1️⃣ Harvesting Olives
Olives are carefully picked from trees either by hand or using mechanical shakers. The quality of oil depends heavily on the freshness and ripeness of the olives.
2️⃣ Cleaning and Washing
After harvesting, olives are transported to the processing facility where they are washed thoroughly to remove leaves, dust, and dirt.
3️⃣ Crushing (Grinding)
The clean olives are crushed into a thick paste using stone mills or modern steel crushers. This step breaks down the flesh and releases oil droplets.
4️⃣ Malaxation (Mixing)
The olive paste is slowly mixed to help small oil droplets combine into larger ones, making extraction easier.
5️⃣ Oil Extraction
The oil is separated from the paste using either:
- Traditional press method
- Modern centrifuge machines (most common today)
This process separates oil from water and solid residues.
6️⃣ Separation and Filtration
The extracted liquid is further separated to remove remaining water and impurities, producing pure olive oil.
7️⃣ Storage
Finally, the oil is stored in stainless steel tanks in a cool, dark place to maintain quality and freshness.
📝 Summary
Olive oil production is a multi-step industrial process involving harvesting, cleaning, crushing, mixing, extraction, and storage to ensure high-quality oil.
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