Extra Virgin Olive Oil Production Process

[wateedy]

Hi, I have a strategy consulting background and I have recently made the move towards agricultural and related products exporting. I am Egyptian and have quite a good access to a large number of growers including olive growers. As you can probably guess in Egypt you can have access to quantity but quality is rare

My question is " What characterizes extra virgin olive oil" .... Is it only about producing a product with fatty acid level less than 0.8%, using only mechanical or physical processes.

In other words, is the required fatty acid level the absolute measure of my success in producing extra virgin oil?

Or is it that I might be producing oil with fatty acid level of less than 0.8% with mechanical / physical methods (no treatment ...etc) and it might still not qualify as extra virgin?

I will hereunder describe key points in my operating model and need your inputs on it whether it can produce extra virgin

- Harvesting: is done using physicall labor or mechanical machines
- Preselection: involves categorizing olive into the different cultivars collect and within each cultivar non ripe or damaged olives are separated
- Transport to Facility: is conducted within less than 12 hours from harvesting to ensure controlling the acidity levels
- Production: is conducted using "Clementel" fully mechanical machinery which involves washing, decanting, centrifuging and filtering. No refining chemical processes is involved
- Storage: in stainless steel tanks which is sealed off with liquid nitrogen, in low temprature (15 degrees) and away from light and heat
- Packaging: if conducted, would be in dark glass bottles

As you can see, I have no mention of the cultivation process itself ... Is that a necessary component ??? And what specifically do I need to do? Or whatever is done in cultivation is to ensure the acidity level, why I have reached anyways

[SadounOliveOil]

Wateedy,

Welcome to the forums.

It seems you have done a lot of good research. If you follow the steps you have mentioned above, you will get the Extra Virgin Olive Oil you want.

Even though acidity level will be well below 0.8%, not all EVOO will taste the same, even if it was from the same variety olive.

Taste will depend on:

• Variety
• Whether olive was irrigated or not
• The time of harvest (early harvest sharper more spicy taste, late harvest milder taste)

[wateedy]

Thanks for your reply,

Few of other questions,

Could you elaborate on the irrigation point? Do you mean if the olive is well irrigated throughout the season? Or that it is irrigated before harvest which could increase the water component in it?

If I want to be successful in exporting, to what extent to importers require extreme consistency in the product? i.e. do they require the same exact product with the same exact characteristics every time?

Is there a scientific way to ensure consistency beside doing physical / visual preselection of the different varieties, ripeness ... etc?

Regarding the packing point, do I need specific types of lids for the glass bottles? There are simple small machines that are typically provided with small sized olive oil production lines that does the cealing, any issues about these? and are there tests to ensure proper cealing?

If I export in bulk, what is the typical packaging for that? I have no clue about that ...

Finally, exporting in containers by sea could take up to 3 weeks to reach the destinisation, what do I need to do to ensure that temprature inside the container doesnt influence my product - any measures to be conducted there? Is that even a risk, or did I just make that up?

[SadounOliveOil]

All excellent questions. I hope other members who have the experience will answer some of your questions.