At Skapeti, we take pride in producing some of the finest olive oil, with every step in the process carefully crafted to ensure premium quality. Olive oil, often referred to as "liquid gold," is deeply tied to how and when olives are harvested. To create exceptional olive oil, understanding the harvesting process - from tree to bottle - is essential.
The Importance of Harvest Timing
The timing of olive harvests is crucial to the flavor, aroma, and nutritional content of the oil. At Skapeti, we carefully choose the best time for picking our olives, aiming to capture the perfect balance of flavors and health benefits.
- Early Harvest: Olives harvested early, when they are still green, yield a robust, peppery oil rich in antioxidants but with a lower yield.
- Mid-Harvest: When olives are a mix of green and purple, the resulting oil is smoother, with a harmonious blend of bitter and fruity notes.
- Late Harvest: Fully ripe or black olives produce a mild, buttery oil, with a sweeter flavor profile but lower in polyphenols.
Skapeti carefully monitors the ripening process to select the optimal time for harvesting, ensuring the best possible oil quality.
Methods of Harvesting Olives
At Skapeti, we believe that careful harvesting is key to producing premium olive oil. We prioritize traditional methods that respect both the fruit and the environment.
- Hand-Picking: This method is time-consuming, but it ensures that only the highest quality olives are selected. It also reduces bruising and preserves the trees’ health.
- Mechanical Harvesting: While more efficient, Skapeti limits the use of mechanical methods to prevent damaging the olives and compromising oil quality.
By focusing on manual harvesting, Skapeti guarantees that the olives retain their integrity, which is reflected in the oil’s rich and authentic taste.
The Path from Olive to Oil
Once the olives are harvested, they are quickly transported to our mill for processing. At Skapeti, we understand the importance of speed and precision in this stage to avoid oxidation and maintain the oil’s freshness. Here’s how we do it:
- Washing and Sorting: The olives are thoroughly washed and sorted to ensure only the best fruit makes it to the next stage.
- Crushing: Using traditional stone mills, we crush the olives into a paste, releasing the oil while preserving the fruit’s natural qualities.
- Malaxation: The paste is gently stirred to allow tiny oil droplets to merge. This is a critical step in enhancing both oil yield and quality.
- Extraction: We use modern centrifugation to extract the oil from the paste efficiently, while maintaining the integrity of its nutrients.
- Filtration and Storage: Once extracted, the oil is carefully filtered and stored in stainless steel containers to protect it from light and heat, ensuring it stays fresh until it reaches your table.
Factors That Affect Olive Oil Quality
Skapeti understands that to achieve premium olive oil, several factors need to align:
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Olive Variety: The choice of olive variety plays a significant role in the oil’s flavor. Skapeti’s olive groves are home to carefully selected varieties that offer a balanced and unique flavor profile.
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Soil and Climate: Our olives benefit from the perfect combination of Mediterranean climate and fertile soil, contributing to the rich, distinctive taste of Skapeti olive oil.
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Harvesting Techniques: Our commitment to hand-picking and careful processing ensures that no damage comes to the olives, preventing oxidation and maintaining the oil’s purity.
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Processing Speed: By processing the olives immediately after harvesting, Skapeti guarantees maximum freshness and flavor retention.
Skapeti Premium Olive Oil
At Skapeti, producing premium olive oil is both an art and a science. From the careful selection of harvest timing to our traditional methods of hand-picking and gentle processing, every step is designed to deliver the finest oil. By mastering this journey from tree to bottle, Skapeti ensures that every drop of our olive oil offers unmatched taste, health benefits, and quality.