WHAT MAKES BERTOLLI A GREAT QUALITY OLIVE OIL?
The Recipe is Simple
1. 150 YEAR OF EXPERTISE
We have perfected our oil over the years and remain committed to learn from mother nature day after day.
It all started in 1865 when Francesco Bertolli and his wife, Caterina, began selling wine, cheese, olives and—of course—olive oil in Toscana. Their local store in Lucca was a success because they focused on only selling the highest-quality products. Fast-forward more than a century, you’ll find that the Bertolli brand has found continued success by keeping quality as their focus. Years of research and testing have helped them fine-tune the process of sampling, blending, bottling and shipping the best olive oils to consumers around the world. Our expertise gives us the opportunity to be the best.
2. OLDER TREES, DEEPER ROOTS
Bertolli embrace tradition and supports local farming.
We respect nature, thats why many of our orchards works with have trees that are over 100 years old. In order to successfully harvest olives from the same land year after year, it’s important to respect the natural cycle of the olive tree. The careful consideration that goes into the way the trees are treated allows farmers to rely on them in the future.
3. ORGANIC MEANS ORGANIC
From the olive’s growing process, to the pressing in the mill, to the bottling, no artificial chemicals or pesticides are used.
The term “organic” is a buzzword often heard in the food industry. But what exactly does it mean when you pick up a bottle of olive oil with the word organic stamped on the label? Quality organic olive oil means abiding by strictly regulated practices that guarantee there’s been no use of pesticides, chemicals, synthetic fertilizers or artificial compounds. This begins with the farm. We visit hundreds of olive farmers around the world and samples thousands of oils before creating a perfect signature blend. When partnering with organic olive oil suppliers, we work with the orchards and production process to ensure that regulations for organic farms are being followed.
4. BETTER SOIL, BETTER OIL
Soil impacts the quality and flavor of the olives. That´s why we work with farmers to ensure the olives are grown in quality soil that delivers quality oil.
Weather and harvest conditions aren’t the only things that can affect the quality of olives grown for olive oil, and the Mediterranean soil have the best nutrients to grow olive trees. The type of soil has the power to influence the quality and flavor of the fruit. In fact, two olives of the same variety can be grown under the same conditions but with different soil, and the result will be olives with different characteristics. We collaborate closely with farmers to ensure that all the olives used in their oils are grown in high-quality soil and that the vegetal ground cover — plants that protect the soil — is preserved to ensure a healthy growing environment for the trees.
5. BETTER OLIVES, BETTER OIL
Out of more than 600 olive varieties, we have chosen 11 of the best to delight your taste buds.
We follow a different path, using only the best olives for our oil and harvesting them before peak ripeness to ensure a brighter, fruitier oil with higher levels of antioxidants and polyphenols. With more than 600 olive varieties grown around the world, there are a lot of options to choose from when creating our olive oils. Throughout the year, we use at least 11 varieties in our blends that we believe are some of the best in the world. Here are our olive picks: Hojiblanca, Picual, Cornicabra, Arbequina, Picudo, Cobrançosa, Koroneiki, Athinolia, Coratina, Frantoio and Ogliarola. And the most used varieties in our blend are: Hojiblanca, Coratina, Arbequina, Koroneiki and Picual.
6. LESS ACIDITY, BETTER OIL
A low level of fatty acids generally indicates a better olive oil. By carefully picking great quality olives, we deliver less than 0,3% acidity level in every bottle.
In order for olive oil to have less than 0.3 percent free fatty acids, it must be made from the best quality olives and benefit from a state-of-the art production process. Of course, our olive oils contain less than 0.3 percent free fatty acids, meaning we only use oils pressed from the best olives, and with the highest production standards. Measuring free fatty acids is a highly technical way to measure quality, but Bertolli leaves nothing to chance in its uncompromising selection process.
7. PICKED EARLY, FRESHLY PRESSED
A low level of fatty acids generally indicates a better olive oil. By carefully picking great quality olives, we deliver less than 0,3% acidity level in every bottle.
In order for olive oil to have less than 0.3 percent free fatty acids, it must be made from the best quality olives and benefit from a state-of-the art production process. Of course, our olive oils contain less than 0.3 percent free fatty acids, meaning we only use oils pressed from the best olives, and with the highest production standards. Measuring free fatty acids is a highly technical way to measure quality, but Bertolli leaves nothing to chance in its uncompromising selection process.
8. ONE SINGLE INGREDIENT
Olives, olives and only olives. We believe that making olive oil should be simple, clean and pure. That´s the way we´ve been doing it for 150 years.
Like many single-ingredient foods, olive oil is supposed to have just one ingredient that comes from a single source (spoiler alert: it’s olives). Like orange juice comes from oranges and peanut butter comes from peanuts, olive oil should only come from olives. We have our own set of standards above industry-grade that makes sure everything that ends up in a bottle of Bertolli is nothing but the best. With internal standards stricter than legal requirements, we perform multiple site visits to ensure the mills are following procedures that will stop contaminants from entering the pressing process. Creating a single-ingredient food product doesn’t leave room for pesky contaminants or adulterated oil, and going the extra mile (literally!) is one of the ways we are able to offer high-quality extra virgin olive oil throughout the year and around the globe. After all, when you’re only working with one ingredient, it has to be the best!
A QUALITY OLIVE OIL
That’s why Bertolli became a pioneer brand in the export of oil to the US and other countries, because their quality. And our quality is the Currently, Bertolli is the number one brand of olive oil in the world.