What happens between the tree and your kitchen makes all the difference.
You buy a bottle of olive oil, pour a splash into the pan, and give it no further thought. Understandably. But what happens between the olive tree and your kitchen determines entirely whether you are buying a product with genuine nutritional value—or an industrial fat that merely happens to smell like olive oil.
In this article, we take you through the entire production process of extra virgin olive oil. From harvesting in the Mediterranean sun to the bottle that arrives at your door. And we explain why every step matters.
It all starts with the olive tree
Olive trees grow slowly and live for a long time. Some trees in the Mediterranean are hundreds of years old and still produce fruit. They thrive in a dry, sunny climate with cool winters—exactly the conditions found in Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal.
The quality of the oil begins long before harvest. The olive variety, soil composition, that year's climate, and the way the trees are maintained: these are all factors that influence the flavor and composition of the final oil. That is why origin is so important, and why “Mediterranean olives from the EU” is not marketing hype but a genuine quality guarantee.
The harvest: timing is everything
Olives are harvested in autumn, generally between October and December. The exact harvest time has an enormous influence on the oil.
Early-harvested olives, still green or light purple in color, contain more polyphenols and a higher concentration of antioxidants. The oil has a more intense, fruitier flavor and lower acidity. Olives harvested later, when fully ripe, yield more oil per kilogram of fruit, but have a milder flavor and slightly fewer polyphenols.
For high-quality EVOO, producers deliberately choose to harvest early. Less oil per tree, but more quality in every drop.
The harvest itself takes place in two ways. With manual picking or combing, the olives are carefully removed from the branches by hand or with special combs. This is labor-intensive but causes hardly any damage to the fruit. With mechanical shaking, machines vibrate the branches so that the olives fall into nets on the ground. Faster, but with a slightly greater risk of damaging the fruit.
What is essential in both cases is that the olives reach the mill as soon as possible after harvesting. The longer they sit, the more the acidity rises and the more the quality declines.
From olive to mill: the first hours are crucial
In a good olive oil production process, harvested olives reach the mill within 24 hours. Some producers even aim for the same day. This is no exaggeration: after harvesting, fermentation begins in the fruit, causing acidity to rise and negatively affecting the flavor.
When the olives arrive at the mill, they are first washed and have their leaves removed. Then the actual production process begins.
First cold pressing: how does it work?
"First cold pressing" is the term you see on a good bottle of EVOO. But what does it mean in practice?
First pressing means that the oil is extracted during the first mechanical processing of the olives. There is no second pressing with additional pressure or heat to extract more oil from the residue. What you get is the purest, most nutritious fraction.
Cold pressing means that the process takes place without heating. The temperature during pressing remains below 27°C. Above that temperature, polyphenols and aromatic compounds begin to break down. Cold pressing therefore means preserving all the flavor, nutrients, and everything else.
The process itself takes place in three steps. First, the olives are ground into a thick paste, including the pits and skins. Then the paste is slowly kneaded so that the small oil droplets combine into larger ones. Finally, the oil is separated from the pulp and water through centrifugation. No heat. No chemicals. Purely mechanical.
What comes out of the centrifuge is extra virgin olive oil in its purest form.
What makes it EXTRA virgin?
Extra virgin is the highest quality grade of olive oil, and to bear that name, the oil must meet strict criteria.
The acidity may be no higher than 0.8%. This acidity indicates the condition of the olives at pressing: the lower it is, the healthier the fruit was and the faster it was processed. HANT olive oil measures 0.33%, well below that limit.
In addition, genuine EVOO must have no flavor defects. A panel of trained tasters evaluates each batch blind: fruity, bitter, and pungent are positive attributes, while musty, rancid, or fermented flavors are grounds for exclusion.
Finally, the oil must be obtained entirely mechanically. As soon as heat or chemicals are involved, the oil no longer qualifies for the extra virgin label.
What happens during industrial refining?
For comparison, it is useful to understand what actually happens with ordinary supermarket olive oil.
When olives are overripe, damaged, or fermented, their acidity is too high for extra virgin olive oil. Instead of rejecting these olives, they are processed through industrial refining: the oil is heated, treated with chemicals, deodorized, and bleached. What remains is a neutral, flavorless fat without polyphenols, antioxidants, or biological activity.
To give it a little flavour and colour afterwards, a small amount of genuine extra virgin olive oil is added. This allows the product to be sold in stores as "olive oil" or even "virgin", even though most of it is refined. This is exactly what happens behind the scenes with many commercial brands. And it is exactly what HANT does not do.
From mill to bottle: storage and bottling
After pressing, the oil is temporarily stored in stainless steel tanks, in the dark and at a controlled temperature. Light, heat, and oxygen are olive oil's three greatest enemies: they accelerate oxidation and damage the polyphenols.
Good olive oil is bottled in dark glass bottles. Not as a marketing choice, but as a functional necessity. A clear bottle may look more attractive on a store shelf, but it is detrimental to the oil's shelf life and quality.
After bottling, the bottle is given a label with all relevant information: the origin of the olives, pressing method, acidity, certification, and best-before date. At HANT, we add independent laboratory analyses, publicly available for everyone to consult.
How to use and store EVOO at home
You have bought a good bottle. Now you want to preserve that quality at home.
Store your olive oil in a dark, cool place, away from the stovetop. A cupboard or drawer is better than a rack next to the cooker. Once opened, preferably use the bottle within two to three months.
For cold use, such as dressings, dips, or drizzling over a dish: feel free to use it generously. This is where all the polyphenols and aromas fully come into their own.
For hot use: EVOO is perfectly suitable for baking, frying, or roasting at around 180 to 200°C. Above that temperature, the polyphenols begin to break down. For very high heat or prolonged deep-frying, it is better to choose another fat.
And straight from the spoon? Absolutely. A tablespoon in the morning has been a daily ritual in Mediterranean traditions for generations.
How HANT olive oil is made
HANT Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is pressed in Italy from carefully selected Mediterranean olives, Greek and Italian varieties, grown within the EU. Obtained exclusively by mechanical means during the first cold pressing, without heat or chemicals. Acidity: 0.33%.
No additives. No blending with refined oil. No oil from outside the EU. Certified organic (IT-BIO-007).
All laboratory analyses are publicly available—not behind a form, not upon request, simply online for everyone to see. Because we believe in our quality and have nothing to hide.