How We Calculate the Cost of Craft Olive Oil
Why Premium Olive Oil Isn’t Just a Product — It’s a Process Worth Every Penny
When you pick up a bottle of Dell’Orto Extra Virgin Olive Oil, you're holding more than just an ingredient — you're holding the result of generations of expertise, tradition, and careful craftsmanship. We often receive questions about pricing, especially when compared to mass-produced oils on supermarket shelves. So today, we’re opening the books — not literally, but transparently — to help you understand what goes into the true cost of making premium olive oil.
It Starts at the Grove
Our olives are grown in Oliveto Citra, a small town in Campania, Italy, where the soil and microclimate create ideal conditions for producing rich, complex oils. These aren’t high-yield, high-speed operations. Every olive is:
- Hand-harvested at peak ripeness
- Grown without shortcuts, using traditional and sustainable methods
- From trees that are often decades (if not centuries) old
This kind of care takes more time — and yes, it costs more — but the flavor and integrity of the oil begin right here.
Pressed Within Hours
Once harvested, our olives are taken immediately to the mill. Why? Because freshness matters. Olives that sit too long begin to ferment, increasing acidity and degrading flavor.
We cold-press them within hours, not days — a time-sensitive process that preserves:
- Low acidity
- High antioxidant levels
- Pure, vibrant taste
Unlike commodity oils that may mix old stock or blend from various regions, our oil is always single-origin and never compromised.
Packaging & Import Costs
Once bottled, the olive oil embarks on a complex journey:
- Packaged in tinted glass to protect from light
- Sealed and labeled under EU and USDA standards
- Shipped overseas in palletized, temperature-conscious freight
- Delivered to our warehouse, then to your door
We also incur real costs in:
- Import duties and customs
- Freight charges that can fluctuate by season and fuel prices
- Compliance documentation and certifications
Every step is done to protect quality — not to cut corners.
A Family-Run Operation, Not a Factory Line
Dell’Orto is a small, family-run business with roots that go back more than 150 years. We don’t mass-produce. We don’t rush. We don’t outsource quality control. That means:
- No giant ad budgets
- No industrial blending or private labeling
- No shortcuts
Every dollar you spend goes toward supporting farmers, maintaining traditional methods, and ensuring that what you get is truly the best of Campania.
So Why Does It Cost More?
Because it should.
You're not just buying oil — you’re investing in:
- Traceability (we can tell you exactly where your olives came from)
- Certifications (PDO, organic, EU & USDA)
- Freshness and flavor that mass-market oils simply can't match
In a world where "extra virgin" is too often a marketing term, Dell’Orto stands behind it as a promise.
Taste the Difference
Once you experience real olive oil — smooth, peppery, golden, alive — there’s no going back. That’s why our customers come back again and again. It’s not cheap. It’s not supposed to be.
It’s craft olive oil, and it’s worth every drop.