From olive to oil

THE PLANT
Identify the plants with the best genetic characteristics in terms of resistance to diseases and climatic adversities. paying attention to details such as the vigor of the foliage, productivity, size and quality of the fruit and its nutritional and organoleptic properties. Beyond the genetic make-up, however, the positive qualities of a plant also depend on its interaction with the environment, with the type of soil and the microclimate that hosts it. In practice, there is a very close relationship between the genetic characteristics of a plant and those of the environment in which it lives.

PRUNING
The first care is aimed at the plant and its needs. A good PRUNING is essential to have a good fruiting of our trees. For this reason, we carry out training pruning on the young plants of our olive grove, to give them an optimal shape, which is then maintained on the more mature plants through production pruning. The rule is that the foliage is light, every part is exposed to the sun and that air circulates inside.







PLOWING
We pay attention to the plowing of the land which we carry out several times a year at different depths to eliminate weeds under the foliage and to store rainwater in the autumn.

COLLECTION
The optimal degree of ripeness for our olives is the beginning of the VEATURE: when the skin of the fruit begins to change color becoming covered with light spots. Collecting them at this time is of fundamental importance for the high quality of our oil, because it guarantees a low level of acidity and a precious and pleasant aroma and a high phenological level. We collect and select the healthiest and most ripe olives directly from the plant, without causing damage to the fruit and the tree.





CLEANING
The olives are immediately subjected to DEFOLIATION and CLEANING, and then proceed to the subsequent stages which transform excellent quality olives into a highly prized oil: Santacroce extra virgin olive oil.

TRANSFORMATION
After harvesting, the olives are transformed into oil within 12-24 hours. This concern of ours is crucial to ensure that the olive maintains the initial acidity level, and then to our oil all the flavor and freshness of the freshly picked fruit.





COLD EXTRACTION
Agrolio still has the old family oil mill open to tour operators and company visits. As was the case in the past, our olives are subjected to COLD EXTRACTION to avoid harmful overheating of the compound and to guarantee the maintenance of the organoleptic properties of the olives.

TEMPERATURE
The olive paste then passes into a continuous cycle machine where it is subjected to other transformation processes, always in controlled temperature environments (always below 27° C) to safeguard the quality of the product and in constantly controlled hygienic conditions respecting the HACCP in force.

Kneading
The paste obtained from the pressing is subjected to GRAMOLATURA: in this phase the separation of the water from the oil is facilitated, which will be completed completely in the following phase.





CENTRIFUGATION
From the malaxer the two components then pass into the DECANTER: for CENTRIFUGATION the water and the oil are conveyed in different directions, thanks to the specific weight. The technological modernization of Santacroce has also involved the oil storage structures, which today are made of stainless steel which allows the quality characteristics to be safeguarded in the best possible way.

FILTRATION
The oil is then cleaned of the remaining impurities through a NATURAL FILTRATION system, without any type of chemical solvent. The latter process is the oldest to preserve the quality of the product and filtration is the most efficient and fastest method. The absence of water and impurities ensures that purity of flavor and consistency, that body and that aroma which make SANTACROCE extra virgin olive oil unique.

BOTTLING
The oil is then cleaned of the remaining impurities through a system of After extraction, the SANTACROCE extra virgin olive oil is stored in tightly closed environments away from sources of light and heat. The extra virgin olive oil is bottled in elegant dark glass bottles, a safe material because it cannot be altered and prevents light from affecting the quality of the oil and to guarantee the consumer to place all the flavor and freshness of the freshly picked fruit.