How It's Made

We pride ourselves for making high quality, affordable extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oils are very different from refined grades of olive oil – such as “light” or “pure” oils – which are made using excessive heat or chemicals which alter the taste and quality of olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil, by contrast, essentially is freshly pressed fruit juice. We crush the olives and extract the oil using only mechanical methods, never using any high heat or solvents. All of our oils at California Olive Ranch are certified extra virgin by Applied Sensory, passing both rigid chemical and sensory evaluations. Our extra virgin olive oils are also verified non-GMO by the Non-GMO Project, as well as certified kosher by Orthodox Union. Our California Reserve Collection, which features exclusively California extra virgin olive oil, also carries the Olive Oil Commission of California (OOCC) seal.

1. Milling

2. Olives

Harvested olives are transported to the mill in gondolas within hours of harvest to ensure the freshest olive oil possible. Once at the mill, the olives are emptied into hoppers and sent on a conveyor to the sorter where branches and leaves are removed.

3. Crushing

Olives are crushed by a hammer mill into what looks like an oatmeal paste.

4. Malaxing

The olive paste is then malaxed or “relaxed” by slowly churning or mixing without the addition of heat which could alter the taste and quality of the olive oil and keep it from being designated “extra virgin.” This stage of the process allows oil to begin releasing from the fruit and separate more easily.

5. Decanter Centrifuge

Once the oil begins to separate from the paste, it is transferred into the first separator, separating solids from liquids. Solids are separated, which we call pomace, going on to become animal feed.