10 Facts About Olive Oil

December 28, 2020

Olive oil is a culinary tradition passed down for generations. While almost every home in the United States has a bottle of olive oil in the pantry, most people don’t know much about olive oil production in Ohio. Fortunately, we’ve spent years getting to know everything about this incredible product and have learned a few fascinating facts we’re sure you’ll enjoy.

How much do you know about olive oil?

We can go on and on about the many olive oil benefits in Ohio. However, we’re here today to discuss the interesting facts about this pantry staple:

  • Archaeological evidence suggests that farmers in the Mediterranean basin began planting olive trees as early as 4000 BC.
  • An olive tree may live for as long as 600 years, but averages a lifespan of about 300 years.
  • Producers combine various olives to make oil, such as Mission, Manzanillo, Sevillano, Arbequina, Coratina, Leccino and many others. However, the only difference between green olives and black olives is their ripeness at harvesting. When picked before ripening, you have a green olive, but you’ll have a black olive when harvested after ripening. Without curing or processing olives, these little fruits are inedible.
  • While farmers handpicked olives centuries ago, we’ve found ways to improve the efficiency of harvesting this crop. Modern farmers use shaking machinery to transmit vibrations through trees, causing olives to fall off into giant nets.
  • For olive oil production in Ohio, you need 11 pounds of pressed olives to produce one quart (32 ounces) of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
  • European countries such as Spain, Italy and Greece produce the most olive oil in the world. Even though many states, including Arizona, Hawaii, Florida, Georgia and Oregon, also produce this beloved cooking oil, California makes 99 percent of the olive oil manufactured in this country.
  • The olive variety and maturation determine the oil’s taste and quality.
  • Ideally, olives should begin processing within 24 hours of harvesting. This yields the highest-grade oil.
  • Regular or pure olive oil combines EVOO and refined olive oil. A cold-pressing process is applied to extract the oil to make EVOO. Also, no heat or chemicals are involved in producing EVOO. It has a richer olive flavor, whereas regular olive oil has a higher smoke point.
  • Over the last two decades, olive oil consumption in the United States increased from 30 million gallons to 70 million gallons. Globally, people consume approximately more than 2 million tons of olive oil every year.

Since 2009, Liquid Manufacturing Solutions, Inc. has been the most-trusted name for high-quality edible olive oil. We’ve worked with oil manufacturers from around the world to bring the many olive oil benefits to Ohio home cooks and professional chefs. As a member of the North American Olive Oil Association, we take tremendous pride in our SQF-certified, non-GMO products, all approved by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

To learn more about olive oil production in Ohio or for distribution information, contact us now. We also specialize in oil packing and private-label branding services, and would love to tell you more about what we can do for your operation.

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