After years of research, in partnership with one of America’s best curators of quality oils and vinegars, our buying team used their formal training and expertise to individually select each of the oils and vinegars to enhance our collection. Additionally, all Oliver’s Own Olive Oils exceed industry standards for quality and freshness.

“We are pleased to introduce these outstanding oils and vinegars to our customers,” said Shawn Reilly, Oliver’s Conventional and Specialty Grocery Buyer. “From the everyday Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to the single variety oils, the infused oils, and the outstanding balsamic vinegars, these delicious oils and vinegars will enhance every meal where they are used. The beautiful packaging and excellent quality also makes them a great gift.”

The Oliver’s Own Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar collection includes:

Oliver’s Own Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bottled in a 750 ml bottle and pressed from Spanish and Portuguese Arbequina olives, this mildly flavored, balanced oil is perfect for everyday use.

Tasting Notes: This oil’s aroma is floral, like a bouquet of fresh flowers, revealing complex fruity notes of ripe berries. The mild flavor is slightly herbaceous with notes of green apple, toasty nuttiness, and black pepper. Review the full lab analysis here.

Try this oil in our recipe for Balsamic Vinaigrette or our Olive Oil and Balsamic Bread Dip.

Notes on the Arbequina Olive

Countries of Origin: Spain and Portugal

After Picual, Arbequina olives are the second most commonly used in olive oil production, with roughly 10 percent of the world’s olive oil coming from the native variety of Catalonia. Due to the small, uniform shape of the drupes, Arbequina olives are easily harvested. Their high oil content and adaptability contribute to their popularity among producers. Along with being a popular for oil, Arbequina are also used as table olives. Their fairly low polyphenol concentration gives them a more mild, buttery flavor preferred by many consumers.

Oliver’s Own Single Variety ‘Green’ Extra Virgin Olive Oils

Similar to wine, these three distinctive bottlings highlight their unique style attributes and flavor profiles of their olive source, growing region, and cultivation. As flavor-focused ‘green’ oils, each is best used where its flavors are able to come through, in a marinade or vinaigrette, or to finish a dish.

• Oliver’s Own Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Spain

This medium intensity green finishing oil is grown in Andalusia, Spain, and has tropical and herbal notes of artichoke, green banana, and tomato leaf with a pleasant peppery finish. Review the full lab analysis here.

Pair this oil with gazpacho, tomato salads, and roasted potatoes.
Notes on the Picual Olive

Country of Origin: Spain

According to a recent study, about one-third of the world’s olive oil production comes from Picual olives. This is because Picual olives boast a high oil content – between 20 and 27 percent.

When transformed into virgin or extra virgin olive oil, Picual varietals have a high level of polyphenols. The vast majority of Picual olives are grown in the province of Jaén, in Andalusia. However, this durable variety also has been exported around the world and thrives in places as varied as New Zealand, Egypt and California.

• Oliver’s Own Coratina Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Italy

Crushed in Puglia, this Italian cultivar is of robust intensity. It has a harmonious, intense green fruitiness with herbal overtones with notes of fresh-cut grass, mint, and cinnamon. Review the full lab analysis here.

Perfect pairings for this robust oil include foods such as grilled salmon, kale, and grilled vegetables.

Notes on the Coratina Olive

Country of Origin: Italy

Along with the Leccino and Frantoio varieties, Coratina olives are one of the most popular cultivars in Italy. Originally from the southern Italian region of Puglia, the olives are highly adaptable. Due to this adaptability, Coratina olives have been proven to be viable cultivars in a wide range of places. However, the variety is not commonly grown outside of Italy, in part, due to the non-uniform shape of the olives, which makes harvesting more difficult.

Coratina trees produce large and rounded olives, which have an oil yield of up to 25 percent. The oil is generally characterized as robust and bitter and is also touted for its high level of polyphenols and other antioxidants.

• Oliver’s Own Ogliarola Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Italy

Crushed in Puglia, this mild-intensity olive variety has a buttery mouthfeel with unique notes of sweet ripe fruit and green herbs with nutty and tropical flavors. This finishing EVOO is perfect for pasta, purees, and soft cheeses such as burrata or mozzarella. Review the full lab analysis here.

Notes on the Ogliarola Olive

Country of Origin: Italy

The Ogliarola cultivar joins the Coratina, Leccese, and Cellina varieties as key olive types grown in Puglia, Italy. Puglia has a great tradition in oil production and the producers of Apulian oil are known for their quality worldwide.

Oliver’s Own Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oils

This trio of delicious oils were created using the ‘pressato’ technique, where olives are pressed with the actual ingredient for infusion – not an extract. Add delicious complexity to your next salad, marinade, vegetables, or pasta with one of these flavorful oils.

• Oliver’s Own Basil Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Product of Italy

Whole Genovese basil leaves are crushed together with olives to capture the sweet, fragrant essence of the herb.

Try drizzling this olive oil over Caprese salad or fresh pasta with roasted vegetables for an authentic taste of Italian summer, or try our recipe for Caprese Skewers.

• Oliver’s Own Lemon Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Product of Spain

Whole lemons are crushed together with olives using a traditional cold-extraction co-milling process, resulting in a zesty, citrusy oil that imparts the bittersweet scent of fresh lemons into every dish.

Give your next vinaigrette or marinade an extra bright boost by using this delicious oil, use to finish pasta or vegetables, or try our recipe for Lemony Hummus.

• Oliver’s Own Jalapeño Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Product of Spain

Fresh and spicy Jalapeño flavors blossom with a vibrant and intense green peppery flavors. Made by co-milling olives together with fresh jalapeño peppers, this oil has a fragrant peppery aroma with lots of fruitiness and a persistent spicy finish.

This oil works anywhere that an added kick of heat is needed. Drizzle on Gazpacho, use in place of EVOO in a marinade or salsa, or try our recipe for Guacamole.

Oliver’s Own Balsamic Vinegars

Balsamic Vinegar is in a class by itself within the vinegar family, a thicker, slightly sweet aged condiment that works well with sweet and savory foods alike. These everyday Oliver’s Own Balsamic Vinegars, will elevate your dishes at a price point that won’t leave you saving it only for special occasions.

• Oliver’s Own Vecchio Balsamic Vinegar, 6% Acidity, Modena, Italy

Handcrafted and aged three years or more in small batches in Modena, Italy, this thick balsamic vinegar is sweet and well-balanced with creamy notes of plum, cherry, and wood.

Try it drizzled over Parmigiana Reggiano, fresh tomatoes, Burrata, or Bruschetta, or try our recipes for Balsamic Vinaigrette, Caprese Skewers, or our Olive Oil and Balsamic Bread Dip.

• Oliver’s Own Fig Balsamic Vinegar, 4% Acidity, Modena, Italy

The decadent jamminess of ripe figs is blended with our aged Balsamic vinegar to create a sensory delight,  delivering an earthy, fruity, and thick vinegar. Perfect drizzled on ice cream or fresh berries, or use it in this memorable Raspberry and Fig Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream Sundae.

Quick Facts About Olive Oil

With its many unfamiliar names and terminology, olive oil can be a bit confusing, but with a little bit of background, you can select, use, and store your oils with confidence.

Here are some quick facts that will quickly build your Olive Oil IQ.

What is Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

To understand where the term Extra Virgin comes from, it’s first important to understand the term Virgin olive oils. Virgin olive oils are obtained solely by mechanical or other physical means under thermal conditions that do not alter the chemical composition of the oil. The only treatment that the olives and oil undergo are washing, decantation, centrifugation and filtration. (Lower quality grades of olive oil can be extracted using chemicals and solvents, and should be avoided.)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is defined by the Codex Alimentarius, IOC, the USDA and Australian authorities as having an excellent flavor and aroma with only minimal (if any) defects. EVOO also has a free fatty acid content expressed as oleic acid less than 0.8 grams per 100 grams.

Olive History

The olive is one of three core food plants in Mediterranean cuisine, together with wheat and grapes. Olive trees have been grown around the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium BC.

Along with olives themselves, olive oil has long been a common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. Archaeological evidence shows that by 6000 BC olives were being turned into olive oil.

According to estimates from the International Olive Council, 90 percent of the olives currently being harvested are destined for oil production. The remaining 10 percent are processed as table olives. Today, Spain is the world’s largest olive oil producer, responsible for almost half of the world’s supply. Other large producers are (in order) Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey and Morocco.

How many kinds of olives are there? There are over 100 olive cultivars (or varieties), each with a particular flavor, texture, and shelf life that make them more or less suitable for different applications, from human consumption to industrial uses.

To most casual consumers, it would appear that there are two predominant types of olives: black and green. However, all olives begin as green olives and slowly transform to light brown and reddish-purple, before fully ripening and becoming dark black. Each olive cultivar has its own unique profile and taste characteristics. However, oils made from the same cultivar can be quite different, depending on the cultivation, harvesting and processing variations.

Olive oil made from a single variety is called a monovarietal, or monocultivar olive oil. Blends are crafted using oils from two or more cultivars.

Maximum Extra Virgin Olive Oil Enjoyment – Storage and Use

Olive Oil has a few simple rules for keeping it at its best:

• Flavorful green EVOO finishing oil should not be heated much in order to fully enjoy and preserve all of its wonderful nuances. It is best for finishing dishes, dressings and marinades, and possibly light sautéing.
• Everyday EVOO is best for all general cooking needs (frying, baking, etc.) because of its higher smoking point.
• Store your oil in a cool, dark place and never on a windowsill or area near a stove where heat or light can degrade it. A cabinet away from heat is best.
• Use up a bottle within 60 days of opening. Once opened, the exposure to oxygen will cause the oil to slowly begin to degrade.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Health

• Countless studies and exhaustive research spanning over 60 years confirm the health benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO).
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil’s monounsaturated fat content along with its polyphenols* provide innumerable health benefits, and have been associated with lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and preventing cancer and a range of neurodegenerative diseases.
• EVOO is the keystone ingredient of the Mediterranean diet. It is no coincidence the eating program was just named the best overall diet for the fifth year running by U.S. News & World Report.
• To enjoy its health benefits, EVOO consumption should be part of a nourishing diet incorporating many fresh, unprocessed foods, along with plenty of exercise and other healthy lifestyle choices.

*Polyphenols are a category of compounds with antioxidant properties which occur naturally in plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, tea, olives and olive oil, dark chocolate, and wine. According to Phenol-Explorer, a database, 25 polyphenols are found in extra virgin olive oil. Of these 25, the most significant are tyrosols – including oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol and oleocanthal.