THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS

More than 1000 different lots of olive oil are delivered to the plant every year and it is only after the various checks have been completed that the oil is deposited in the storage tanks.

Oils with different sensory characteristics and origins are stored separately.

It is just before packaging that the various oils with their different aromas and flavours are combined according to recipes or blends decided by Zefferino Monini. This stage is for purposes of recreating the sensory profile and quality standards set down for each extra-virgin olive oil.

As any transfers or combining of oils from one tank to another are recorded, our IT system keeps track of the analytical values of each oil in each tank and updates them accordingly.

The 500 plus blends we make up every year are then analysed once again before packaging, and all their analytical values are compared with average theoretical values supplied by the IT system.

During the packaging phase a further 1500 tests per year are done to ensure all manufacturing phases from blending to filtering are performed correctly.

We have approximately 170 stainless steel storage tanks with capacities varying from 3 to 210 tonnes, whose use varies according to the type of oil stored in them.

Tanks are supplied with an inertisation system with nitrogen gas, which prevents oil coming into contact with oxygen, therefore maximising preservation. Level sensors measure the quantity of oil present in every tank and the exact available space. Some of the tanks used for our top products are temperature controlled to 12-18°C.

Computers in the various spaces of the tank rooms and testing labs monitor the quantity of oil in each tank and follow transfers from one tank to another during the blending phase, stage by stage.

Any oil transfers from one tank to another are recorded and an IT system linked to each tank records all the analytical parameters detected at the lab for each single tank.

Oils are filtered with filter sheets complete with a layer of diatom (algae) flour on the surface, a natural, totally inert substance used for filtering wine, fruit juices and other drinks. After passing through this layer of flour, the oils have been filtered, meaning they are now free of any droplets of vegetable water and olive fragments, which together make them, look cloudy.

Immediately after the filtering process, the oil is subjected to clarifying. This is done with a filter which uses sheets of cellulose paper, simple absorbent paper a few millimetres thick.

After clarifying, the oil is translucent and water-free, ready for bottling and capable of conserving its sensory profile and precious antioxidant properties for longer.