This Sunday we take you through the process of Extra Virgin olive oil production at Arsenio SRL. We are fully transparent about every step of our way since we are proud of our organic agriculture and packaging.
Welcome to Arsenio SRL. A fully organic agricultural company that produces premium Extra Virgin olive oil - ORA. As opposed to most companies on the market, we have nothing to hide from you, but rather we want to welcome you to learn about each step of the way - from tree to bottle.
“An olive tree is a strong and tough tree which does not request any additional care or attention. However, if you give just a little care to the tree, it will reward you generously with much more than you give.”
At Arsenio SRL, we admire the olive trees and strive to give them maximal care and attention to achieve highest quality harvest. Now we will take you through the cycle of olive fruit development, harvest, pressing and packaging, to show each step toward creation of ORA.
Stage I: Olive Fruit Ripening
With the arrival of spring in Tuscany, the rise in temperatures and daylight hours drive budding development. Deeper into spring, flower blossom appears and olive fruit begins to grow. As the fruit ripens, its polyphenolic composition gradually increases, which has been shown by a research group from the Faculty of Experimental Sciences at University of Jaén in Spain (Fernández-Poyatos et al).
Since we have multiple varieties of olive trees at Arsenio SRL - Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino and Leccio del Corno -, each tree has a unique cycle of fruit development, so we observe a variation in phenolic composition of our monocultivar oils.
Stage II: Harvest Collection & Pressing
Due to variation in the cycle of fruit ripening between different cultivars of olives as well as seasonal fluctuations, we carefully adjust the timing of harvest collection for each olive cultivar. Thus, our harvest at Arsenio SRL requires hard work due to manual collection of olives from each tree, and occurs from October to December. Upon harvest, to preserve the maximal phenolic composition, we immediately send our olive harvest to the pressing facility, where our oil is pressed using Tecnotem - the newest technology available. Under vacuum and temperature control, the polyphenolic and micronutrient availability in our oil is maximized, so that it can serve as pure medicine to its consumer.
Stage III: Bottling & Packaging
When the oil is pressed, it is stored in light-proof barrels to preserve the purest chemical composition when it reaches the bottle. Each part of the packaging is 100% recyclable and plastic-free, starting from the labels which are made from lemon peel moving to the box and sleeve which are made from fully biodegradable cardboard. Our bottling and packaging stage takes place from December to January, and then it can reach you anywhere in the world with our worldwide shipping.
Long before the harvest is collected and the oil is pressed, our founder develops a unique shape of the bottle. This year, our ORA bottle is inspired by the shape of Cuban rum bottle, while its predecessor SOMMO was inspired by the shape of Japanese whiskey. Each bottle is made by a Florentine company with a long history. We encourage you to give your bottle a second life by using it as a candle holder or a vase.
This is the full life cycle of ORA production until it reaches you - its customer. Through this post we have honestly shown you our maximal efforts at each stage to bring you the highest quality product.
Our online shop will soon open its doors to you, so that you can purchase your unique bottle of ORA.