Olive Oil
Negotiable /Twenty-Foot Container
Min.Order:1 Twenty-Foot Container
Natural Exports New Zealand Limited
The Village Press produces single cultivar, first press, cold press, unfiltered, additive-free, kosher and halal-certified, extra virgin olive oils. They grow, harvest, press, bottle, label, market and distribute our olive oil and avocado oil products throughout New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Canada, the UK, the US and South America.
The olives are harvested from a single variety of tree (for example the Barnea tree – an Israeli variety) from a single location (grove) and pressed together to retain the distinctive characteristics of the terroir in which the grove is situated.
The oil is produced by pressing the olives once, and only once. Other producers may take oil from a second and third pressing or use chemical solvents to extract yet further quantities of oil from the ‘press-cake’ or ‘paste’ (the olive skins and stones). Oil from second and subsequent olive pressings is inferior to that from the first.
The olives and olive oil never reach a temperature above 28°C during the whole process from picking through to bottling. In the centrifugal press, olives are crushed and a maximum water heat of 28°C is used to assist oil extraction earning the acclaimed status of ‘cold-pressed’. This means The Village Press olive oil retains all the nutritional values highly prized with olive oil of this calibre.
Unlike the often highly refined olive oils found in many supermarkets, The Village Press olive oil is not filtered. The slightly cloudy appearance means the oil still contains traces of the olive flesh (seen as sediment) and all the goodness and taste of the olive fruit is captured and retained adding to the enjoyment and nutritional richness of this spectacular olive oil, which contains high levels of antioxidants.
By additive-free we mean no chemicals or additives are introduced at any point during the pressing process – our oils are unadulterated. Olives are picked, leaves and stalks removed, gently washed, pulverized (stone and all). They are then stirred and spun in a centrifuge at low temperatures until the paste separates into a green-golden oil, which is collected and stored before bottling.
The pressing process is regularly inspected and certified as meeting Kosher and Halal certification standards.
Extra virgin means The Village Press olive oil adheres to international criteria for permissible oleic acid levels, the presence or absence of phenolics (which benefit cardiovascular health), taste characteristics and other descriptors. To qualify as extra virgin our olive oil must have an oleic acid content of 0–0.8 per cent. Typically, The Village Press oils score 0.1–0.2%.
Wastewater is recycled, and the press-cake or residual olive paste is made into supplementary stock feed or mulched and composted for use in olive groves or vineyards.
Olive oil is best stored out of direct sunlight in a cool, dark place. This is why The Village Press olive oil is presented in stylish dark bottles, which helps deflect ultra violet rays that can break down the oil and destroy its health-giving properties.
To further ensure The Village Press olive oil is enjoyed at its optimum quality, every bottle is stamped with a pressing date. Unlike wine, olive oil does not improve in the bottle. Buyers will know for certain (by checking the pressing date on the backs of our bottles) that The Village Press olive oil is always fresh and pure with a distinctive taste and texture like no other.