Italian olive oil is one of the most coveted products in the world. It is also one of the most misunderstood. The industry has been shaped by talented marketers for decades. As a result, what most consumers believe about Italian olive oil is only partially true.
We are farmers, producers, and brand owners based in Calabria, Italy. In this post, we share what we actually know.
Most Italian Olive Oil Comes From Southern Italy
This surprises most people. According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 82% of Italy's olive oil is produced in Southern Italy. Puglia and Calabria alone account for 68% of total production.
The remaining production is spread across Sicilia (8%), Campania (6%), Abruzzo (4%), Lazio (4%), Toscana (3%), and Umbria (2%).
Italy is the second-largest olive oil exporter in the world. In 2019 the country exported 338 thousand tons of olive oil. The vast majority of that came from the south.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Italian EVOO
Tuscany Produces Very Little Olive Oil
Tuscany produces between 2% and 3% of all olive oil made in Italy. That is it. The region is famous in the United States largely because of marketing, tourism, and decades of cultural storytelling.
This matters because other regions, especially in the south, are often overlooked. Some even feel pressure to associate themselves with Tuscany to gain credibility. That is backwards. The worth of an olive oil is not tied to a well-known region. It is tied to how the olives are grown and how the oil is produced.
Calabria, where EXAU is based, produces some of the finest extra virgin olive oil in the world. It is simply less talked about.
Who Actually Makes the Olive Oil?
The foundation of the Italian olive oil industry is farmers. Without farmers there are no olives. Without olives there is no oil. But the people growing the olives are not always the people selling the oil. It helps to understand the different roles in the industry.
Brand Owner
A brand owner sells olive oil but does not produce it. They purchase oil from producers, mills, importers, or wholesalers and put their label on it. There is nothing inherently wrong with this model. But consumers often do not realize the brand they are buying from does not grow or make the oil themselves.
Olive Oil Producer
A producer makes olive oil. They may own a mill, purchase olives from farmers, or manage the milling process for others. Some producers work for olive oil companies. Others work independently across multiple brands. A producer may or may not own land.
Olive Farmer
A farmer owns or rents land with olive trees. They care for the trees and harvest the fruit. Some farmers sell their olives in bulk to producers. Others take the fruit to a mill themselves and sell the resulting oil directly.
Doing All Three Is Possible but Rare
Some individuals and companies are farmers, producers, and brand owners at the same time. That is what we are at EXAU. Giuseppe's family has farmed these groves since 1927. We grow, harvest, mill, filter, bottle, and sell our own oil. That is uncommon. And it is one of the reasons we can stand behind every bottle.
Harvest Date vs. Bottle Date
This is one of the most important things to understand when buying Italian olive oil. They are not the same thing.
The bottle date is when the oil was put into the bottle. The harvest date is when the olives were picked. An oil bottled in 2024 could come from a 2021 or 2022 harvest. That is a significant difference in freshness and quality.
Always look for the harvest date. If a label only shows a best-by date or a bottle date, that is a red flag. The harvest date is the most important piece of information on the label. Consume extra virgin olive oil within 24 months of the harvest date for best quality.
If you see a harvest date but no bottle date, do not worry. Smaller producers sometimes lack the equipment to stamp a bottle date. Harvest date is always what matters most.
The Truth About Country of Origin
This is where things get murky. A company can purchase olive oil from multiple countries across Europe, bottle it in Italy, and label it "Product of Italy." This is legal. It is also genuinely misleading.
Consumers often assume "Product of Italy" means the olives were grown and pressed in Italy. That is not always the case. The oil may have traveled through several countries before landing in an Italian bottling facility.
There is nothing wrong with blended oils from multiple origins. But there should be transparency. Always check the back of the label for the full country of origin statement. If you are unsure, look up the producer or importer. A reputable company will be clear about where their oil comes from.
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Italian Olive Oil Is Expensive to Produce
Extra virgin olive oil from Italy costs what it costs for good reasons. We are farmers and producers. We live this every year. Here is what goes into a single bottle.
An olive tree takes 7 years to yield a meaningful harvest. It takes 15 years to truly hit its stride. That alone explains why the industry is so tied to multigenerational family farms. You cannot scale olive oil production quickly. You inherit it, restore it, or wait for it.
Beyond the trees, production requires significant labor and equipment. The olives must be tended to year-round. Harvest requires a crew, nets, machinery, and careful timing. Then there is milling, filtering, storage, bottling, labeling, and international shipping. Every step costs money. Any step done poorly ruins the product.
A 500ml bottle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil from Italy typically costs between $15 and $60. The price reflects the process. We recommend buying the highest quality you can afford and using it generously. Read more about how extra virgin olive oil is made.
Not All Italian Olive Oils Are Equal
Italy produces olive oil at every quality level. The grades include lampante (not fit for consumption without refining), ordinary, virgin, and extra virgin. Extra virgin is the highest. Within extra virgin, quality still varies enormously depending on the producer, the cultivar, the harvest, and the milling process.
Buying Italian does not automatically mean buying quality. The label, the producer, the harvest date, and the grade all matter more than the country of origin alone.
Every Producer Claims Theirs Is the Best
We say this with full self-awareness. Every olive oil company, especially Italian ones, will tell you their oil is the best. We won Silver at the NYIOOC for producing one of the world's best olive oils and we still laugh when we hear ourselves say it.
The best approach is to taste widely. Buy from producers who are transparent about their process. Look for harvest dates, lab results, and real information about where the oil comes from. Awards help. Transparency helps more.
The Industry Needs Better Information
Too much misinformation exists about Italian olive oil. Some of it comes from journalists and health writers who do not fully understand the product. Some of it comes from brands that use fear-mongering to sell their own oil. The "70% of olive oil is fake" myth is a perfect example. It spread widely, caused real harm to legitimate producers, and was never fully accurate. Read the full story on fake olive oil here.
Consumers deserve honest, clear information. That is why we write these posts. And it is why we spent two and a half years writing our book.
Competition Does Not Really Exist
This is something we genuinely believe. Every olive oil is different. Each cultivar, region, and harvest produces a unique product. Our Calabrian oil does not compete with an Umbrian oil. The flavor profiles are completely different. They are better suited to different dishes and different palates.
We hope more small producers share this view. There is room for all of us. The goal is a better informed consumer, not a bigger slice of a zero-sum market.
Shop our 100% Italian extra virgin olive oil, made in Calabria, single origin, and family farmed since 1927.
We wrote a book called The Olive Oil Enthusiast. Order your copy today.
You may also like:
What Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
How to Tell if Your Olive Oil Is Fake
The Ultimate Guide to Italian EVOO
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