The Harvest: Timing is Everything
The journey begins in the groves. We grow a blend of seven Italian varieties, including Frantoio, Leccino, Pendolino, Moraiolo, Coratina, Leccio del Corno, and Maurino, which give our olive oil its signature Tuscan style peppery finish.
We harvest our olives while they are still green or just turning "invaiatura" (the stage where they transition from green to purple). While ripe olives yield more olive oil, green olives provide those vibrant, grassy notes and high polyphenol counts that in part defines high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
The Race to the Mill
Oxidation is the enemy of quality. To ensure the freshest flavor possible, we aim to get our olives from the tree to the mill in under 24 hours. As soon as the olives are harvested by the farm team using specialized mechanical hand-held comb harvesters, the race begins to bring the bins full of fresh olives to the Rapanelli mill, located in the heart of the Ranch, for immediate milling.
Cleaning and Crushing
The olives are thoroughly cleaned with a powerful de-leafer removing any stray twigs or leaves, and the fruit is washed in cool, filtered water.
From there, the whole olives, pits and all, are crushed into a thick, fragrant paste. We use a hammer mill to break down the fruit cells, releasing the tiny droplets of olive oil tucked inside.
The Agrumato Method: Fusing Flavor at the Source
While most flavored oils are made by adding extracts to finished oil, we specialize in the traditional Italian Agrumato Method for our flavorful blends.
For our Organic Lemon Olive Oil, we take whole, organic lemons and crush them simultaneously with our organic olives in the mill. By milling the fruit together, the essential oils from the lemon rinds fuse perfectly with the fresh olive oil. This creates a bright, integrated flavor that is far more complex and vibrant than a simple infusion.
Malaxation: The Slow Churn
This is the most aromatic part of the process. The olive paste enters the malaxer, where it is slowly stirred for about 30 to 45 minutes. This gentle churning allows the smaller olive oil droplets to congregate into larger ones.
At McEvoy Ranch, we keep the temperature of the paste below 75°F. Keeping it cool preserves the delicate antioxidants and prevents the olive oil from losing its complex flavor profile.
The Horizontal Centrifuge: Separation
Next, the paste enters a horizontal centrifuge (the decanter). By spinning at high speeds, the machine separates the solid pomace and water from the precious olive oil.
The Vertical Centrifuge
Lastly, the oil travels through one more separator to wick away the last droplets of water out of the oil. What emerges from the vertical separator is a vibrant, neon green stream of fresh olive oil. It is a sight and a smell that never gets old.
Settling and Bottling
Our olive oil is allowed to settle in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. This natural settling process lets any remaining fruit particles drop to the bottom, ensuring a clear, beautiful pour without the need for heavy filtration that might strip away flavor.
Experience the Mill for Yourself
There is nothing quite like tasting olive oil that was still on the tree just hours prior. If you want to see this process in action, we invite you to join us for a Mill Tour. You'll get to walk the groves, see the Rapanelli mill up close, and, most importantly, taste the difference that organic, estate-grown milling makes.
Want to bring the ranch home? Shop our latest harvest here.
