WHAT THE GRADE REALLY MEANS
Extra virgin olive oil is the highest grade of olive oil under International Olive Council and EU rules.
It is simply the juice of the olive, extracted by mechanical means only — no chemical solvents and no refining.
If the producer also wants to use the words “cold pressed” or “cold extraction,” the oil must be obtained below 27°C (80.6°F).
To be called extra virgin, the oil must pass two tests:
The simple rule:
True extra virgin olive oil is fresh olive juice.
It is not made with chemicals, not refined, and not extracted from leftover pomace.
WHAT MAKES GENUINE EXTRA VIRGIN OIL
Quality is not one lab number. It is the combination of how the olives are grown, picked, pressed, and settled.
Single-estate organic grove
Grown on one certified organic estate, with no synthetic sprays or chemical fertilizers. No anonymous tanker blends from different countries. You can trace the oil from the grove to the bottle.
Early harvest, cold pressed
Green August olives are picked by hand and pressed once on the farm, while they are still fresh. This helps keep acidity very low (≤0.2%) and protects the oil’s fresh green character.
Natural gravity settling
The oil rests in dark stainless-steel tanks so the natural particles settle on their own. We do not blend in pomace oil or force the oil through cellulose filter pads just to make it look clear faster.
PROVENANCE AND TRACEABILITY
Bulk blends can hide weaker lots and flatten the taste.A single-estate oil is easier to trace and easier to keep consistent.
01 · Grove origin
Only one single grove
Every olive comes from our own organic trees. We do not buy fruit from brokers.
02 · Time to press
Under 120 minutes
The olives are milled on the farm within 2 hours. Bulk oils may sit or travel for days before pressing.
03 · Growing method
Organic certified
USDA and EU organic certified soil. No synthetic sprays and no artificial fertilizers.
04 · Traceability
Fully traceable by batch
Each batch can be followed from harvest to bottle, with third-party lab results.
INDUSTRIAL BYPRODUCT DECONSTRUCTION
The difference between fresh olive juice, refined olive oil, and oil taken from leftover waste.
Genuine extra virgin olive oil
Made only from whole olives, crushed once by mechanical force and kept cool. No chemical solvents, no high-heat refining. This is the oil that keeps the fresh aroma and the natural polyphenols of the fruit — in our case, up to 840 mg/kg by HPLC.
Refined olive oil
Usually made from oils that did not meet extra virgin standards. The oil is heated and treated to remove off smells, off flavors, and high acidity. Most of the natural polyphenols and fresh aroma are lost in that process.
Olive pomace oil
Pomace is the skins, pits, and pulp left after extra virgin oil has already been pressed. Factories then use solvents, such as hexane, to pull out the last traces of fat. That oil is refined, deodorized, and often mixed with a little virgin olive oil so it can be sold as pomace oil.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIODIVERSITY
Zero Synthetic Pesticides: USDA & EU certified organic farming protects soil mycorrhizal networks and groundwater.
Living Ground Cover: Wild clover, native grasses, and mustard flowers nourish the soil naturally and prevent summer water evaporation.
Natural Grove Defense: High Mediterranean elevation and coastal sea breezes keep pests away naturally without chemical sprays.
100% unpoisoned soil. Pure agricultural nutrition.
Olives go from grove to extraction within 2 hours, helping preserve their natural freshness, aroma, and polyphenols.
Dark glass helps protect the oil from light, preserving its freshness, flavor, and quality over time.
Free acidity of ≤0.2% reflects exceptional olive quality and careful handling from harvest to extraction.
CERTIFIED ORGANIC SINGLE ESTATE · HARVEST 2026
440 mg/kg (Relish & Smooth) | 620 mg/kg (Mild & Flavorous) | 840 mg/kg (Fruity & Full-bodied)
INTERNATIONAL TRADE CERTIFICATION NOTE (IOC & EU PDO STANDARDS)
EVOO stands for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It represents the highest quality classification of olive oil in the world. EVOO is 100% unadulterated, unheated fresh fruit juice extracted solely by mechanical pressing from fresh olives, containing zero chemical additives, zero industrial refining, and certified free acidity under 0.80%.
The official definition of EVOO, established by the International Olive Council (IOC) and European Union (EU Regulation 2568/91), requires olive oil to be extracted strictly by mechanical means below 27°C (80.6°F) with Free Fatty Acids not exceeding 0.80% (0.8g per 100g) and completely free of sensory defects.
Pomace in olive oil is the solid pulp, skin fragments, and crushed stone residues remaining after the first mechanical pressing of extra virgin olive oil. Because mechanical pressing leaves 2%–3% residual oil trapped in this waste pulp, industrial plants extract it using chemical solvents (hexane) to produce low-grade 'olive pomace oil'.
While olive pomace oil is legally edible after high-temperature industrial refining and deodorizing, it is biologically inferior to EVOO. Pomace oil undergoes intense chemical solvent extraction and bleaching, completely stripping away all natural polyphenols, vitamins, and fresh flavors found in authentic extra virgin olive oil.
Single-estate olive oil is grown, harvested, cold-pressed, and bottled on one single dedicated family grove, guaranteeing complete soil-to-bottle traceability. Commercial supermarket olive oils are typically multi-country tanker blends from industrial brokers across Spain, Italy, Greece, and North Africa, blended to disguise oxidized defects.
Organic single-estate olive oil tastes fresher because the fruit is milled on-site within hours of detachment from the tree, preventing oxidation. Unpoisoned organic soil rich in natural microorganisms encourages the olive tree to produce higher concentrations of aromatic terpenes, chlorophyll, and peppery Oleocanthal polyphenols.
Authentic EVOO features a clear harvest date, specific estate or grove location (not vague multi-country labels), certified low acidity (≤0.18% to 0.30% FFA), and a distinct peppery throat catch caused by Oleocanthal. Fake or low-grade oils feel greasy, taste flat, and lack third-party laboratory verification.
The 5 pillars of premium EVOO are: (1) 100% Organic Single-Estate grove traceability, (2) Early green harvesting for peak biophenols, (3) Ultra-low free acidity (≤0.18% FFA), (4) Single cold extraction strictly below 22°C, and (5) Natural gravity decantation without nutrient-stripping cellulose paper filters.
