Keeping traditions alive.
Our olive oils spring from healthy centenary trees firmly anchored to the ground, a land equally seeped in history. Our organic EVOO is produced from our traditional olive grove with ‘Galega’ and ‘Cordovil’ Portuguese olive varieties.
The olive grove
Our olive grove is planted on the beautiful slopes of Serra do Sapoio in Marvão at an altitude of 600 m. Some of these trees were planted by the Romans who inhabited the land. These same trees were later nurtured by the Moors for over four hundred years and represent a living monument of our Portuguese heritage, faithfully producing simple, exquisite and natural olive oil.
At our farm, we strive for quality, transparency and tradition. We treat our olive trees patiently, mindful of their individuality and treating them with the respect they deserve. Unlike recent commercial olive groves that are grown as intensively as any vineyard, our trees are sparsely planted and grown in a 100% organic environment which does not need to rely on regular watering for survival. This is the type of olive oil we like to produce: unique, natural, full of history and centuries-old wisdom. From the careful selection of the olives to their arrival at our mill, we fully invest all our efforts to obtain an exquisite olive oil full of terroir and with nature’s true flavours. Our olive oil is powered by green energy.
“Our Olive trees grow at their own pace, following the changes of the seasons, year after year, as they have done for centuries, with fresh water and plenty of sunshine.”
The olives
Our organic extra virgin olive oil Azeitona Verde is an ancestral blend of Galega and Cordovil, with a sweet, green and spicy taste.
Galega Olives
Galega variety is the smallest of Portuguese olives (an exclusively Portuguese variety) a sweet-tasting olive oil with a touch of slightly unripe apple, a little spicy and with a whiff of dried fruit. It is the ideal olive oil for cooking because of its soft taste and can equally be used for baking. It is the perfect olive oil for the whole family (including children and babies) not only on account of its sweet and soft taste but also due to its high content of antioxidants such as tocopherol and liposoluble vitamins. The high content of fat-saturated acids turns it into olive oil which solidifies easily under extreme temperatures, returning to its normal liquid appearance when back to normal temperatures.
Cordovil Olives
Cordovil olives varieties are rich in polyphenol and fatty acids. Spicier, with a slightly greater unripe taste and a lemony zing.
The making of our “Azeitona Verde” organic olive oil
The Picking of the olives
Our olives are picked manually.
Transport to the olive press
The olives are taken to the olive press on the day they are picked. Once picked, our organic olives can now be quickly transformed into an excellent quality product at a controlled temperature.
Reception
On arrival, the olives are carefully separated in accordance with their degree of conservation.
Cleaning
The olives are sent to the defoliator where leaves, sand, small stones or twigs are removed.
Washing
The olives are washed once cleaned.
Olive Oil Extraction
The olives enter the press. Olive oil extraction is strictly mechanical through cold pressing at our mill on the very day they are harvested off the trees. This guarantees perfectly fresh oil with a low level of acidity and good peroxide values.
Olive Oil Testing
After being stored in stainless steel tanks, a sample of olive oil is sent for testing. A chemical and sensory analysis of the oil is then issued.
“In 2020 we have fulfilled an old dream of ours; to install and run our own olive oil mill. This allows us to produce and guarantee the highest quality oil.”
Tips
How to choose olive oil?
Olive oil acidity is no longer the best “yardstick”… Nowadays, olive oil can be adulterated with surprising ease. Do not base your choice on the degree of acidity as low-quality olive oil can be chemically processed to show 0% acidity! A far better option is to know the producer, have the information on what it contains and how it was produced. It is therefore always a good option to buy your olive oil locally. Extra virgin olive oils produced biologically are obviously olive oils made with care and bearing in mind both the health of the consumer and respect for the environment. As such, production is both difficult and onerous.
What is organic olive oil?
It is olive oil produced biologically in accordance with European regulations. This means production must comply with important directives, mainly:
- Totally free of synthetic pesticides or synthetic chemical fertilisers;
- Fund maintenance of soil fertilization;
- Elaborated exclusively in olive presses which guarantee total separation from the common circuit;
- Fully controlled from production to commercialisation;
- Packed and labelled where the phrase “Biological Agriculture” may be used;
- Name of controlling agent printed on the label.
What is extra virgin olive oil?
Extra virgin olive oil is extracted exclusively from olives through mechanical processes employing thermal conditions which do not alter its composition. Olives do not undergo any processes apart from washing, preparation of the pulp, separation of solid and liquid matter, decantation and filtering. The resulting end product is olive “juice”; it is 100% natural and preserves all goodness present in the fruit. Extra virgin Olive oil: A superior quality olive oil tasting of well-preserved olives; acidity varies from 0 to 0.8% acidity. Virgin Olive oil: Good quality olive oil with less than 2% acidity. Olive oil: Olive oil chemically refined from olives which may no longer be in the best conditions. This is cheaper oil, in many cases with a 1% degree of acidity.
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