Free shipping on all orders! Contacts 0 Home Who we are Products Quality and Sustainability Magazine THE RITE OF THE OLIVE HARVEST Millennial Mediterranean tradition Since ancient times, every year in autumn the ritual of olive harvesting has been renewed throughout the Italian territory. Patience and effort are essential in this important phase, in which olive growers, workers and enthusiasts are engaged in the harvesting of every single olive. Here we tell you the various facets of this process, to discover together many curiosities on the subject. The degree of ripeness of the olives The first aspect to take into consideration is the time of harvest linked to the degree of ripeness of the olive. According to the chromatic difference, the oil that will be obtained by pressing the fruit changes. In the initial phase of October, we speak of the Herbaceous Stadium . The olive has not reached full ripeness, has a green color and is rich in chlorophyll. From these olives an oil is obtained with many antioxidant substances, with a fruity herbaceous taste with a pleasant spicy note. The second phase corresponds to Veraison and Complete Maturation . During this period, the olives changed their color, becoming purplish and reached the right ripeness. The oil will have a sweeter taste and a delicate scent. In the last phase the olive reaches the defined stage of Over Ripening . The drupe has reached a dark color and is loaded with oil. By pressing these olives, an oil with a less intense flavor and a lower quality is obtained. The collection methods There are also many methods of olive harvesting, which have evolved over the years. The oldest method is the hand harvest, called Brucatura . Method used since the dawn. A slow and tiring process that requires a lot of manpower, but allows you to carefully select the olives. To manual harvesting, instrumental supports such as "rakes" have been added to allow for a more agile and faster harvest. In this case we speak of combing . The branches of the trees are combed with rakes and the olives fall on the net spread out on the ground. Another very ancient method is the Bacchiatura. In the case of trees that are too large, long sticks have been used for many centuries to drop the olives on the large nets under the canopy of the trees. Today, harvesting with increasingly advanced tools, calibrated on respect for plants, is very widespread. In the phase in which the olives reach the state of maturation supra, also adopt the harvesting techniques defined raccattatura and Scrollatura . The drupe is less tied, so the harvesting method can be used, i.e. the overripe olives fall from the branches without any external stimulus and are collected on the ground. The shaking method is different, the olives are harvested with special machines that shake the trunk of the olive tree, letting the fruits fall on the net. The olive harvest is therefore a moment of sharing that has been handed down since ancient times. A ritual that takes place both in the farms according to different harvesting methods depending on the cultivar and the quality of the oil to be obtained at the end of the process; but also in Mediterranean family contexts that have small olive groves, where the joy of the olive harvesting ritual is renewed. View all articles Home Our history Our philosophy The territory Magazine La Nostra Produzione Il Nostro Shop Processo Produttivo Qualità e Certificazioni Sostenibilità e Green Energy Condizioni di Vendita Spedizioni Pagamenti Returns and Refunds Contact us © 2021 Olio Levante srl. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy VAT No. IT 06450550725