In a place at the end of the world, surrounded by mountains and ocean, between desert and
ancient ice fields lies a fertile green valley, where today stands our olive orchard.
Chile's unique soil types and climate allow for a myriad of various olive varieties to
grow across the country. Olive plantings extend from the northern valley of Limarí all the
way down to the southern valley of Malmé. With more than 20,000 hectares of olive orchards
planted, Chile is committed to producing extra virgin olive oil of outstanding quality. The
altitude of the Andes Mountains and the rich breezes from the Pacific Ocean provide our
orchards with ideal conditions for producing the best olives. What makes our oils so special?
Our olives are grown in a terrain with optimum climate conditions. While temperature fluctuation
between day and night allows the synthesis of aromatic compounds, soil types help to reach
great concentration. We give great care to harvest time to ensure optimal varietal character,
and we minimize the time between harvest and fruit processing to ensure quality.
Since the time between harvest and fruit processing is crucial, good planning is essential to make
sure that the picking crew and equipment are ready when needed. With a 100% mechanized harvest
and a mill with a capacity to process 400 tons a day, our oils are extracted almost as soon as
they've been picked, with no longer than four hours after the olives have been harvested.
Our olive orchard was planted using the latest agricultural practices. We carried out an
extensive soil analysis to determine soil units with common chemical, physical, and
microbiological features. These soil units were later planted with the most appropriate
clonal selection so that each olive variety could reach its maximum potential. In addition,
each soil unit has an independent irrigation system to maintain uniform vegetative growth.
Our high-density orchard is made up of numerous varieties, such as arbequino, arbosana, coroneji,
frantoio, lechino, piqua, and coritina. This varietal mix allows us to offer a wide range
of products with different organoleptic profiles in the form of blends and mono-varietal olive
oil. Placed at the epicenter of our orchard, our state-of-the-art oil mill facility contains
two processing lines, each with a capacity to continually produce 200 tons of olives a day.
A two-phase physical extraction system guarantees the total preservation of antioxidant components,
varietal character, and superb quality. Once olives are delivered to the mill, they are carefully
selected based on variety, harvest time, and block origin. With this, we are able to maintain
quality assurance without compromising continuous processing. The first step in the oil extraction
process is cleaning the olives, removing stems, leaves, twigs, and any other debris. Careful
olive selection is carried out to ensure only olives are processed. The second step is crushing
the olives into a paste. The olive grinding is done by hammer mills. Once this is taken
place, the paste continues its way to the thermo-paste mixers. Here, the olive paste
is mixed at a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius in order to release the oil content from the
pulp. The next step consists in separating the oil from the pommes. The paste, which
consists of olive oil, water, and solids, is pumped into a high-speed centrifuge to begin
its separation process within a horizontal decanter. At this stage, all solids are taken
away. Then, the liquid component is further centrifuged in order to eliminate any remaining
water. It is after this physical process that olive oil is finally extracted. The pommes
left is reincorporated into the orchard soil as an organic fertilizer. Then, oil is pumped
into a stainless steel tank to settle any soluble solids. After a few hours of decanting, the
clear liquid is pumped into storage tanks where it's kept at a constant temperature
of 20 degrees Celsius. Our temperature-controlled storage facility, with its capacity of up
to 2.5 million liters, allows us to maintain our oils under the best conditions. Regular
tastings are carried out to ensure correct storage conditions, and to follow the oils
or galactic evolution. Tanks are always topped with a nitrogen blanket in order to avoid
any oxygen contact. Each batch of oil is stored separately so that our oil master can have
a wide variety of oils with different flavor and aroma profiles at his disposal. Blending
is considered an art and a science. It is a challenging task, and we are constantly
looking to improve. Since our aim is to deliver oils of exceptional quality, varietal character
and tipicity, we must ensure our oils are a true representation of their place of origin.
More lab technicians continually monitor maturity indicators to help determine optimum harvest
time, acidity, and oil composition, ensuring superior oil quality. They keep track of quality
parameters throughout the orchard itself and at every step of the process until the last
drop of oil is bottled. In order to retain its organic features, the oil is bottled by
our state-of-the-art bottling machine. At this stage, our crew carries out a strict quality
control system in order to deliver a consistent product that can meet the highest standards
worldwide. All our production is a state bottle in order to maintain complete control over
the entire process from planting through bottling.
Over 40 days and 40 nights, we work in shifts to harvest the olives at the right time so
that we can deliver a high-quality product with unique and remarkable flavors.
From Chile to the rest of the world, we invite you to learn more about our olive orchard
and oil mill, located in a small village called Via Prat in Curico Valley, a superior location
with a unique terrain, outstanding microclimate, and diverse soil types.
