Produce olive oil: (3) The mill

The extraction of oil is a process of decisive importance in the production of olive oil of excellent quality. The quality of the machines, the use of water at a temperature that does not exceed 27 degrees, cleaning, proper storage, the use of approved food containers and other parameters, determine the quality of the olive oil to which we have access in the market. The requirements of the legislation for the application of good practises in oil extraction are strict and must be respected by all oil mills.

Extraction should ideally be carried out within twelve hours after harvest. The olives are transported to the mill where they are washed with fresh water and the foliage is removed.

Then they are crushed and then kneaded, the objective is to extract the oil from the drupes of the olives. This results in a paste, which contains the core, the skin, the oil and the water.

Two actions will follow, the decanting (to separate the solids from the liquids) and then the centrifuge (to separate the oil from the water).

The result is unfiltered extra virgin olive oil.

Reception of olives, washing and defoaging

Reception of olives (washed and defoliated)