Episkopi Olive Mill Rethymno Crete - Bervanakis - Olive Oil Trade

THE DECALOGUE OF QUALITY OLIVE OIL
According to the Olive Oil Organoleptic Evaluation Laboratory of A.S. Rethymnon

Olive oil is a natural juice and its high quality is directly linked to the practices applied from the olive grove to the pressing and also from the storage conditions to its standardization.

In our laboratory, seeking to eliminate the main quality problems encountered in the samples we evaluate, but also to an even higher quality olive oil overall, (with particularly positive characteristics and without organoleptic or other problems), we developed together with our partners the following simple but basic instructions.

1. We keep our olive grove in balance by applying proper cultivation care at the right time (pruning, fertilizing, irrigation, disease and weed control), to ensure healthy trees, quality olive fruit without contamination and a balanced environment.

2. We only use formulations approved for olive cultivation, keeping to the minimum times and avoiding any contamination, while protecting our precious environment.

3. We plan the harvest when the olive fruit is at an appropriate stage of ripening (avoid being overripe) and with special care so as not to be injured by the sticks, on the olive collection nets, etc. We avoid using a chainsaw at the same time as the harvest, so as not to have contamination from mineral oils in the olive oil.

4. To transport the olive fruit to the olive mill, we use certified and clean crates or jute sacks (NEVER plastic sacks). Ideally, we make sure that the extraction is done on the same day.

5. At the oil mill, we insist on a. meticulous daily cleaning in all production stages (defoliators, washer, crusher, softeners, decanter, separators and piping), b. low temperatures in all stages from the conditioners to the separators (ideally up to 27°C), c. correct kneading time (maximum 45 minutes, depending on the olive variety and stage of ripening), d. avoiding adding water to the crusher and the kneaders, unless absolutely necessary.

6. We take care of the careful handling of the different batches of olive oil in the olive mill, to avoid any degradation due to mixing with another batch of lower quality or a different organoleptic profile.

7. We ALWAYS store our precious olive oil in clean, stainless tanks, without odors or residues of previous batches (mourgas), and in controlled conditions (temperatures below 20°C if possible and the tanks always remain full or we use inert gas ) to avoid oxidation and quality degradation.

8. Ideally, we seek to filter our olive oil as soon as possible, so that its quality is not degraded by moisture and solid residues of the production process.

9. We make sure that an analysis of quality characteristics (organoleptic / chemical) is carried out on each batch of olive oil BEFORE mixing it with others or standardizing it.

10. We ALWAYS control the main degradation factors at all stages of production and management of our olive oil, which are temperature, light, oxygen, humidity and time

In accordance with the current legislation of the International Olive Council and the E.U. (Reg. EEC 2568/91 and its amendments), the organoleptic evaluation of olive oil:
♦ is a mandatory quality criterion
♦ it cannot be replaced by any chemical analysis and is equally important, for the correct classification of the olive oil in one of the categories: Extra Virgin - Virgin - Industrial / Disadvantageous
♦ helps us to detect any incorrect handling during the cultivation, harvesting, pressing, storage and in general management of the olive fruit and olive oil, so that appropriate instructions can be given to avoid them in subsequent batches.