Part 1
Harvesting
Every bottle of Piro olive oil represents more than just an ingredient—it’s the culmination of centuries-old traditions, patient labor, and the natural bounty of our olive groves in Tuscany. From the time each olive is picked to the moment it’s pressed, every step in the process is dedicated to creating a product of exceptional quality. But what exactly goes into producing a single bottle of Piro olive oil? Let’s explore the story behind it, from the trees to your table.
Early Harvest: Choosing Quality Over Quantity
At Piro, we are committed to creating olive oil that is not only delicious but also rich in antioxidants. This means we harvest our olives early, while they’re still green and unripe, to preserve their vibrant flavor and health benefits. Early harvesting, however, comes with its challenges. The olives are smaller and yield less oil than fully ripened ones. But this choice is essential for maintaining the unique characteristics of Piro olive oil—the fresh, fruity taste and the potent antioxidant levels that come with early-picked olives.
Hand Harvesting: The Only Choice for Unripe Olives
Our commitment to early harvesting means that hand-picking is the only viable method. Unripe olives, which we carefully select for their rich flavor and health benefits, are much harder to remove from the branches than fully ripe ones. Mechanical harvesting methods simply aren’t effective with green olives, as they cling tightly to the tree.
That’s why our olives are hand-harvested—not just for tradition, but out of necessity. Harvesters use a small comb to vigorously remove the olives from the branches, a process that ensures the fruit is detached despite its firm grip. This manual process takes time—it requires about 4 hours for one person to harvest a single tree. While labor-intensive, this approach is the only way to collect the olives at this stage without compromising their quality.
The olives are collected in nets spread beneath the trees. They are then pre-sorted by hand to remove the largest branches and leaves before being carefully poured into small crates to prevent them from being crushed under their own weight.
How Many Olives Does It Take for One Bottle?
Due to the unripe nature of the olives and their small size, it takes around 4 kg of olives to produce a 500ml bottle of Piro olive oil. This means that one tree can yield enough fruit for about five bottles of oil. The low yield is a reflection of our commitment to quality—by harvesting early and processing the olives with care, we ensure that each bottle of Piro oil is packed with flavor and health benefits.
The Importance of Timing: From Harvest to Pressing
Once the olives are harvested, they are immediately transported to our mill for pressing. Timing is critical in olive oil production, especially when creating oil of the highest quality. The quicker the olives are pressed after being picked, the fresher and more flavorful the oil will be. At Piro, we make sure that our olives are cold-pressed within hours of harvesting to lock in their freshness and preserve their antioxidant properties.
Cold pressing is a slower method of extracting oil, but it’s essential to maintaining the integrity of the olives. This process keeps the temperature low, preventing the loss of delicate flavors and nutrients. The result is an olive oil that is rich in taste, smooth in texture, and packed with healthful properties.
The True Value of Piro Olive Oil
When you consider the time, effort, and resources that go into producing a single 500ml bottle of Piro olive oil, it’s easy to understand why it is regarded as a premium product. Every bottle represents not just a product, but a tradition of excellence that dates back generations. Each bottle holds the essence of the Tuscan land and the dedication of the people who carefully tend the trees and harvest the fruit by hand.
From the careful harvest to the traditional pressing methods, each step is designed to maintain the oil’s distinctive character. The result is an extraordinary product that captures the true essence of Tuscany—fruity, slightly peppery, and vibrant with the qualities of early-harvest olives. Each bottle reflects the dedication behind it, offering a true taste of the land where it was born
