Award-winning ENZO olive oil Is the Pride of a New Generation

Vincent Ricchiuti

A little over a decade ago, the Ricchiuti family stepped into uncharted territory. For four generations, the Ricchiuti’s had tended hundreds of acres in Central California’s San Joaquin Valley, land planted by patriarch Vincenzo, who immigrated from Italy in 1914. But by 2008, the family running what was then known as PR Farms, saw a growing need to diversify. To the groves of almond and fruit trees that already striped their land in neat rows, they added olives.

The new venture had its challenges, says Vincent Ricchiuti, the great-grandson of Vincenzo and COO and co-founder of ENZO Olive Oil. “The initial year was marked by trial and error, characterized by numerous long days and nights dedicated to mastering the craft.”

Crafting Winning Oils

Mechanical harvesting of olives at PR Farms

They tenaciously forged ahead, and, within a few years, the project began to pay dividends. The super high-density olive orchards were planted in 2008 and since their inaugural olive harvest and oil pressing in 2011, Enzo’s estate-grown extra-virgin olive oils have evolved into some of California’s most celebrated, with more than 200 awards certifying their excellence. 

Today, the Ricchiuti’s have 450 acres devoted to organic olives in five different varieties: koroneiki, arbosana, arbequina, manzanillo and sevillano. But it’s not just the olive groves for which the family is responsible. Enzo is a vertically integrated operation, meaning “we have complete control over the cultivation, harvest, transport and milling,” says Ricchiuti. They own both the harvester and the mill used in production so, unlike most producers, Enzo’s olives are crushed within hours of harvest, not days.

“At Enzo, we specifically harvest the fruit at its peak phenol content, maximizing the presence of antioxidants,” says Ricchiuti. The short travel distance between the grove and the mill helps to ensure that the fruit’s quality won’t be compromised on the journey. The better the integrity of the olives is maintained throughout the production process, the more flavorful and healthful it remains. 

Because Enzo’s oil is 100% estate-grown and processed, the family is also able to focus on maintaining the fertility and sustainability of their products. In addition to farming organically, the Ricchituis deploy precision irrigation technology to determine exactly how much water their olive trees require. The method prevents them from overusing the resource—which, in the San Joaquin Valley, is infamously overtaxed—while still producing the highest quality fruit possible.

Enzo’s essential extra virgin olive oils

Enzo delicate, medium and bold olive oils

In Enzo’s stable of extra virgin olive oils, its three pure and unadulterated delicate, medium and bold styles are their steady and dependably delicious workhorses. “We mill each olive variety separately during the harvest season,” explains Ricchiuti, “then taste every oil to decide which olive varietal will go into the delicate, medium and bold oils. The attributes of each oil [depends on] the variety of olive, the ripeness of the fruit and the choices we make in the mill.”

With the 2023 current harvest, their delicate oil is made from arbequina olives, which produce a balance of zesty, ripe, and buttery notes and has a mild peppery finish. In the medium oil, a style made with arbosana olives, the ripe and buttery notes rise to the top with grassy, nutty tones underneath and a flavor-packed peppery finish. Enzo’s bold oil uses koroneiki olives that front-load the oil’s robust grassy and nutty notes, tone down the butteriness, and finish with a strong, peppery spice.

Enzo full line up of oils

Enzo also produces half a dozen flavored olive oils. Those containing basil, clementine, Meyer lemon, and Fresno chili are crushed using a method where fresh fruit, herbs, or spices are pressed together with olives in the mill. Two infused varieties, garlic and Meyer lemon, are flavored by adding the ingredients to the already processed oil. Every single one has medaled at various international competitions over the last decade.

“Looking back, it’s remarkable to see how far we’ve come as a company, especially considering the knowledge gaps and uncertainties we faced in our early days,” says Ricchiuti.“We’re incredibly proud of the fruit that we grow and the products that we craft from them.”
Enzo olive oil is sold online at enzostable.com and at the Enzo’s Table retail shop at 2888 E. Shepherd Ave, Fresno, California.