5 Surprising Facts About How Our Olive Oil Is Made
24/06/2025
When you drizzle extra virgin olive oil over your salad or use it to elevate your cooking, you're likely not thinking about the craftsmanship and care behind every drop. But at Las Valdesas, the family-run farm in Andalusia that produces the oil we deliver to your door, olive oil making is both an art and a science.
Here are five surprising facts about how our award-winning oil is made:
1. The Trees Were Planted by the Owner’s Grandfather
The olive trees at Las Valdesas aren’t just any trees—they’re part of a family legacy. Many of them were planted by the grandfather of the farm’s current owner, and some are now over 80 years old. These mature trees produce complex, aromatic oils thanks to deep root systems and time-tested resilience.
2. It Takes 8 Years Before a Tree Produces a Good Crop
Patience is everything. While some varieties can bear fruit within a few years, older traditional varieties take up to eight years before producing high-quality olives. At Las Valdesas, they wait for the right moment, ensuring flavour and quality are never rushed.
3. The Olives Are Milled Within Hours of Harvesting
To maintain their intense aroma and health-boosting polyphenols, olives at Las Valdesas are harvested at dawn and milled within just a few hours. This "cold extraction" technique locks in freshness and ensures the oil remains genuinely extra virgin—no shortcuts, no compromise.
4. They Press Each Variety Separately
Unlike mass-market oils that blend everything together, Las Valdesas presses each olive variety—such as Arbequina, Hojiblanca, and Picual—individually. This allows each oil to express its own unique flavour profile, from fruity and mild to peppery and robust.
5. The Olive Oil Is Stored Like Fine Wine
After pressing, the oil is stored in stainless steel tanks under nitrogen, protecting it from light and oxygen. This technique slows oxidation, preserving taste, aroma, and nutritional quality until it’s bottled and shipped—fresh to your kitchen.
The Takeaway?
At Extra Virgin Olive Oil Direct, we chose Las Valdesas not just for the taste, but because they do things the right way. Tradition, patience, and quality-first methods—this is what makes our oil genuinely extraordinary.
