Harvesting the olives

Harvesting of the olives affects the quality of the oil.

Harvesting of olives for extracting olive oil begins in the first two weeks of November. The olives are in the stage of colouration , somewhat green, which is why the first oil, truly valued by experts in the business, is this colour (green), with specific sensory characteristics.

The olive must be harvested once it has fully developed, but before the ripe fruit falls from the trees, reducing the overall quantity available.

When harvesting begins, the olives are very green and this characteristic is reflected in the organoleptic profiles of the oils.
The olive, during ripening, changes from its green colour to red and purple tones, and the pulp softens. The ripening process takes place gradually and is very slow, especially when there is less solar radiation.

Olives never normally reach full maturity. We could say that the average characteristics of these oils are that they are fruity, slightly green and moderately bitter, spicy and sweet. They are therefore oils with very balanced attributes, rather green in flavour (leaf), bitter and spicy at the beginning of harvesting and production, and sweeter at the end. In addition to these attributes, we could highlight the almond flavour and odour (green almond) and the fluidity of the oils, giving a very pleasant sensation when tasted.

It is essential that the olives be healthy, that they be kept in aerated recipients and that they enter the mill, for milling, within 24 hours following harvesting.

 

 

Reception of arbequina olives

When the olives enter the olive mill, a sample is taken to check their ripeness, quality and what we call “yield”, which is the percentage of oil the olive contains and, therefore, to find out the quantity of oil that we will obtain per kilo of olives.

The olives are unloaded via a continuous electronic weighing machine, connected to the mill's main computer. After the blowing process , they are stored in wide, flat chutes before moving on for immediate preparation (washing).

The olives must be milled the same day they are harvested because, being a fruit with vegetable water which ferments and oil which oxidizes, the storage time significantly deteriorates the quality of the end product.

Preparation of arbequina olives:

Blowing process

The arbequina olives arrive at the mill mixed with leaves, small branches and stones.

A continuous conveyor belt carries them to the blower (fan). The air generated is used to remove the remains of branches, leaves, earth, etc., which are always collected with the olives.

From here, the olives either pass to the chutes (for some hours) waiting to be milled, or for washing prior to entering the mill.

* These leaves are good for animal fodder and fuel.

Washing the arbequina olives

After blowing, and only before milling, the olives pass along a vibrating platform which removes branches, stones and other remains that the blower could not remove.

While they are on the vibrating base, they are washed with a continuous shower of dechlorinated and decalcified water.

At this point, the olives are ready to begin the extraction process and the conveyor belt drops them into the mill.