I'd like to purchase products from the Olio Pace website. Do I need to register?

No, registration is not required. You can place your order by providing only the information necessary for delivery. If you'd like, you can register to receive updates and information on our latest news.

How can I purchase Frantoio Oleario Pace products?

You can purchase our products directly on the website or call our toll-free number 800.800.860. If you prefer, you can also send an email to ordini@oliopace.it.

What payment methods do you accept for online orders?

For your online purchases on the Olio Pace website, you can use a credit card or bank transfer. Our payments are secure. If you prefer, you can also pay on delivery without any cash on delivery charges.

What is the shipping cost for the order?

Shipping is always free for all orders over €50.

What should I do if the courier doesn't find anyone at the time of delivery?

The courier will leave you a delivery notice and attempt another delivery the next day. If you'd like to track your shipment, you can use the package tracking system and contact the courier directly to arrange a different delivery time.

I need to change my registration details. How can I do this?

To change your registration information, you can access your personal area on the Olio Pace website. In this section, you can view and edit the information you've entered.

I changed my mind about a product. Can I return it?

Yes, you can do so within 18 months of your purchase. Our 18-month money-back guarantee applies to all unused products.

How can I make a return?

Making a return is easy: call our toll-free number 800.800.860 and indicate the reason for your return request. Our customer service team will contact the courier to arrange pickup, free of charge.

PRODUCT FAQ

The oil production process is divided into 5 fundamental phases:

Phase 1 – Harvesting Harvesting can be done using various methods. The best ones for the quality of the final product are:

1. picking, or harvesting by hand from the plant 2. shaking, or mechanical harvesting with stem and branch shakers 3. beating, or beating the plants with flexible poles

Phase 2 – Washing and Pressing. Arriving at the mill immediately after harvest, the olives are first weighed, defoliated, and washed, then pressed using a millstone within 24 hours of harvest. The mechanical action crushes the olives, which, as they break, release the cellular juices and oil.

Phase 3 - The Malaxation. Once crushed with stone mills, the olives are malaxed: the olive paste, composed of oil and water, is stirred, or "malted," for the time necessary to separate the oil from the water. This occurs spontaneously, while the oil paste is slowly stirred. This phase is carried out cold, at temperatures no higher than 27°C, to preserve the oil's organoleptic and chemical characteristics.

Phase 4 – Extraction After malaxation, which consists of separating the oil must from the pomace (the solid fraction consisting of stone fragments, skins, and pulp fragments), the olive paste is placed in a decanter, a machine that separates the oil from the pomace and water.

Phase 5 – Storage The extracted oil is sent to stainless steel silos for packaging. To obtain high-quality oil, all stages of the production process, from harvesting to pressing, must be completed within 24 hours.

These virgin oils classified according to their free acidity expressed in oleic acid are divided into:

1. EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: whose free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, is a maximum of 0.8 g per 100 g and whose other characteristics comply with those laid down for this category; Virgin olive oil: whose free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, is a maximum of 2 g per 100 g and whose other characteristics comply with those laid down for this category; Lampante olive oil: whose free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, is greater than 2 g per 100 g and/or whose other characteristics comply with those laid down for this category.

2. REFINED OLIVE OIL Olive oil obtained by refining virgin olive oil, with a free acidity content, expressed as oleic acid, not exceeding 0.3 g per 100 g and having other characteristics compliant with those laid down for this category.

3. OLIVE OIL — COMPOSITE OF REFINED OLIVE OILS AND VIRGIN OLIVE OILS Olive oil obtained by blending refined olive oil with virgin olive oil other than lampante oil, with a free acidity content, expressed as oleic acid, not exceeding 1 g per 100 g and having other characteristics in accordance with those laid down for this category.

4. CRUDE OLIVE-POMACE OIL Oil obtained from olive pomace by treatment with solvents or by physical processes, or oil corresponding to lampante olive oil, without prejudice to certain specific characteristics, excluding oil obtained through esterification and mixtures with oils of other nature, and having other characteristics in accordance with those laid down for this category.

According to current legislation, oils are classified as follows:

1 VIRGIN OLIVE OILS Oils obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical processes, under conditions that do not cause alterations to the oil, and which have not undergone any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation, and filtration. These virgin oils, classified according to their free acidity expressed as oleic acid, are divided into: Extra virgin olive oil: whose free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, is a maximum of 0.8 g per 100 g and whose other characteristics comply with those laid down for this category.

Olive pomace is a byproduct of the olive oil extraction process and is composed of the fruit peels, pulp residue, and stone fragments from which residual oil can still be extracted.

Extra virgin olive oil is obtained directly from olives through mechanical processes. It has a maximum acidity of 0.8%, must be free of defects (median of defects equal to zero), and must have at least a minimal intensity of fruity aroma (median of fruitiness greater than zero). Olive oil, on the other hand, is a blend of refined olive oil (obtained from the refining of virgin lampante oil, which is not edible) and a virgin olive oil. Its acidity cannot exceed 1 g per 100 g.

Acidity indicates the percentage of free fatty acids, expressed in grams of oleic acid, contained in 100 grams of oil. Acidity cannot be detected in the flavor of oil, but only through laboratory analysis. It represents a quality indicator; generally, the lower the acidity, the better the quality of the oil. However, an oil with low acidity does not necessarily taste good. To properly evaluate an oil, a taste test by expert tasters is necessary, who can highlight its strengths and weaknesses.

A panel of approximately ten tasters, selected and trained to appreciate the olfactory and gustatory characteristics of virgin olive oils, tastes according to a procedure dictated by the official method and then fills out a guide sheet, separately and independently. They assess the presence and intensity of the oils' strengths and weaknesses.

The average score on the scale identifies the oil's quality level and therefore its product class. However, you don't need to be part of a panel to judge whether an extra virgin olive oil is to your liking and whether its quality is satisfactory.

The quality of an extra virgin olive oil depends on several factors. Among these, the cultivar of the olives used, the agronomic techniques used, the cultivation environment, the harvest time, the processing technology used, and the final product's preservation method all play a key role. It's important to remember that it's always best to consume the current year's oil, as the more months pass, the more it loses its quality.

According to EC Regulation 1019/2002, virgin and extra virgin olive oils can display the following information on their labeling and packaging: first cold pressing and cold extraction. These terms are often found on labels but are only understandable to experts! All virgin olive oils (except olive oil and olive-pomace oil) are first-extraction. First cold pressing is used for virgin or extra virgin olive oil obtained at below 27°C by mechanically pressing the olive paste using a traditional extraction system with hydraulic presses.

Cold-pressed olive oil is a virgin or extra virgin olive oil obtained at below 27°C through a percolation or centrifugation process of the olive paste using modern equipment. The fundamental difference between the two terms is therefore solely attributable to the oil extraction process, or rather, the separation of the three phases (oil-water-pomace). In both cases, the oil must be obtained at a temperature below 27°C; this allows the greatest amount of aromatic compounds to be extracted without compromising quality.

Increasing the extraction temperature allows for more oil to be extracted from the paste but leads to a worsening of the chemical characteristics and a change in the organoleptic profile of the oil, in particular enhancing the sweet notes and a loss of fruity and vegetal aromas.

Not everyone knows the positive attributes that identify extra virgin olive oil. These are expressed in EEC Regulation No. 2568/91 and are: Fruity: a set of olfactory sensations, dependent on the olive variety, characteristic of oil obtained from healthy, fresh fruit, whether green or ripe, perceived directly and/or retronasally. The fruity attribute is defined as green when the olfactory sensations recall those of green fruit, characteristic of oil obtained from green fruit. The fruity attribute is defined as ripe when the olfactory sensations recall those of ripe fruit, characteristic of oil obtained from green and ripe fruit. Bitter: a basic flavor characteristic of oil obtained from green or dark-colored olives, perceived by the calyx papillae that form the V of the tongue. Pungent: a pungent tactile sensation characteristic of oils produced at the beginning of the season, primarily from olives that are still green, which can be felt throughout the mouth, particularly in the throat.

The color can take on an infinite range of shades, from bright green to deep gold and is not a reliable indicator of the quality of the product. The color is determined by the variety of olives, the state of ripeness of the fruit and the prevalence of chlorophyll or carotenoids contained.

The oil can thus have varying shades of color, ranging from bright green to straw yellow. This is not an indicator of the oil's quality.

The taste of an extra virgin olive oil depends on several factors: the variety of cultivar it comes from, the degree of ripeness of the fruit at the time of harvest, the geographical area of ​​production and the processing method.

Aromatic profiles are a kind of fingerprint for an oil; the aroma is made up of a complex blend of different compounds, and each oil has a specific bouquet of aromas. Depending on the cultivar and its geographical origin, each oil will offer different olfactory sensations, similar to, for example, artichoke, almond, tomato, and so on.

Pungency is the pungent, tactile sensation felt especially in the throat when tasting oil. It's essentially the attribute of pungency, which isn't a defect; rather, it's one of the oil's positive attributes. Pungency depends on both the oils' phenolic content, which in turn depends on the quality of the raw material used (degree of ripeness), and the extraction technology and operating conditions used.