Producers
Every year, Extra Virgin Olio constantly looks for fine, artisanal producers of extra virgin olive oils throughout Italy! There are literally hundreds of producers in Italy alone and so we have to narrow our search using certain parameters.
We not only pay attention to Award Winners but we are also looking for different cultivars (over 600 in Italy) to experience their different taste profiles.
Once we identify our candidates, we then visit their farms and mills, during the harvest time. We can then view their cleanliness and production methods, and look over their storage facilities (most store the oil under inert gas). We can then come away satisfied that their olives are picked and milled the same day, sometimes only hours after hand picking.
Of course, all this must be accompanied by tasting the fresh, 100% pure extra virgin olive oil, which is always the best part of our visits! This is when our International Judge and olive oil taster, Johnny Madge truly shines, to make the final decision!
