Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil

At Italian Fine Foods LLC we only sell genuine, first press, cold press Extra Virgin Olive Oils, sourced from major olive oil producing countries . Olive Oil production season usually occurs in the World Southern Hemisphere between the months of May and July and in the Northern Hemisphere from October to January. We bring in our Olive Oils according to the production seasonality in order to offer to American consumers always a fresh  product.

Since we value quality as well as safety, our team of experts analyze every single olive oil brought to our fully equipped internal Laboratory Analysis. Thus, our products meet the highest standards in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean markets. Our Extra Virgin Olive Oils come from selected premium olive groves, which are properly harvested, extracted, stored and bottled.

At Italian Fine Foods LLC we count with an advanced and complete production process that follows strict quality controls in order to become your trustworthy Extra Virgin Olive Oils supplier of choice. Among the many reasons why you should choose our Premium Extra Virgin Oils products are:

Why our extra virgin olive oils are healthier than others:

Polyphenol antioxidants

Polyphenol antioxidants are tremendously important for a healthy heart. Extra virgin olive oil is a great source of these polyphenols, but not all extra virgin olive oils are the same. At Italian Fine Foods LLC we only sell extra virgin olive oils with high contect of polyphenols and we are able to provide our customers with a Polyphenol analysis (a charge apply)

Peroxides

When exposed to oxygen over time, like all foods, olive oil gradually oxidizes, losing its flavor and nutritional value. Oxidation is quantified by a peroxide value. All our oils are stored in stainless steel tanks filled with nytrogen in order to avoid the contact between oxygen and oil. We are able to provide Peroxide analysis of our oils (a charge apply)

Acidity

Free fatty acidity is a direct measure of the quality of the olive oil, reflecting the care taken when selecting premium olives, harvesting and storing the fruit as well as extracting, bottling and properly storing the finished product. Extra virgin olive oils, by definition, must have less than 0.8%. None of our oils is even close to the maximum acidity of 0.8%. All our olive oils have acidity between 0.01% and maximum 0.3%. We are able to provide Acidity test of our oils (a charge apply)

 


 

OLIVE OIL CATEGORIES

All you need to know about Olive Oil categories and benefits

According to the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), virgin olive oils are the oils obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under particular thermal conditions that do not lead to alterations to the oil, which has not had any further treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation and filtration.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: Virgin olive oil, having a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid of at most 0.8%, free of organoleptic defects (aroma and flavor), and of highest quality since it retains all the characteristics of the fruit. Among its main features worth mentioning: oils with fresh flavors and herbaceous taste, balanced sensations of bitterness and sharpness, beneficial to one’s health.

 

Our exceptional production technique at Italian Fine Foods LLC allow us to offer fresh, tasty, and aromatic extra virgin olive oils all the way from harvesting to bottling. We will explain to you the origins, categories and benefits of such delicious nourishment.

Breaking away from the many myths surrounding the Olive Oil culture, the following is a list of true facts about this delightful product:

The Extraction Process

The PRODUCTION STAGE of olive oil begins with the olive harvest. This should be done with special care to protect the fruit. The production system has to allow collected olives to be processed in processing plants (mills) in less than 24 hours to preserve the oil contained in them.

Thereafter, the grinding step is performed, in which the olives are crushed to form a thick paste that is the input to the MIXING stage, consisting of kneading; agitating the olive paste to cause the oil droplets to group and form a continuous oily phase.

Thereafter, the EXTRACTION STAGE follows, consisting of spinning the olive paste into a decanter or a horizontal centrifuge device that separates oil from other components of the fruit: pomace (solid) and vegetation water liquid. The extraction process may comprise two stages if the oil is separated from all the other components at once, and three stages if the oil is separated one by one from the three components. The resulting oil is processed by a vertical centrifuge, disposing of the remaining water.

At this point, the resulting product is fit for human consumption; but in order to eliminate any solid element remaining from the previous stages, the oil is put through a filtration system. After filtration, it is stored in stainless steel tanks for subsequent PACKING, SHIPPING, and MARKETING.

The optimum process that olives go through from harvest to bottling enables producers to obtain fresh, tasty, and aromatic extra virgin olive oils. 

Tasting

The aromatic quality of olive oil is one of the factors most valued by consumers, as other vegetable oils (grape seed, marigold, soybeans, rapeseed, etc.) do not have this feature as a result of the refining process.

The characteristic aroma of olive oil is delivered by a group of complex and volatile compounds, which are analyzed by the senses through organoleptic assessments during OLIVE OIL TASTING.

During the tasting of olive oil, samples are placed into standing opaque blue glasses since they are not a key factor in the resulting oil color; then they are capped, smelled, and tasted. Between each olive oil tasting, it is customary to grab a bite of a green apple and have a sip of water to wash away the flavor. Tasting is performed with oil at around 28° Celsius to elicit the volatile aromatic compounds. The tasting process is comprised of the following stages or phases: Smell, Taste, Equilibrium, and Harmony. 

The most positive features, or more important attributes, of olive oil are the following:

FRUITNESS: The set of varietal characteristics of healthy and fresh, green or ripe olives.

BITTERNESS: The tasting sensation from very green olives at the tip of the tongue.

SPICINESS: A pungent sensation in the throat.

FRUITNESS: From other fruits: Apples, Tomatoes, Plantains, Almonds, and Artichokes.

GREEN: Sensation of green leaves, fresh trimmed grass, figs, and others.

The set of unpleasant sensations, or most common defects, of olive oil are the following:

STALE: Smell and taste or flavor from oil that has undergone an oxidation process.

FUSTINESS: Flavor of oil obtained from olives that have undergone a process of anaerobic fermentation, due to prolonged storage of the fruit before processing.

MOLD: Flavor of oil obtained from olives that have developed fungi and yeasts, due to prolonged storage of the fruit before the extraction process.

WINEY/VINEGARY: Flavor of oil that resembles that of wine or vinegar, due to aerobic fermentation.

DREGS: Flavor of oil that has been long in contact with the bottoms fermented storage tanks of olive oil. 

Tips and Myths on olive oil

PREFER OLIVE OILS WITH NO OLIVE SMELL: Olive oil should have fresh and herbal flavors and balance between bitterness and spiciness, but never taste like table olives. That means the product has a pomace defect, which diminishes its quality; therefore, it can't render all the culinary goodies and health benefits associated with it.

USE IT IN ALL MEALS: One myth is that olive oil is not good for frying and that sunflower oil or other oils are better suited. However, olive oils withstand higher temperatures much better, and foods absorb less fat during frying, which translates to healthier meals.

CONSUME IT TO KEEP YOU HEALTHY: It is rich in polyphenol—chemical components with antioxidant properties present in vegetables—that have been identified as helping to prevent cancer. Furthermore, it also protects the arteries; its chemical composition—high in mono-saturated fat acids, namely, oleic acid (around 70% content,) and low in saturated and poly-saturated oleic acid—makes it more healthy, elevating the level of good cholesterol, and lowering the level of bad cholesterol. 

KEEP IT AWAY FROM LIGHT: There is a widespread belief that olive oil should be kept in clear containers; it is quite the opposite. As a light-sensitive product, olive oil should be kept in dark containers.

KEEP IT WELL LIDDED: Beyond the color or transparency of the recipient, the most important aspect is to keep the product well lidded in order to preserve olive oil’s tastiness and health benefits.