All about EVOO

The riper the olives, the more oil they yield. But the oil itself changes too: polyphenol content drops, the aroma flattens and acidity levels can rise.

So our task is not to wait for maximum ripeness, but to find the right moment to harvest.

An earlier harvest means fewer litres from the same amount of fruit — and a livelier aroma, more polyphenols and exactly the character we care about.

Once picked, olives start losing their qualities: oxidation and fermentation set in. The time between harvest and milling is measured in hours, not days.

Piled together in crates, fermenting fruit releases heat. The mass warms up, and the higher temperature speeds up the unwanted processes — a chain reaction.

The result would be rising acidity, sensory defects and a loss of freshness and aroma. That is why we take the harvest to the frantoio within a few hours.

A frantoio is a modern mill where harvested olives are turned into olive oil. It is where the quality grown in the grove is carried forward.

The olives are cleaned of leaves and twigs, washed and crushed; the paste is malaxed, and the oil is then separated from water and solids.

Our frantoio runs modern automated lines: the key steps take place with minimal oxygen contact and under controlled temperature, as required for cold extraction of extra virgin olive oil.

Afterwards the main parameters of the oil are analysed. Growing good olives and picking them on time is not enough — they also have to become oil quickly and carefully.

"Cold pressed" is not a marketing phrase but a way of processing olives at a controlled low temperature.

Before milling, the olives are washed in cold water. This removes dust and cools the fruit to around 27 °C so the whole process stays cool.

Low temperatures slow oxidation, preserve the natural aromatic compounds and help achieve the values required for the extra virgin category.

Extra virgin is an official category, not a variety or a marketing term. Only oil obtained purely mechanically and meeting strict chemical and sensory requirements qualifies.

After production the oil undergoes laboratory analysis and a sensory assessment by a professional tasting panel. Only if it passes both can it be called extra virgin.

Key requirements: free acidity of no more than 0.8 %, no sensory defects, the aroma and taste typical of fresh olive oil, and purely mechanical extraction without refining.

Depending on the season, the acidity of our oil is 0.33–0.43 %.

A gentle bitterness is not a flaw but a hallmark of fresh extra virgin olive oil.

It comes from natural phenolic compounds — polyphenols — that remain in the oil during processing and protect it from oxidation.

How pronounced it is depends on the variety, ripeness, weather and the moment of harvest.

A slight peppery tickle is a natural feature of many fresh extra virgin olive oils, not a defect.

It is caused above all by oleocanthal, a natural phenolic compound found in fresh, high-quality oil.

Its amount depends on variety, weather, harvest time and processing, so different oils feel different.

Colour depends on variety, ripeness and harvest date. On its own it tells you nothing about quality.

It comes from natural pigments — chlorophylls and carotenoids. Over time the vivid green naturally turns golden yellow.

That is why professional tastings use dark blue glasses: they hide the colour so only aroma, taste and the absence of defects are judged.

Pour a little oil into a clean glass and warm it in your hands for 20–30 seconds so the aromas open up.

Take a few calm breaths, then a small sip and spread the oil around your whole mouth. Draw in a little air through your teeth to bring out the aromas.

Look for three natural features: fruity aroma, light to moderate bitterness and a slight tickle in the throat.

Don't look for a "perfect taste" — look for the character of the oil.

Even perfectly produced oil changes over time under the influence of light, air and heat.

Light breaks down pigments and aromatic compounds, oxygen causes oxidation, and warmth accelerates every natural change.

At the frantoio the oil is kept in oxygen-free tanks. At home, once opened, the same principle applies: protect it from light, air and heat.

The metal can, traditional in southern Italy, protects the oil better from light, air and temperature swings. It is made of food-grade tinplate.

For us packaging is not a design element but a continuation of the production process.

Since we ship across Europe, this packaging preserves the oil's qualities from bottling until the can is opened.

The 3-litre can is the most balanced option: easy to use, good for quality after opening, and sensible for shipping across Europe.

Small packs have to be bought more often and create more packaging waste. Very large ones are awkward and stay in contact with air longer once opened.

This size lasts a family a long time — and lets us ship to almost every EU country at a single price including VAT and delivery (except a few countries with higher logistics costs).

Olive oil is a natural product. Even when stored well, the fresh grassy and fruity notes fade, and bitterness and pungency soften.

The colour shifts too: vivid green gradually becomes golden yellow as the natural pigments change.

This does not mean the oil has gone bad. Good storage cannot stop the process, but it slows it down considerably.

The bottling date only tells you when the oil was packed. It may have sat in a tank long before that.

"Best before" is the minimum durability date: until then, stored correctly, the producer guarantees the stated qualities.

What really tells you the age is the campagna olearia, the harvest campaign. "Campagna olearia 2025/2026" means the oil comes from the 2025 harvest.

Best in a cool, dry, dark place at a stable room temperature, away from direct sunlight and heat sources.

Don't keep the can next to the stove, oven or radiator, or on a windowsill. Close it tightly right after each use.

Our tip: decant a small amount into a handy bottle for daily use and keep the 3-litre can closed in the dark.

No, everyday storage does not need refrigeration.

In the cold some natural components crystallise: the oil turns cloudy, thickens, sometimes shows pale flakes. At room temperature it becomes clear again — quality is unaffected.

Protection from light, heat and prolonged contact with air matters far more.

Yes. Extra virgin olive oil suits most everyday cooking, including frying.

Its natural composition and antioxidants make it quite stable when heated. The hotter and longer the heat, though, the more the oil changes.

Our recommended guideline is to stay around 100 °C where the dish allows. And like any vegetable oil, it should never be heated until it smokes.

For us extra virgin olive oil is not a product for special occasions but a natural part of everyday cooking.

Around the Mediterranean it is used daily: for breakfast, salads, vegetables, fish, meat, pasta and soups.

That is exactly why we offer three litres. The best praise for our oil is seeing it on the family table every day.

Olive oil is a natural agricultural product, so harvests differ in nuances of taste and aroma.

The character of a year is shaped by sun and rain, temperature, the condition of the fruit and the moment of harvest.

Usually it is not the basic character that changes, only subtle nuances that experienced tasters notice most.

Novello arrives at the very start of the new season: we begin harvesting earlier and use mainly green olives.

That early harvest defines its character: vivid aroma, pronounced bitterness and the typical peppery tickle.

Novello is only lightly filtered, so a natural sediment may appear over time — that is normal. We make it in limited quantities and recommend enjoying it within the first months.

Unfiltered oil has not been fully filtered after extraction. Tiny fruit particles remain, so fresh oil looks slightly cloudy and later forms a natural sediment.

It is at its most interesting in the first months: fresh vegetal notes, characteristic bitterness and pungency, often an aroma of freshly cut grass.

It is less stable in long storage, so it is best drunk young; for longer keeping, well-filtered classic EVOO is the better choice.

Both are extra virgin, from the same grove and the same Roggianella olives. The difference is not quality but character.

Novello is made at the start of the season, mainly from early green olives, and only lightly filtered: brighter aroma, marked bitterness and pungency, a greener tone, some sediment over time.

Classic EVOO follows a few weeks later. It tastes more balanced and produces virtually no sediment.

Neither is better: they are two ways of getting to know the same harvest.

Polyphenols are natural compounds from the olives that pass into the oil during production. They are largely responsible for the pleasant bitterness and the light tickle in the throat.

They act as antioxidants and help protect the body's cells from oxidative stress.

A guideline for high-quality olive oil starts at 250 mg/kg. Our oil measures 315.7–416.24 mg/kg depending on the season.

Polyphenol content alone does not define quality — an oil is always judged on the whole picture.

After production oil inevitably ages. That cannot be stopped, but sunlight accelerates oxidation considerably.

Rapidly aged oil loses freshness of aroma and taste; under poor conditions rancid notes appear.

So the aim of good packaging and storage is not to stop ageing but to slow it as much as possible.

Extra virgin olive oil is obtained mechanically, directly from the olives. It keeps the natural taste of the fruit and its polyphenols.

Refined olive oil is industrially treated: almost neutral in taste and aroma, with polyphenols nearly entirely removed.

A product labelled simply "Olive Oil" in Europe is a separate category — a blend of refined and virgin olive oil, not another name for EVOO.

You can drink extra virgin olive oil neat if you enjoy it, but there is no need to take it separately from food.

European guidance talks about a few tens of grams spread over the day, not large single doses.

There is no evidence that oil taken on an empty stomach does more than the same amount with a meal. What matters is having it regularly — over vegetables, salad, pasta, soup, or simply with bread.

The climate: sun, sea air and marked differences between day and night temperatures shape the region.

Relief and soils: the conditions in which the trees grow and bear fruit for decades.

Traditions of cultivation and harvesting, passed down here from generation to generation.

The environment: there is no heavy industry in the immediate vicinity of the grove.