The oil mill is a large bowl that crushes the fruit between the millstones to a pulp. Then you spread the mass on several mats of hemp. This creates a stacked tower. During cold pressing, this tower is squeezed so tightly that oil, as well as water, can escape and be collected. The remaining mass is used for heating.
The last step is to put the liquid in a kind of centrifuge so that the oil and water separate. Once this process is completed, the oil can be bottled by hand in glass bottles or steel drums. Stored at 12 to 18 degrees, the oil retains its original flavor.
Gina and Marco are the people behind the LIVA’s olive oil. Both have a love for olive oil since their birth. Despite having long and often hard-working days, they seem to have no difficulty recognizing the beauty in their work and the final product.
All 800 of the Taggiasca olive trees in the Merula Valley are cared for by Marco and Gina no matter if sunshine or rain all year.
In November and December, the olives reach their ideal ripeness and are either shaken from the trees with sticks or harvest combs. By using sticks or harvest combs, Gina and Marco ensure that all olives are in perfect condition before they are taken to the mill.
