Chasing the Crush
Harvesting operations in the Northern Hemisphere generally begin in early October and end late November. The Southern Hemisphere harvests typically between April and July. It is preferred to begin the harvest when the fruit has just begun to take on some dark color, very healthy and intact, for optimal production in terms of quality. The extra virgin oil thus obtained best expresses its organoleptic characteristics, with very low acidity and maximum fruitiness and aromas due to a greater presence of polyphenols.
Many methods of harvesting from the trees are taken – shaking, raking, hand picking. Sheets are laid under each tree to catch the olives when released from the branches. The olives are placed in small ventilated boxes and are cleaned of leaves and twigs only shortly before being transported to the mill to safeguard their freshness as much as possible. Olives are taken to the mill daily ---- in order to keep within the time frame of less than 6 hours between harvest and pressing.
Once at the mill, the olives are washed in running water and then passed through a hammer crusher equipped with perforated grids whose diameter varies, at the discretion of the oil mill operator, depending on the caliber of the olives and their stage of maturation, to avoid also in this phase any oxidative heating phenomena. The subsequent “kneading of the dough” takes place in closed stainless steel tanks, regularly cleaned between one process and another, for a time not exceeding thirty minutes and at a temperature not exceeding 25 degrees C. The final extraction process follows with latest generation centrifuges that separate the oil from the oily must.
The extra virgin oil thus obtained is stored in stainless steel tanks at a controlled maintained temperature between 10 -16 degrees to keep the organoleptic characteristics intact. We have chosen to package our oil in stainless steel fusti’s, which ensure correct conservation, and then dark glass bottles when filled for customers. We recommend to our customers to store their bottles in a cool and dark place.
