HARVESTING   The olive harvest occurs every year when the olives achieve their maximum weight, gently ripened and plump with oil. Olives are harvested by many means, from hand-picking to automated processes; the most appropriate harvest technique is used for each individual grove. Olives are collected in nets spread beneath the olive trees, and are taken to the mill the same day they are picked.

  CRUSHING   Within 24 hours of harvest, the olives are taken to a mill for pressing. At the mill, an olive paste is created by crushing the whole fruit; the paste is then pressed again to release the oil. (This process requires no heat, and is thus called "cold-pressing.") After undergoing a natural filtration process to remove sediment and water, the oil is ready for the next step: selecting.

  SELECTING   takes place after Filippo Berio Olive Oil Masters receive samples from the finest olive producing areas in Italy and throughout the Mediterranean. Only the best oils are selected — the "cream of the crop." After the final selections are made, the oils are ready to be tasted.

  TASTING   is performed by Filippo Berio's panel of Olive Oil Masters, each of whom has decades of experience. The Masters taste and classify each oil according to its nuances and subtleties, and determine which is worthy of the Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil status. The Masters also decide which oils are destined to be refined and blended to represent the Filippo Berio Olive Oil and Extra Light Olive Oil.

  ANALYZING   is conducted throughout the olive oil production process to ensure authenticity, quality, and purity of all Filippo Berio olive oils. This stringent analysis is conducted according to standards set by the European Economic Community and the International Olive Oil Council.

  REFINING   is the step that perfects both Olive Oil and Extra Light Olive Oil. Both oils are carefully refined, and then blended with Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil (a small amount for Olive Oil; a very small amount for Extra Light Olive Oil) to achieve the appropriate color, taste, aroma and other characteristics associated with each variety.

  BLENDING   ensures that each Filippo Berio olive oil exhibits its own unique set of tastes and characteristics. This step of the production process, wherein oils with distinctive flavor notes (fruity, sweet, bitter, peppery) are blended to achieve perfect harmony, is truly an art form — an art that makes Filippo Berio blenders famous around the world.

  PACKING   is our final step. Before the olive oil is exported it is packaged in glass, tin or plastic through a completely automated and strictly controlled process to ensure the purity of all oils.