Olive Milling: What Is It? Meaning and Process

The olive milling phase is an important and delicate stage in the process of obtaining extra virgin olive oil and requires great care to be performed correctly. In this article, we will discuss this specific step and how to carry it out professionally in order to obtain the best possible raw oil and avoid errors that could compromise the quality of the desired final result: an excellent extra virgin olive oil. Read on!

What Is Olive Milling

Let’s discover the olive milling phase. In this stage, the freshly harvested olives are transported to the mill where, depending on the method used by the mill, they undergo milling or crushing, which essentially refer to the same step. We speak of milling when the olives undergo a “pressing” process through grinding achieved by granite millstones, much like in the past, where oxen or horses pulled the heavy stones, whereas today they are electrically powered.

It is a different matter, however, for crushing, where the raw oil is produced by metal crushers specifically designed for the purpose.

Olive Milling Process

The olive milling process begins, as mentioned, with the transport of the olives to the mill. At Contedoro, we focus heavily on the precise organization of the harvest day, so that the olives can be transported to the mill within the day to be pressed fresh. This delicate step is of vital importance to prevent the olives from losing the properties that distinguish them and make an extra virgin olive oil special.

Let’s see how the olive pressing process continues.

Phase 1 – Washing and Defoliation of the Olives

This first step consists of washing (with potable water) and cleaning the olives of leaves or twigs that remained attached to the fruit during harvesting. During this step, at Contedoro, a team of agronomist tasters who follow the entire extra virgin olive oil production chain removes olives with evident defects from the machinery that could jeopardize the high quality of the final product.

Phase 2 – Olive Milling, also known as “Olive Crushing or Pressing”

Finally, the olives move toward the millstones or crushers for what will be the first real step in obtaining EVOO, where the so-called olive paste is obtained—the first extract of skins, pulp, and pits of the freshly ground olives.

Regarding this particularly delicate phase, there is a very important consideration to be made that also affects the olive yield.

Many mills with modern systems for obtaining extra virgin olive oil prefer to use so-called hot extraction, which allows for a larger quantity of oil in a much shorter time. This method of extra virgin olive oil extraction, however, compromises the beneficial properties of the olives as it uses a heating mechanism that alters the properties of the fruit and, consequently, negatively affects the quality of the extra virgin olive oil. Conversely, cold extraction is the preferred olive pressing method for those aiming to obtain a high-quality extra virgin olive oil. In fact, it is the method that has always been used at Contedoro, where the sole objective is to obtain a superior quality extra virgin olive oil; thanks to this method, it is possible to preserve all the aromas, antioxidants, and organoleptic properties of the oil.

Phase 3 – Oil Packaging

Therefore, following the grinding and crushing of the olives, the freshly pressed oil moves toward the packaging phase, which we will not cover in this article but in others on our blog. We will simply say that this phase is also delicate and requires attention to obtain an excellent extra virgin olive oil. Some of the aspects to be respected include storage in dark places away from light sources, a stable and possibly controlled temperature, and finally correct bottling, avoiding leaving the oil in contact with oxygen (its sworn enemy).

Olive Crushing: Conclusions

In conclusion of this article on this delicate oil production phase known as olive milling or crushing, we can state that the process of obtaining a good EVOO cannot ignore a careful olive grinding phase which, if carried out correctly, allows for a high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

For any information regarding this or for questions concerning extra virgin olive oil, contact us or write to us; we will be happy to answer your questions!