Extra Virgine Olio di Olivi
Extra Virgine Olio di Olivi
Our very own: Villa Verena EVOO
The trees need as long as possible to remain dormant and January and February being the coolest months (as low as 5°) offer that opportunity. So we take this time to do the work that needs to be done.
As the temperatures pick up in April, the trees blossom and the Adriatica Breeze helps fertilisation. This is also an important time to spray with biofertilisers to support fruit growth and reduce pests - both before and after flowing.
We cannot (and will not!) use non-biological aids
Once the flowers set, the fruit starts to develop and there is not much we can do other than continue to ensure we minimise any pests (such as the Olive Fruit Fly - Bactrocera oleae).
We start additional watering at the end of June until mid September.
We are fortunate to have our own well and with the power of the sun use an electric pump to draw water up and over the land.
This means late June is spent checking and organising our 2 or 3 kilometers of pipe!
Come the end of September, we have to plan the harvest and we asses the volume of fruit and talk to various people who will assist in the process. Increasingly, mechanical services are required and this usually means a professional team are engaged. We have tried to do this manually. Never again!
As the harvest is collected into a large number of "cassette" we take it directly to the frantoio (the olive oil mill). We do not wait until all the olives are harvested as this will mean that the quality will reduce. Doing it in 500-750Kg loads is easier to manage.
We then wait for a couple of days until the frantoio tell us the oil is ready. They will then tell us how good it is... We expect the best!
Help for Harvest
Help for Harvest
Fiore

Ready for havest

Sponsor a Tree
If you want, you can sponsor a tree and get some of the oil as a yearly "dividend"
Talk to us...
Sponsor a Tree
If you want, you can sponsor a tree and get some of the oil as a yearly "dividend"
Talk to us...
Mechanical Marvels

Old fashioned methods (such as beating the tree with long poles) is fine if you have 2 or 3 trees. 350? Not so much.
Pruning
The Year Begins
This gives you an idea of a Year in an Olive Grove
January - February
Pruning
Depending on last seasons' growth, we cycle through all the trees over a four year period to ensure the trees are not left to go wi
March - April
Pre "fiore" fertilisation
Provide basic nutrion for flowering and fruit growth
March - April
May - June
Post "fiore" fertilisation
Provide additional nutrition for the developing fruit
June - September
Watering
The main rains end early June so from this time to end of September we need to ensure no hydration stress
June - September
September
Planning
We estimate the yield and get quotes for harvest
Mid October - November
Harvest
Mid October - November
Feature Box
The Olive Fruit Fly - Bactrocera oleae
This is one of our enemies. Sure the flies deserve to exist as much as we do, but their presence is a nuisance and detriment to the fruit of all olive groves. The impact of the fly larvae is in yield as it feeds on the fruit and munches a small tube through the fruit to get out when it has grown
Feature Box
The Olive Fruit Fly - Bactrocera oleae
This is one of our enemies. Sure the flies deserve to exist as much as we do, but their presence is a nuisance and detriment to the fruit of all olive groves. The impact of the fly larvae is in yield as it feeds on the fruit and munches a small tube through the fruit to get out when it has grown
Estratto A Freddo - Cold Extracted - is a statement of fact, not quality. ALL Olive Oil is extracted by machine and when cold. Only really fabulous ancient mills grind the olives using stone wheels (and donkeys). We can point you to see places where this was a thing.
The oil is minimum 85% fat, here 91,3%. Zero sugar, zero carbs and zero salts. Pretty. Damn. Fine!
The oil is given a "consume by" date to comply with statutory regulations, but like most oils does have an effectively limitless life.
However, it is very true that the "perfect" point at which to taste and enjoy the oil, on it's own (or with a little bread and salt) is as soon as it is milled. This experience lasts for about 6 months before the oil loses that "new" sensation.


To select a good oil, look for any information given about where the oil was sourced (that is where the olives come from) and where it was milled. Often the bottle will state "Made in EU". In which case DO NOT BUY as this will mean the olives come from anywhere (including the US and Africa) which means you have a blend of unknown oil, to meet a standard and a price.
Single source Oil (as that from Villa Verena) is still technically a blend - we have yet to categorise each tree's species - but the source is a single grove in a single town in Puglia. We have the co-ordinates of each tree if you are interested!