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WHAT IS FIRST COLD PRESSED OLIVE OIL?

We find this can be a confusing and archaic term for our customers. First cold pressed refers to the first run of a batch of olives through a traditional mill that used a series of stacked woven mats to extract oil. During this process no extreme heat was applied to the fruit. The resulting oil once separated from the pit, flesh, and water was considered first cold pressed. A second pressing of oil was possible from this waste material (pumice) by applying high heat and running it through the mill again.

At McEvoy Ranch, we use a decanter to extract our oil and not a press, so we have “first cold extracted” or “first cold processed” olive oil. The modern decanter is both cleaner and more efficient than the press, creating an extra virgin olive oil that retains the flavor attributes of the olive it came from.