An incredibly healthy new research study from Namık Kemal University in Turkey concluded that efficient hand harvesting results in a higher quality and more tasty olive oil. Here at 41 olive we have had this Information since we started but finally it is nice to get some actual scientific confirmation.
They tested and studied six different harvesting methods of making Olive oils including the most popular pole beating method. Some say the pole beating method is often called hand harvesting but sorry to bust your bubble but it’s really is not.
This method is very common in our area. It is where you spread mats on the ground and beat the trees with a pole and the olives fall to the mats and then the olives are collected.
We at 41 olive say the only true hand harvesting method when extracting olive oil is when you pick the olives off the trees by hand and put them in a belly bucket by hand.
This is far more laborious, and the pickers are forced charge a lot more for this kind of picking service but we feel very strongly this is the only way to go.
The researchers have found that the mechanized methods of picking olives for olive oils including the pole beating method ultimately bruise the olives and unfortunately prematurely begin the process of oxidation. We have found that this agrees with all our experimentation.
Controversy, the researchers feel that this explanation may be an over simplification and more research is needed. However, the conclusion for us it is overly self-evident, the more care in every step of the process produces the highest quality olive oils.
