile. Oil yield increases during this stage as the olives contain more oil. However, the shelf life may be slightly shorter, and the health benefits are somewhat reduced compared to early-harvest oils.
Wildly Virgin olive oils are typically early harvested, as we prioritize complexity and health benefits over higher yields.
2. Harvesting
Several harvesting methods are employed across different geographies and for various olive varietals. Here are the techniques, ranging from most to least mechanized:
- Super-intensive machine harvesting: This method grows olive trees in hedges, trimmed to fit a specialized machine that "swallows" the hedge and collects the olives. It's the most efficient harvesting technique but has drawbacks. Of the 2,000 known olive varietals, only a few can withstand this dense growth and machine harvesting. Consequently, as more regions adopt super-intensive production, olive oil diversity diminishes.
- Tree shakers: This machine grasps the tree trunk and shakes it vigorously, with a net below catching the falling olives. While more efficient than manual options, tree shakers can stress the trees. They also require relatively flat terrain, making them unsuitable for hilly or terraced areas.
- Tree rakes: Likely the most common method on traditional farms. These include standard rakes or, more typically, electric rakes that vibrate. Although more labor-intensive and time-consuming, their versatility allows use in any geography.
After harvesting, olives must be pressed quickly—within 24 hours at most. Why? Fermentation begins the moment an olive is picked, affecting the oil's quality. The finest EVOOs, including Wildly Virgin's, are pressed within hours of harvesting.
Top producers harvest very early in the morning, allowing the picked olives to avoid the midday heat, which accelerates fermentation.
3. The Milling Process
Now comes the exciting part—milling. This is when a year's hard work bears fruit, quite literally. It's a nerve-wracking yet exhilarating time as you can finally experience the first taste of your olive oil.
Preparation
First, the olives go through a deleafer to remove any branches or leaves. They're then weighed to later calculate the yield. Finally, the olives are washed to remove any dust.
Pressing
While you might still spot giant stone presses in small Southern European villages, modern mills use stainless steel crushers. The olives are sometimes sliced first, but they typically end up in a hammer crusher, which presses them against a stainless steel mesh.
This process creates a paste—a mix of flesh, pit, and oil resembling olive tapenade. The paste then enters a malaxer, a slowly twisting horizontal cylinder that mixes it. Here, the producer's expertise is crucial. Longer malaxing raises the temperature and increases yield but risks losing some of the oil's aroma and flavor as it begins to oxidize.
Centrifuging
Once malaxing is complete and the oil in the paste has coalesced, it's time for separation. Typically, this involves a two-step decanting process. First, the solids (pomace) are separated from the paste. Then, a more rapid decanting separates the vegetable water from the oil. After this, the producer can finally taste their oil for the first time!
4. Filtering
Filtering practices vary among producers. Olive oil can be enjoyed straight from the centrifuge, and many appreciate this unfiltered version. It's characterized by a hazy appearance due to tiny olive particles suspended in the oil, resulting in a heavier mouthfeel. While unfiltered oil may offer a richer taste, it's prone to faster fermentation compared to its filtered counterpart.
There are two primary filtering methods:
- Decanting: This process involves storing olive oil in large stainless steel containers, allowing sediments to naturally settle at the bottom through gravity. The clear oil for bottling is then drawn from the top. Although this method takes several weeks, it's straightforward and requires no additional machinery.
- Filtering: In this method, the oil passes through a series of cellulose plates, resulting in a crystal-clear product.
5. Storage
Regardless of the filtering method—or even if the oil remains unfiltered—it should be stored in a temperature-controlled room in stainless steel containers that prevent light and oxygen exposure. Since bottling introduces a small amount of oxygen to the oil, it's best to delay this process as long as possible to maximize the oil's freshness.
Now you know how extra virgin olive oil is made! We hope you've gained an appreciation for the skills required to be a high-quality producer. The single annual harvest demands year-round patience to nurture the trees, followed by swift action during harvest time. The production process combines a chemist's understanding—to minimize oxidation and fermentation—with an artist's touch to maximize flavors.
While making consumable olive oil doesn't require much expertise, producing a great one demands years, if not generations, of experience. Try the difference for yourself.
