The olive harvest takes place using electric harvesters and the typical trappe, long sticks still used today to drop the olives from the tops of the tallest trees that reach heights over 10 meters and hand-picked on nets.
The olives, initially transported in special baskets, are weighed here box by box by the growers, in order to have an estimate of the harvest.
The weighed olives are then stored in special bins, waiting for the rest of the harvest. This initial storage phase is very important between the stages of olive oil production, because it preserves the olives from being spoiled by temperature peaks or mold.
They are poured into the hopper from which they pass into the defoliator which eliminates leaves and twigs.
Washing is done by immersing them in a tub of water or using special mechanical washing machines that keep the liquid moving; in order for the product to be of quality, it is good that the water is changed often.
The milling is the first real phase of olive oil extraction: it is the moment in which the olives, through mechanical action, become oil paste, a mass composed of a solid part, the result of pits, skins and pulp , and a liquid part, the juice of the olives.
The milling is carried out with the pressing is the modern technique which, through the use of a machine consisting of several hammers called a crusher, completes the operation in a few seconds.
The malaxing is the process that, through a machine called a malaxer, deemulsifies oil and paste, collecting the liquid in larger drops thanks to a slow movement of the mass and its heating. It is a key moment in the processing of olive oil, which in some way will decide its quality, taste and even quantity: depending on the temperature to which the pasta is subjected, in fact, the oil earns the right or not to the “cold” denomination and changes its organoleptic qualities.
From 25 ° to 27 °, the product maintains excellent quality and can boast the definition “cold”
Extraction is the process that finally sees the appearance of a product close to the oil we know: also in this case there are different techniques to bring this phase of olive oil production to completion.
The modern one involves separating the must from the pomace by filtering through the use of mechanical or hydraulic presses.
The traditional method, also used in our oil mill, involves extraction by centrifuge and is also known as a decanter.
The last phase in the production of olive oil is separation: after the extraction of the liquid from the paste, the must obtained still contains a minimum amount of water, which will be separated by exploiting the non-miscibility of the lighter oil. and water. This process is carried out mechanically thanks to centrifugal separators, which carry out the separation thanks to the rotation at high speed.
The liquid that comes out of the machine is finally him: olive oil.
The oil obtained from the separation process is the finished product; however, it is cloudy due to the natural solid residue contained within it. This is why it is usually left to rest before placing it on the market.
We let it rest for several months in special steel drums at a controlled temperature, and let the product become clear in a natural way thanks to gravity. Only at that point, in spring, we bottle our extra virgin olive oil in special bottles that preserve its taste and color.
Pending the sale, they are stored in rooms at a controlled temperature and in the absence of light in order to preserve their quality and organoleptic characteristics.
Accuracy and passion make “i Filandari” a company able to offer only products of excellent quality