How is extra virgin olive oil produced? (2) The harvest

Dimitri Anastopoulos
Apr 14
1 min read

Updated: Apr 22

A crucial factor is time: harvesting too early, and the fruit will not have had time to develop its sensory richness. Harvest too late, and the olives will be too ripe and the extracted oil will be of low quality.

Therefore, the olives must be harvested just before their maturation, which will result in a lower amount of olive oil, but of very high quality: excellent chemical and sensory characteristics, of a fruity green and, depending on the variety, more or less rich in polyphenols.

Have fun comparing the colour of different oils (early harvest and ripe fruity) and above all trying them, one after the other (if possible without bread!).