Olive growing

“The olive harvest and pressing is one of my fondest childhood memories at la Fattoria. My brother, sister and I would all hurry to the building which is now known as the Bottega del Mulino. The mill was located here. We savored delicious slices of toasted bread, dripping with bitter, fresh, green olive oil, like the most stunning emerald.”

Faye

Respect for traditions

Planted among our vines, our olive groves stretch across almost forty-five hectares, that is 8,000 plants of the following varieties: Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino and Pendolino.

Just like during Antiquity, olive trees protect the vines and the vines protect the olive trees. Most of the trees are more than one hundred years old but some of them have had to be replanted.

Thriving in the Mediterranean climate, olive trees can live a long time – some have been known to live 1,500 years! – . However, in 1985, Tuscany witnessed exceptional, deadly frosts which forced us to replace some of the trees.

We put just as much love and passion into producing our oils as we do for our wines. Olive trees flower in spring and the olives are harvested in fall.

The olive harvest is always done by hand, only during the day and never in the rain, from mid-October to the end of November.

Stay - Participate in the olive harvest

The Fattoria Lavacchio offers you an all-inclusive stay on the olive and its transformation into oil where you will participate in the life of the olive grove.

Our secret: harvesting and pressing on the same day

We cold-press our olives in a state-of-the-art mill. Our secret is to press the olives and filter the oil on the day of the harvest, to guarantee the highest possible quality. The whole process takes place in a controlled atmosphere, enabling us to safeguard the oil from any impurities, while extracting three to four times more antioxidants (including vitamin E, polyphenols, etc.). These antioxidants determine the aging capacity and improve the oil’s characteristics.

The process always takes place in the same way. First, the leaves are removed and the olives are washed and ground at a temperature of 27°C to obtain a creamy paste allowing for extraction. This phase lasts around forty minutes. Then comes the kneading stage, which is done at a controlled temperature of 20° for 15 to 30 minutes. The last separation phase involves two different steps using a centrifuge. The first separation is done horizontally to split the solids from the liquids, while the second is done vertically to separate the oil from the water and from any remaining impurities.

This system enables the nutritional and taste values of our oils to be preserved. They are rich in vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant), Omega 3, 6 and 9 (to safeguard against cardio-vascular disease and diabetes in particular). The gentle pressure applied ensures that all the polyphenols present in the fruit are extracted.

Each tree produces 12 kg of olives per season on average. The percentage of oil produced from the olives can vary from year to year, but it is generally lower than 15%, that is 1.5 liters of olive oil per tree.

Adopt an Olive Tree !

Adopting an olive tree in our family estate and certified organic farming, is to have the privilege of receiving all year round an exceptional olive oil…

Olive Camp

A real immersion in the making of our extra virgin olive oil.

Excellent oils for every taste

Green olives, picked at the start of the harvest, have a low yield but possess a higher concentration of aroma and color. Ripe olives, meanwhile, picked at the end of the season, offer a higher oil yield and a sweeter flavor than olives picked when less ripe. That’s why we decided to divide the oils into 3 different categories, which corresponded to the 3 stages of olive ripeness.

Our three different oils all possess the same nutritional qualities and only their flavor varies according to when the olives were harvested and pressed. Some, such as Laudemio, are slightly more bitter and perfect when consumed raw, while extra virgin for example, is ideal for cooking with.

If you wish to become an olive oil expert or simply satisfy your curiosity, we hold yearly Oil Camps for all those wishing to discover our exceptional way of life and to get a real idea of what goes into making an exceptional bottle of oil. Don’t wait, give into temptation with these Tuscan grands crus !

Si vous voulez devenir un expert de l’huile d’olives ou, tout simplement satisfaire votre curiosité, nous organisons, chaque année, des « Oil Camps » ouverts à ceux qui veulent découvrir notre mode de vie et avoir une vraie idée de ce que nécessite  une bouteille d’huile d’olive d’exception. N’hésitez pas, fondez pour ces grands crus de Toscane !

La Laudemio
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La Toscana - igp
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L'Italiana - Extra Virgin
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Condimento Agrodolce
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