Sicilian-Style Extra Virgin Olive Oil will be available at the beginning of September 2024
We take great pride in referring to this olive oil blend as our Signature Blend. Incredibly balanced flavor and story behind it. My husband and I are both very passionate about olive oil in general, but Italian olive oil is a different level of passion, which is why we spent many years looking for a Sicilian-Style Olive Oil grower. As most of you know, I am a very health-conscious person, so finding only a Sicilian-style olive oil grower is not the case. I need to find someone who cares for quality as much as I do. We were so fortunate that we came across a family in California that produces certified organic extra virgin olive oil using traditional farming techniques and a commitment to quality over quantity.
To begin the process of growing olives for high-quality olive oil, the family spent a significant amount of time experimenting with different olive varieties before deciding which variety would have the best flavor profile for the blend. After extensive testing, three olive varieties were selected: nocellara, biancolilla, and cerasuola. That said, when they looked for those specific varieties, they discovered that the trees had to be imported from Italy because they were not available in California. As a side note, soil cannot be imported into the United States, and bringing trees into the country requires strict customs procedures.
So, after a few months, the first trees arrived, but there was a problem: the baby tree roots were covered in soil and did not comply with customs regulations. Consequentially, every one of those trees was thrown away, and the family was forced to find another grower and purchase more trees, but this time they were grown hydroponically.
After the shipment cleared customs, on Christmas Day 2006, their family and friends helped them plant tiny trees in 2-inch pots. Because all of the trees had to be quarantined, they had to build a greenhouse and transport them inside. Both the federal authorities and the state of California would show up once in a while, pull up a tree by its roots, and take it for inspection.
Those trees grew fast, and the family had to replant them in 5-gallon pots, and then they could do nothing but wait again. After two and a half years, the federal government and the state of California declared that all of the trees were disease-free and could be planted in the United States. This was the moment of their first success! :)
This family's first commercial harvest took place in 2011. This olives are hand-harvested at the perfect time to preserve their authentic Sicilian flavor, known as the "smile taste. After being picked, they are milled at the farm's on-site mill in 90 minutes. If the olives are not milled quickly after harvest, the fruit begins to oxidize, which reduces the quality of the oil. The sooner you get it to the mill, the higher the quality of the olive oil you get.
Harvesting by hand takes a lot of effort, but the results are incredible. For example, if you squeeze a banana or drop an apple, it will bruise; the same is true for olives that are shaken or harvested by machine... they simply bruise. Every bruise on an olive has a negative impact on the flavor of the olive oil.
Did you know that in order to be considered extra-virgin, the olive oil must be extracted at temperatures under 27°C (80.6°F)? Our grower for DB Signature olive oil prefers to milling at a lower temperature, around 70-75°F, because they believe it produces a higher quality olive oil.
The family that produces our Signature Olive Oil has complete control over the entire process, from planting to harvesting to bottling. Using knowledge passed down through generations, this family farms organically to preserve the true ancestry of these truly amazing olive trees.How awesome is that? :)
At the NYIOOC and Los Angeles International Olive Oil Competition, this harvest took home the gold medal. How awesome is that? :)
