Why Our Olive Oil is Like a Fine Wine

Just like the beloved beverage derived from grapes, not all olive oil is produced or priced equally.

We often get asked how we price our ultra premium, single varietal olive oils, and why some cost more than others. There are many factors that can lead to the pricing of oils:

1. Labor and Infrastructure: For example, California does not have the history and infrastructure other countries have for massive olive oil production, and labor costs are higher than other countries, making it more costly to produce olive oil in California.

2. Exceptional Oil: There are certain producers who are considered to be experts in olive oil production, that produce single estate, award winning olive oils.

3. Small Production: Small producers have higher costs in production. Sicilian Nocellara and Biancolilla is from a very small producer, who makes exceptional oil, but not a whole lot of it.

4. Small Yield Harvest: If a crop of olives is not as large as anticipated, or is plagued by rain, the yield of olives for production is lower, and the price of olive oil will become higher.

5. Organic Supervision and Labeling: While our producers practice organic methods of growing olives, most do not want to pay for the Organic Labeling because it is so expensive. By having the Organic Labeling, producers will have to incorporate those costs into the olive oil pricing.

While there are many factors that drive pricing of olive oils, it doesn’t have to be $50.00 a bottle to be excellent. Our Hojiblanca and Picual have routinely won high awards for quality and taste. They are created by an excellent producer with their own mill, which makes it more economical to produce these oils. Yet these oils will out class many more expensive oils.

The key is to buy what you like and let us help you find the perfect olive oil to complement and enhance your dishes!