Our Process

How do we do it?
Our process below, refined through the centuries..

The first step is to maintain and nurture the olive trees themselves.  The trees used to produce EVOO Greece Extra Virgin Olive Oil are centuries old inhabitants of this area.  One must first respect and care for what came before, if they are to be stewards of the trees' health and production in the present and future.

In the fall months, the olives have matured and are ready for picking.  Olives are removed from the trees by mechanical means and quickly taken to the mills for cleaning and prep.  The time from first cut to extraction is important to ensure freshness with the product. 

The olives are then crushed - flesh, skin and pits - creating a thick paste.  The paste is slowly mixed/kneaded - a process referred to as 'malaxation'.  Tiny oil droplets within the paste join together to form larger droplets.  Temperature and exposure to oxygen is carefully controlled at this stage as excessive heat or oxidation can reduce quality.

The oil is then separated using a centrifuge because oil, water and solids have different densities.  The solids and water are removed, leaving the olive oil.  The oil is then filtered to remove tiny remaining particles and moisture.  

Finally, the finished oil is stored away from light or heat sources and oxygen to preserve it's freshness.  Stainless steel tanks store large quantities which are then divided into metal tins to await shipping.  Only metal tins or dark glass bottles (finished product) should be used for storage, avoiding all plastics, clear glass or reactive metals.