How is it made

Born good

For Fabbri, an excellent extra virgin olive oil is not just
the result of pressing the fruit, but of
the whole vision of the process.

The 1332 Vinci Oil Mill

The Vinci Oil Mill is located in the hills of the town of the same name in the province of Florence. At an altitude of about 250 meters above sea-level, it is near the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci.

The mill still processes the olives harvested from the hills of Vinci using modern, state-of-the-art machinery. Following the oldest Tuscan tradition, the olives are pressed in the mill as soon as possible after harvesting to guarantee a product of the highest quality.

The Extra-virgin olive oil obtained preserves the natural flavours and aromas of the fruit. Pressed at the right stage of ripeness, ioffers the consumer the high organoleptic and dietetic qualities of this healthy and precious food.

To preserve its characteristics over time, the product is stored in steel containers at the factory. The temperature is kept constant and contact with oxygen is avoided by using inert gases. Finally, the oil is packaged as required.

The six stages of the process

Harvesting

There are many methods of harvesting, the most common of which are

Beating: the branches are beaten with long sticks.
Hand picking: the fruit is removed from the plant using 'combs'.
Mechanical picking: the fruit is cut from the plant using ‘mechanical combs' attached to long poles.
Mechanical harvesting: shaking machines are used to remove the fruit by moving the trunk and branches of the tree.

The olives are then collected in cloths and placed in containers for transport.

Transport

The olives are transported in shallow, well-ventilated plastic crates.

This must be done with the utmost care to avoid damaging the fruit.

To obtain oils with high organoleptic and nutritional qualities, the olives must be taken to the mill and pressed within 24 hours of harvesting.

Washing

Once the olives arrive at the mill, they are unloaded onto mechanical belts to begin the washing process.

At this stage, the branches and leaves are removed, and the olives are washed with running potable water.

The process is fully mechanized and is a fundamental step in improving the quality of the final product.

Crushing

After the washing stage, the olives are transported to a mill that reduces the fruit to paste.

There are two systems: the traditional one, in which millstones or granite grindstones rotate in the mill, also made of stone or metal, and create pulp through pressure; or the ‘continuous’ or ‘modern’ system.

With the second method, the olives are pressed using hammers, rollers, worm screws or cones placed in special machinery.

Kneading

The olive paste is then sent to the kneading machine which, with slow mixing by mechanical blades, breaks the emulsion between the oil and the vegetation water present in the olive.

In this way larger and larger drops of olive oil are formed.

The olive paste is then sent to the kneading machine, which breaks the emulsion between the oil and the vegetation water present in the olive, with slow mixing by mechanical blades.

At this point the olive paste goes to the separator or decanter, which separates the solid part, the vegetation water and the olive oil.
Throughout the pressing process, the temperature of the olive paste must never exceed 27 degrees centigrade so as not to disperse the precious components contained in the olive, and not to degrade the organoleptic characteristics of the oil.

Extraction

The oil must is separated from the pomace, i.e. the solid portion consisting of stone fragments, skins and pulp fragments.

Extraction is carried out using alternative systems based on different mechanical principles: pressure, centrifugation or sinolea.

Oil must and pomace have different characteristics depending on the method used.

The products

Our range is wide and varied, but the principle that links each product is unique: quality in selection.

In addition to the cornerstones of the offer, 100% Italian and European selected olive oils, we offer top of the line olive oils such as Toscano IGP, for which we were the first to obtain certification over 25 years ago, and monovarietals like Mare and Terra, two very different oils created to enhance specific dishes of our Italian cuisine, the best in the world.

Our range also includes organic oils, which are becoming increasingly difficult to find in a quality worthy of the Fabbri brand.

Discover them all