Bulk Edible Oil Blog

Today, we’ll go over some basics facts anyone in the natural food industry should know about olive oil.

At times, we may not take some of these facts into consideration — like that there is a shelf life for olive oil, and though it’s rather long, it’s not something that gets better with age like wine. Or that it does have some great health benefits (plus so much more).

If you deal with bulk oil in your job, these are some good things to keep into mind. Let’s dive in on some of these facts.

How is organic extra virgin olive oil different than each of the other grades of olive oil? Today we will explain the difference between organic and regular extra virgin olive oil, as well as the difference between organic extra virgin and some of the other olive oil grades like Pure, Refined and Pomace.

Have you ever had olive oil arrive to your home and it looks cloudy? Or perhaps you’ve pulled your olive oil out of a cold cabinet or garage, and seen the same thing?

You may ask yourself: Is this bad? Great question, and a common one, to boot.

The answer is simple: No, it is not bad. Have no fear, the oil has just simply solidified, which is a completely natural process that happens in the cold.

Here is a step by step guide for thawing out your oil whether you’re at home, in a small manufacturing facility, restaurant or commercial kitchen.

We talk a lot about the different grades of olive oil: how they’re made, what they’re used for. But, it’s been a while since we talked about Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in particular. Sometimes, organic EVOO seems so straight forward that it’s easy to glance over.

This week, I’d like to bring it back to this classic, premium (and my personal favorite) oil. Here’s some basics about Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil that you should know.

Across the board, are ALL oils really that different when you compare the organic vs. the non-organic versions of them? Is organic extra virgin olive oil that different from regular extra virgin olive oil, or organic canola oil that different than regular canola oil?

The answer really depends on the oil, and requires that we dive a little deeper.

Is there such a thing as “light” olive oil? To answer this question, you have to start with defining which type of “light” you are referring to.

Olive oil described as “light” does not mean that it is a low fat oil. What makes it a “light” oil is actually the particular grade of oil: “Extra Light Olive Oil”, “Light-Tasting Olive Oil”, “Extra Lite Tasting Olive Oil”. All of those terms refer to the type of oil inside, not that it is low fat.

Why would a natural food manufacturer choose something other than Extra Virgin Olive Oil? Especially something like a blend — a mix of EVOO and other milder oils like canola, soybean, or sunflower?

If you are in the food manufacturing world, you will understand that there’s a lot at play when it comes to these decisions: it’s not just about consumer perception and which oil is the highest quality. It’s also about the taste profile of the oil and how it affects your final product. It’s about about the price of your ingredients, and about quality certifications available (like Non-GMO Project Verified or Organic Certified). There’s a lot of things at play!

So why do some manufacturers opt for a blend of olive oil and canola, or olive oil and sunflower, over something like 100% Extra Virgin?

Ever feel like when you are tasting Extra Virgin Olive Oil you can taste certain flavors hiding within it? Things like grass, pepper, butter, cucumber, tomato or other flavors are common to taste in different types of EVOO. That is, if you know what flavors to look for!

Looking for an an expeller pressed olive oil? We get this question every once in a while, and I thought it would be worth answering today. While this may seem like it deserves a simple answer, this question can throw some oil industry professionals off because it is the combination of two terms that are not usually used together.

If you’re struggling to find an expeller pressed olive oil, it may be because you’re using terms that aren’t synonymous with what you’re looking for.

What’s the difference between organic olive oil and regular, plain old olive oil? A lot more than you may think!

The key here is knowing your descriptive terms on the label (or within the oil name), and understanding which terms actually denote different quality grades. When reviewing the differences between organic oil and regular oil, it’s important to know that you’re not just comparing if the oil was grown organically or not — most often, you’re also comparing two different olive oil grades that have been produced in completely different ways.