I know what today REALLY is… a prep day for the holiday tomorrow! With that in mind, I’ve compiled a bunch of delicious recipes using olive oil (of course, what else did you expect?!), for all of you last-minute chefs out there.

Here’s the catch: they’re all desserts. Two reasons: 1) I love dessert. Enough said. And 2) when you center your desserts around olive oil, people usually consider it special and exotic — and that perhaps you are an absolutely incredible chef. So delight your fellow party-goers!

If you buy commodity oils, sometimes understanding the pricing and how it is structured is a sigh of relief. It’s based off the CBOT, which is public information you can check to understand how your costs are changing and why.

The olive oil market historically hasn’t been so easy. That’s because it’s not really a commodity oil, but in the bulk world it often works as such.

What’s the truth? There’s so much hearsay that gets thrown around related to olive oil these days, because it’s such a hot button topic.

In this article, I’ll honestly answer both the classic and the obscure myths, and try to shed some objective light on the matter. Does olive oil get better with age? Does heat destroy the health properties? Does the “fridge” test work? Is Extra Virgin that much healthier than other grades of olive oil?

The term “omega” is usually thought of to be something healthy … a related to food and nutrition… and you should get more of them.

But do you really know what omega’s are? Most people don’t.

The more important question is why do your customers want to eat foods that contain omegas? Because healthy consumers everywhere are aware of the benefits and they are, in fact, looking for products that offer them. Understanding what each type of omega is, and why it’s healthy or unhealthy will give you some insight into your customers’ mindset.

There are many different olive oil grades. Some are more common in retail and others are more common in industrial food manufacturing.

If you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between these olive oil grades, it all how do to with how they are produced. Once you get an idea of how they’re made, you can start to see the differences between each and find which one is right for you — no matter if you’re a retail buyer, if you’re in manufacturing or food service.

There are many different grades of olive oil available. Each each one represents a different level of quality that corresponds to the way that the oil was produced.

But rather than tell you, I’d like to show you. Below is a short slide share presentation that guides you through the process of how the different olive oil grades are made. Click through to read about the process.

People are caring more and more about what they're putting in their bodies.  They're looking at ingredient labels, rejoicing over non-GMO foods, and asking for more information all them time, about where their food is coming from.  

Consumers want to be connected to what they're eating.

This was shown in the hilariously ironic Portlandia clip, where a couple eating at a restaurant go to far lengths to understand where their chicken is from and how it was raised.

So now, more than ever, how your bulk ingredients are made matters.  It matters to the people that you care about-- your target market, the people that are going to buy your product.  This includes the bulk oil ingredients that you use. 

And it's not just about what they're from made from-- it's also about how they're produced.  Was there chemicals involved?  Was the oil refined?  Was it a naturally produced oil, fresh squeezed with a poetic romantic tale?  

Either way, your customers want to know, and down the line, your ingredient can choices affect your sales.

What's the key to storing bulk olive oil correctly?  It's pretty simple-- you can just think of a traditional wine cellar and you'll have it.  

Close your eyes.  Picture that dreary, dark, cold wine cellar with all those barrels stacked floor to ceiling.  Somewhat romantic right?  Okay, we know most wine cellars don't really look like that anymore.  But it paints a good picture!

That picture has all the tell tale clues of how your olive oil also wants to be stored.  Making note of them (and then changing your storage conditions to abide by them) will help your oil maintain its freshness for as long as possible. surface

The first thing that you should know about bulk olive oil prices is that they change all the time.  

The second thing is that there are a number of different grades of olive oil, and each one comes at a different price, because it represents a different quality.  

The third thing is that the packaging you choose and the total volume that you buy affects your prices.  

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 compontents that do your body good.  But first it's important to understand...

Extra Virgin Is The Best Grade For You

In terms of the health benefits found in olive oil, Extra Virgin has far more of the good stuff than the lower grades.  Refined grades like Pure Olive Oil, Refined (Light) Olive Oil and Olive Pomace Oil are going to have less (or debatably, none) of the healthy-for-you components.  So let's look at the benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in particular.

It can be confusing to get pricing from so many different suppliers for bulk oils. Each offers their pricing in different units: US suppliers give pricing in pounds or gallons, european suppliers give pricing in metric tons (MT), liters or kilograms.

Converting the metric to the english system (or vice versa) can be confusing-- any middle schooler will agree with you on this. Especially when your bulk olive oil prices depend on accurate calculations.

That’s why we’ve created a set of conversion standards for you, so that you can convert all of the weights you receive quickly and simply. This will help you convert your pricing into many different forms so that you can accurately compare options across the board.

Every olive oil supplier will have their own standard for how long their olive oil should last. Centra Foods’ olive oil has a shelf life of 2 years from the date of manufacture.

Why Olive Oil Has A Shelf Life

Olive oil is a natural product, and like most natural food products they are best used when fresh. Especially Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is really just a fresh fruit juice. After pressing, the oil will be at it’s utmost freshness and ideal flavor. After that, the oil will slowly begin to lessen in color and flavor strength. Under proper storage conditions, this is a very slow process.

You can expect to use your olive oil for up to two years after the date of manufacture. Want the freshest and strongest flavor? Give yourself a little bit of leeway and plan to use it within 10 months to one year.

Did you know...

1. Store your olive oil in a cool, dark place.  It helps preserve the shelf life and keep it from spoiling too soon.
2. Try to use your olive oil within 1 year of the date of harvest.  Most oil is actually good for 2 years after harvest, but it’s a perishable product and the sooner you use it after pressing, the more delicious it will be.
3. For a lighter olive oil flavor, try a lower grade of olive oil like Pure Olive Oil or Olive Pomace Oil.  They’re both refined oils and have less flavor and color.

Did you know?

1. About 50% of the world supply of olive oil is grown in Spain.
2. Italian olive oil is in high demand-- far more than their trees can supply. Much of “Italian Olive Oil” is actually imported from other countries and bottled in Italy.
3. In fact, Italy’s internal demand for olive oil is so high that they can’t support their own citizen use for it-- they have to import olive oil just to maintain enough for their own users, before the idea of export is even brought into the equation.
4. Spain is known for a peppery flavored oil that has a stronger taste to it than other origins like Italy, Greece and France-- though it really depends on the olive varietal used to make the oil.