LUCCA PDO CERTIFICATION

DOP extra virgin olive oil

DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) extra virgin olive oil comes from clearly defined areas and must meet special quality criteria.

The Lucca DOP certification was first applied to the 2005 harvest, bottled in 2006. From the very beginning of our production we have complied with PDO quality criteria and are among the very few growers who have been awarded this recognition.

Keywords of the Lucca DOP quality criteria

Chemical properties

- Free acidity not higher than 0.5% (max. concentr. of free fatty acids 0.5 g/100 g).
- Peroxides max. 12

Sensorial aspects

- Color: yellow, tending towards a variably deep shade of green 
- Odor: fruity olive fragrance, from mild to medium
- Taste: sweet, with a slightly bitter and pungent aftertaste

Varieties

Frantoio: max. 90%
Leccino: max. 30%
Others: max. 15%

Yields

- Max. 70 hectares of olive orchard
- Max. 20 kg of olives per tree
- Max 19% oil yield

Pressing
Olives must be transported to the mill inside ventilated crates and be pressed within two days from picking. The pressing process lasts 50 minutes and must not exceed a temperature of 28 C. This process is computer-monitored. Olive weight, temperature, speed, pressure, oil weight, yield, date and time are recorded for each pressing cycle. A pressing cycle requires at least 300 kg of olives.