What type of olives do you use in ORO SICANI Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
In your ORO SICANI 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil we cold-press the following blend of EU-certified olive varietals:
Nocellara del Belice – these olive give a luxurious “creaminess” to the EVOO, a fruity aroma, and a gentle earthy, nutty flavour;
Biancolilla olives – these olives give the most yield of EVOO, a fruity aroma, and a light herbaceous taste;
Cerasuola olives – these olives give a robustness to the EVOO, a bold, peppery aroma, and add spicy bitterness;
Piricuddara olives – these give you a taste of an olive varietal that is native to the Sicani Mountain region (it’s hard to grow at lower altitudes). They also help to pollinate the Nocellara del Belice olive trees.
Why do we blend olive varieties instead of creating a mono-cultivar EVOO?
We asked the same question when we were getting started! The more research we did, along with several consultations we had with agricultural experts and seasoned olive growers, the resounding advice was that multi-cultivar (i.e. many olive tree types) is best for both the trees’ growth and the type of EVOO you make.
By planting different olive varietals in a grove, the different trees help to support each other, where hardier varieties help to stabilise more sensitive varieties. The olive tree varieties also help to cross-pollinate each other, strengthening the olive trees and adding nuance to their olives’ natural flavour.
As a result, the multi-cultivar olive grove makes for a considerably better EVOO because the different varieties have their own flavour profiles and combined, create a bold, balanced, beautifully distinctive EVOO.
How is EVOO different from olive oil (or other oil for that matter)?
EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is a type of olive oil, but it is the highest quality of all of the forms of olive oil because it has no organoleptic defects, has a fruity flavour overall, and an acidity level less than 0.8%. EVOO is cold-pressed by mechanical means and that’s it, there’s no other processing, no other additives.
When the olives are harvested they are taken as soon as possible (ideally within 24 hours) straight to the oleificio (olive oil mill) to be washed with water, the foliage removed by machine, and then straight into a crushing machine that pulverizes the olives. This olive ‘mash’ is then physically cold-pressed by machine into oil.
Olive oil that is not classed as EVOO refers to a broader category of olive-derived olive oil. There doesn’t need to be 100% olives in the oil, it can be a blend of refined oils as well as virgin olive oil (the latter is a lesser quality EVOO because it has slight defects and an acidity >0.8%).
Why do I have to wait so long for my olive trees to grow, can’t you just plant older trees?
We could, but that would be a bad idea. The more mature a tree is, the more shock it feels when it is transplanted to a new environment, where you risk inhibiting its growth because the root system effectively has to rebuild from scratch. Kinda like an adult moving to a new city: it takes years to form new relationships and understand the new context in which you’re living.
If you start with a sapling, however, it has the proper time to develop solid root connections and grow with the changes of the soil and grow with the environment it’s in, making for a much happier plant that is nurtured to thrive.
When are olives harvested? Is it year-'round, or is there a particular season?
Olive harvesting season typically runs from October-January of the following year, but this is always subject to the weather. Early season harvest describes the moment when olives are starting to ripen, which is usually in late October/early November, but this can be later in the year depending on the varietal and the climate conditions of that year.
How do I know you’re not just taking photos of random olive trees?
With founders that have significant Scorpio placements, we don’t blame you for that question! This is precisely why we have gone to great lengths to give you as much information as possible about the exact locations and state of the trees within your allotment.
Every tree in ORO SICANI Estate has its very own, personalised ID with a geo-tag of its GPS coordinates.
Once your olive trees have been planted, you will see these in Your Grove, the ORO SICANI members’ portal. Here, we will also provide you with photos of your allocated trees, the distribution of different olive varieties in your allotment, and any harvest dates.
We give you as much information as possible so you can really track your olive tree grove and see how it flourishes over time.
Can I visit my grove in ORO SICANI Estate?
Our gorgeous ORO SICANI Estate is open to current ORO SICANI members by appointment only.
Your in-person visit would include a tour around ORO SICANI Estate, a wander through your grove, access to our in-house amenities, and an introduction to this sacred pocket of Sicily.
If you are interested in reserving your visit, please email us at hello@orosicani.com to enquire.
What if the amount of trees that I want to have planted isn’t listed?
Fantastic! We love when people walk to the beat of their own drum. Depending on just how many olive trees you’re thinking, we may or may not be able to accommodate this. It depends on the availability within our Estate. Send us an email to hello@orosicani.com, and we can go from there :)
YOUR EVOO
What quality of olive oil am I going to get?
We’re going to toot our own horn here: ORO SICANI EVOO is top-freaking-notch.
Why? Because we harvest all olive trees on ORO SICANI Estate – including yours! – just as the olives are starting to ripen. We also cold-press these olives within 24 hours of harvesting to ensure freshness and superior quality EVOO.
We are preparing to get EU organic certifications + bio marks so we are formally recognised for our regenerative farming practices. For the time being, just know that our olive trees are grown with minimal intervention and they're harvested early in the season to ensure the best quality of EVOO for you.
We also intentionally package your EVOO in 500mL tins to minimise oxygen exposure, which can happen if you have a larger vessel that’s been open for a while because oxygen oxidises the EVOO and radically decreases its quality and taste. Given we send your EVOO as one annual shipment, the smaller capacity tins protect your precious EVOO and are also completely recyclable when you’re finished!
Does EVOO have any health benefits?
We’re not one to make any claims or guarantees about the health benefits of our gorgeous ORO SICANI EVOO. But, what we can say is that olive oil (and especially extra virgin olive oil) is a huge component of the Mediterranean diet. There has been a tremendous amount of research investigating this lifestyle and the health benefits of EVOO, particularly the polyphenols typically found within EVOO.
Because each country has very specific requirements about what you can and can’t say when discussing this topic, we’ve got a couple of useful, easy-to-read scientific papers + resources below from world-class, reputable health organisations. These are for you to review and make your own judgement, because it is your health, your decision.
Depending on our stock levels, this may be immediately available so we can send you the most recent harvest right away. If we've sold out of the most recent harvest (it's highly sought-after stuff!), we will send you your annual EVOO shipment in the upcoming harvest season, which is usually November that year.
While it may seem unconventional, nature won't be rushed, so, that’s how we’ve gotta/choose to operate: honouring the natural order.
When your olive trees have matured and are ready to be harvested in ~Year 3-5 of your Olive Tree Membership, you will receive your very own, glorious ORO SICANI 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil that contains olives from your very own olive trees!
As always, we will keep you informed and you’ll have a fairly good indication of which year you can expect the first harvest of your very own olives.
What if I consumed all of my annual EVOO shipment already and need more?
Should we have extra in-stock, we will obviously offer this to you at a discounted rate. Get in touch and we can go from there :)
What if my olive trees produce more than 1L of EVOO per tree, do I get to keep this surplus EVOO?
When the time comes for your olive trees to be harvested, we will cold-press all of the olives from your olive trees and give you 1L per tree in your grove. There may be occasions where one or some of your trees produce more than 1L (but we cannot guarantee this), and we will offer you the chance to purchase this additional EVOO at a discounted rate.
How will I receive my EVOO?
We send our Olive Tree Membership members their annual ORO SICANI EVOO in one batch so there’s no unnecessary delivery fees, and so we minimise our carbon footprint.
We prepare all EVOO orders in 500mL recyclable tins, no matter the total volume of your shipment. This is to protect the quality of the EVOO.
Additionally, depending on the size of your EVOO order, we may separate your EVOO shipment into multiple, smaller, discreet packages to ensure your EVOO arrives safely.
Where do you ship?
We currently only ship within the EU and to the UK because, legalities, man. We need to do more due dil on the best way to import to the US, Canada, and Oceania. We certainly aim to expand our delivery range, but this will be down the line.
What do I do if my EVOO order arrives damaged or something's not quite right?
Mamma mia, that is non va bene. Email us at hello@orosicani.com the moment you notice something seems awry. If applicable, please include piccies and we’ll discuss with you how we can make it right. Thank you for letting us know :)
YOUR MEMBERSHIP
What does my membership investment go towards?
Your ORO SICANI Olive Tree Membership investment goes towards:
Your annual supply of ORO SICANI EVOO + Year-’round care and maintenance of your olive trees with regenerative farming principles and practices + The harvesting, cold-pressing, and secure storage of olives for your EVOO + Regular updates and CO₂monitoring of your olive trees via your private members' portal and email newsletters with ORO SICANI Estate happenings
Every single component of our business we have distilled and centred as close to ORO SICANI Estate to preserve resources, minimise waste, and minimise any unnecessary expenses that ultimately filter down to you!
Do you have a monthly Olive Tree Membership payment option?
The short answer? No. We offer a rolling annual membership (and not a monthly direct debit option) because from the moment you become a member, we make preparations for your beautiful, budding olive grove, as well as continuously nurture your olive saplings throughout the whole year.
I changed my address, where can I update this?
In Your Grove! Within your ORO SICANI members’ portal you can update your Profile page and tweak your personal details.
If you have received a notification that your shipment is on its way and you forgot to tell us that you have moved/realised that you didn’t update your delivery address, email us at hello@orosicani.com and we’ll see what we can do with the shipment and discuss with the courier company.
How do I change the number of olive trees in my grove?
What happens to my olive trees if I downgrade or cancel my Olive Tree Membership?
If you downgrade your ORO SICANI Olive Tree Membership, the now-surplus olive trees will become available for other members, new or existing, to add to their olive grove.
If you cancel your Olive Tree Membership, all olive trees that were in your grove will become available for other members, new or existing, to add to their olive grove.
