How is Flavored Olive Oil Made?

Sutter Buttes - infused olive oil - photo by Arek Kazmierczak

During the 1990s California-based Olio Santo (then co-owned by Chef Michael Chiarello and Williams Sonoma) used its premium EVOO to craft basil-flavored olive oil. Sicily-based Agrumato® Citrus Olive Oils next entered the U.S. consumer market, with flavored olive oil.

What is Agrumato®?

Agrumato

Creating Agrumato®’s luscious oils involved simultaneously crushing fresh seasonal ingredients, primarily whole citrus fruit, with harvested olives. The resulting oils were – and remain – harmonious and well-balanced. “Agrumato started just with citrus because citrus has oil in it, which gives you a lot of flavor,” says Nancy Ash, President, Strictly Olive Oil LLC.

While some current olive oil producers want to call their process for merging fresh olive oil with fresh flavor agents Agrumato, this is, in fact, a trademarked name. In such circumstances, Ash prefers the term ‘co-milled’ or ‘co-crushed’ when depicting the process of throwing a flavoring agent into the mill with the olives before crushing.

Infused and Co-Crushed Olive Oils

Infused olive oil provides added flavor via a different method. “[Producers] steep flavors into the oil – almost like a tea bag,” Ash says. Although she isn’t personally a big fan of flavored olive oils Ash acknowledges that, while the extra virgin community has been a little snobbish towards them, they have been highly successful in the consumer market.

“Californians have expanded beyond citrus oils and co-crushed oils are a huge hit,” Ash says. “There are some really good flavored [infused] oils on the market. But by and large, those that are co-milled are more likely to win competitions.”

Bondolio Calfiornia Mandarin

Co-milled Oils

Ash says one of the best California co-milled oils comes from Bondolio. After creating Estate Blend olive oil, the company also started crafting Mandarin Orange Olive Oil. “We added a fourth variety of olive tree called Pendolino, to assist with pollination, which was recommended so we would get higher production,” says Karen Bond co-owner with her husband, Malcolm.

“Then a lot of people were asking for flavored olive oil. We decided on certified organic Mandarin oranges from the foothills of the Sierras, because they are sweeter than regular oranges. We throw in fresh fruit that looks good and edible, at the same time as the olives go into the mill.

“I think flavored olive oil is very popular. We sell out every year and we don’t have enough olives to make additional flavors. People ask for garlic, chili pepper, and citrus olive oil because it can be used in other ways.”

In California’s San Joaquin Valley the Ricchiuti family’s co-milled Organic Fresno Chili Crush Olive Oil has been a top award winner. Taking advantage of a climate that resembles the Mediterranean region, the family’s ENZO Olive Oil Company has produced 100% estate-grown organic extra virgin olive oils and other products from this fertile land for more than a century.

Enzo Fresno Chili

“We started making Organic Fresno Chili Crush Olive Oil after I came back from visiting my family in the area of Naples – specifically Salerno,” says Vincent Ricchiuti, co-founder and COO of ENZO Olive Oil. “When you visit the birthplace of pizza, the only condiment you are offered is a vessel of house-made spicy chili oil. When I came home, we immediately started thinking of a way to recreate this in our own Californian way.

“The idea to use Fresno Chilis was a natural fit, as the Fresno Chili was born in the place we now call home – Fresno, California. We plant a minimum of 10,000 Fresno chili plants specifically for making this amazing spicy, red-colored olive oil. We have every intention to keep up with demand by planting and growing more chilis to crush with our olives.”

ENZO typically incorporates Arbosana olives into their Fresno Chili Oil. “We find their buttery taste is a perfect complement to the spicy chilis and they allow you to get the full flavor profile of the Fresno Chilis,” Ricchiuti says.

“Our co-milled olive oils are so special. We add the specific fruit/ingredient in as we crush the olives. This allows our mill to extract the oils from these ingredients at the same time as we are extracting oils from the olives. There is no other way to mill fresher, better-tasting olive oil. It is a true celebration of our Italian heritage and California soil coming together to make an exquisite food product.”

Infused Oils

Sutter Buttes award winners photo by Arek Kazmierczak

Alka Kumar, founder/owner of Sutter Buttes Olive Oil Company with her husband, Arek Kazmierczak, has a different take on co-milled olive oils. “With co-milling, while the final product is usually delicious, the overall flavor will dissipate and is not always consistent, she says. “Co-milling largely depends on availability of the produce and timing does not always line up with the olive harvest.”

She adds, “We have always opted for infused oils. It allows more latitude with the flavors and experience people have with the oils. The flavor remains consistent with infused oils and ours are made with all natural ingredients and/or flavors.”

Among sixteen flavor-infused oils, Sutter Buttes customer favorites include Garlic, Meyer Lemon, Garlic Herb, Basil, and White Truffle. And Kumar has observed a definite upward trend in the overall popularity of flavored olive oils.

“The number of oil and vinegar businesses that exist in the market today are exponentially more than when we started our business in 2009,” she says. “With increased demand for healthier food and cooking options, the growth and return rate of our customer base has expanded a great deal every year.”