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.

With non-GMO oil trends continuing to grow, it’s important to understand the difference between the oils that are naturally non-GMO and which ones have GMOs in them that you will specifically need to avoid.

When you are doing your research you want to make sure that the oil has all the necessary QA certifications in place. For example, if you need to verify your finished product with the Non-GMO Project, you’ll need to look for only Non-GMO Project Verified oils — but only for the high risk or commonly GMO oils. Focusing on that will help you make sure the oils you get are truly non-GMO.

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.

When someone asks what you do for a living, do you get the usual response, “Oh you work with food, that sounds fun?” They wouldn’t be wrong — working in the food manufacturing world can be very fun and interesting.

There are so many reasons to love your food-industry job. Depending on what you do, there’s many reasons why: one example is that you can be on the forefront of up-and-coming trends in the food world that no one knows about. Other people love that there are many hands-on jobs where you get to make real, tangible products.

Do you ever find yourself wondering how olive pomace oil is made? Did you know it is the lowest grade of olive oil?

Olive pomace oil isn’t made like the other grades of olive oil. Today, I’ll go through an overview of the step-by-step process, which will help you understand how it’s made, so you can decide if it is the right fit for you and your company.

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.

When looking to purchase bulk oil — olive oil, or any other oils for that matter — it is important to understand that each different supplier is going to have a minimum order. Distributors, for example may have a smaller minimum order like a few cases or a $200 minimum. Large manufacturers, on the other hand, will have a larger minimum order.

This “minimum order” information is good to know as you are doing your supplier analysis; it will tell you how much capitol you’ll be required to invest in inventory at one time and help you weigh out if it’s too much inventory for you to hold and use over time.

Do you think that showing at a trade show would be beneficial for your company? Do you also find yourself not knowing where to start?

Olive oil shelf life is truly a important thing we need to be aware of. Every distributor may have a different answer for you in regards to how long they suggest olive oil to last for. As for Centra Foods, our oils have a shelf life of 2 years (or 24 months) which is based on the date of manufacturing.

Here’s more about what you need to know about the shelf life of olive oil and why it’s so variable.

There are lots of different ways you can dispense oil from bulk packaging. Most options will require some sort of dispensing system. As you are comparing bulk packaging options, it’s always helpful to understand how you well get your oil out once it is in your facility.

In this article, you will find out how to dispense from the three most common bulk oil packaging options (35 Lb. Containers, Drums and Totes) whether you are pumping into smaller bottles or if the oil is being used as a batch in your food manufacturing.

These different options are all machine-free, low-cost, easy to use, and take up practically no facility space.

Are you wondering if you can use a drum pump in both steel and plastic drums? Well, the answer is yes! And even better, you can use the same pump in both types of drums.

Let me break down for you how easy it is to use.

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.

Do you live somewhere where it is cold out? In the wintertime, does your olive oil become a thick, buttery consistency?

Dispensing from a 275 Gallon Tote can be daunting if you’ve never done it before. With the right dispensing attachments, it’s really quite easy!

Many companies opt to buy bulk oil totes and need these dispensers. Whether you’re filling smaller bottles from totes to save money, or if you are using these bulk totes in your manufacturing production, we can provide an easy way for you to dispense out of them.

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!