How We Harvest
Everything we do at ORO SICANI is to honour the natural order
Sustainable growth and responsible farming are paramount to our practice. While we incorporate cutting-edge techniques into how we harvest, we do so with an intrinsic respect of the unique context and robust environment in which we operate.
We are, fundamentally, a low intervention, regenerative azienda agricola (farm). We've found that, much like with people, the less you pester, the better the results. We give our olive trees the space and time to thrive on their own terms.
No intermediaries. No compromising on quality. Only the purest EVOO direct from our lands straight to your hands.
Our job joy is to optimise these natural processes and discover ways we can improve the cultivation, raccolta (harvest), and post-raccolta phases: from fine-tuning the conditions that help our olive trees to flourish organically; to exploring alternate methods of recycling the bio by-products; to investigating how we can minimise our carbon footprint, such as utilising solar power as much as possible and decreasing the number of unnecessary shipments while preserving the integrity of our EVOO.
Maintaining homeostasis within our homestead is central to our ethos. This is why, each year, we have a finite number of olive trees available in our ORO SICANI Olive Tree Membership. As we continue to expand ORO SICANI Estate, we plant EU-certified Nocellara del Belice, Biancolilla, Cerasuola, and Piricuddara olive saplings on your behalf. These are strategically planted and with ample space so they have the best chance of becoming the healthiest, most abundant olive trees.
Our next planting season is NOV 2025
Pre-order your olive tree allotment now.
From our azienda agricola to your tavola
The basics
Curious about the process? Here's how we cultivate your olive grove and harvest ORO SICANI 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
So, number 1: On average, it takes ~3-5 years for olive trees to mature to be harvest-ready, AKA for an olive tree to grow its first olives.
Seeing as you're very clever and can do the math, obviously when you commence your ORO SICANI Olive Tree Membership, your beautiful saplings won't be immediately ready for harvest. And we’re certainly not going to leave you empty-handed until then!
We're excited to gift you our own private label, ORO SICANI Amici Reserve 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil as your annual EVOO shipment while your saplings develop into trees.
Starting your ORO SICANI Olive Tree Membership
In Years 1-3 (approximately), the EVOO you will receive ORO SICANI Amici Reserve 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1. Growing Our Groves
Throughout the year we lovingly and consistently tend to the mix of olive varietals, comprising Nocellara del Belice, Cerasuola, Biancolilla, and Piricuddara, on our lands of ORO SICANI Estate. Every olive tree on our estate, newly planted or pre-existing, is geo-tagged so we can monitor our trees and so you can see the exact location of your allotment.
2. La Raccolta Begins
When late October/early November arrives, it's time to start harvesting! We use a mixture of hand-picking and gentle machinery to maximise the raccolta. Picking olives just as they're beginning to ripen produces the most vibrantly rich, peppery flavour of EVOO.
That said, sometimes certain olive varietals need more time to be ready for harvest (usually because of the weather conditions that year), so the raccolta can go through December to early January.
3. The First Press
Within 12-24 hours of harvesting, we take the harvested olives from ORO SICANI Estate, and sometimes a curated selection from our neighbours' lands, to our local oleificio (olive oil mill). Here, they are cold-pressed in the moment so we can give you the purest, finest quality EVOO.
4. Preparing Your Order
In our headquarters we meticulously prepare your ORO SICANI order + securely ship it to you!
5. Annual Amici Delivery
Every year we repeat this process during your ORO SICANI Olive Tree Membership until your olive trees are ready for harvest. We will always keep you updated on your grove’s progress and give you regular updates on the trees’ growth.
From ~Year 3 of your ORO SICANI Olive Tree Membership
You will start to receive your special ORO SICANI 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil containing olives from your olive grove!
6. Your First Fruit
In approximately Years 3-5 of your ORO SICANI Olive Tree Membership (depending on your tree's/s' development), your olive grove should be ready for harvest! This is a really exciting moment that you will get to celebrate with 1L of EVOO per tree in your allotment.
**Some years your trees may produce more EVOO than this, so you will have the option to purchase additional EVOO at a discounted rate.
