Are All Expeller Pressed Oils Also Non-GMO?

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

Expeller Pressed vs. Non-GMO: these two traits are interrelated and a common point of discussion. Is expeller pressed oil automatically non-GMO? Is all non-GMO automatically expeller pressed? To help with a bit of the confusion we will break down some helpful information to find out truly whether or not it your oil is just expeller pressed or non-GMO — and what the difference really is.

Continue Reading

Is Buying Wholesale Oil For Home or Small Business Use Smart?

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

If you use a lot of olive oil for your home kitchen or small business, you may wonder how you can save money by buying it wholesale. Here are some thoughts on why buying wholesale could be a better option than just buying a new retail bottle every time you are out of oil.

We firmly believe — if you are using enough — you should buy your olive oil by the gallon or in 35 Lb. Containers.

Continue Reading

Facts About Olive Oil

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

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.

Continue Reading

Organic Olive Oil vs. Other Olive Oil Grades

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

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.

Continue Reading

Is My Cloudy Olive Oil Bad?

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

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.

Continue Reading

7 Basics You Should Know About Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

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.

Continue Reading

Is There Really A Low Fat Olive Oil?

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

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.

Continue Reading

Why Manufacturers Are Choosing An Canola & Olive Blend

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

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?

Continue Reading

Desirable and Undesirable Adjectives You Might Find When Tasting Oils

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

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!

Continue Reading

What Is Expeller Pressed Olive Oil?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

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.

Continue Reading

Is Organic Olive Oil Really That Different Than Regular Olive Oil?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

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.

Continue Reading

The Health Benefits of Olive Oil

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Olive oil is touted all over the world as a healthy, good-for-you oil.  Benefits range from the prevention of cancer, heart disease and diabetes to lowering blood pressure to reducing levels of obesity.  They go on and on from there.

So what exactly is it in olive oil that makes it so healthy?  Well, there's a number of chemical components that do your body good.  

But first it's important to understand which type of olive oil you should be eating to get all of these benefits.

Continue Reading

5 Infographics All About Olive Oil

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Want to learn about olive oil?  Today, I've gathered a few infographics allowing you to peruse some fun facts on this "liquid gold".

Continue Reading

Is Olive Oil Non-GMO / GMO Free / Without GMOs?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Is olive oil non-GMO? This is one of the most common questions we get about olive oil, and I thought I’d address this one again.

Continue Reading

Do Different Regions Produce Unique Olive Oil Flavors?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

You walk into a gourmet olive oil store: in front of you, there is Spanish olive oil, there’s Greek olive oil, and there’s Italian olive oil — along with oil from about about 20 other countries. So what is it about each of these regions that gives the olives their particular flavor?

Let me ask the question a different way… If you cut an olive tree in half, roots and all, and took 1/2 to Spain and 1/2 to Greece, would the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, once produced, taste different?

This musing probes at the root of a bigger question: why do particular olive growing regions have distinctive flavors of EVOO? Why is the classic Spanish EVOO peppery? Why does Tunisian EVOO taste buttery?

Continue Reading