Preparing the ground is one of the first tasks olive cultivators need to perform. For the soil to be ready, it must be enriched with nutritious elements and be freed from pesticides.
Pruning the olive trees is very important for their productivity. This takes place either at the beginning of spring or during the harvest period. During pruning, all branches which are considered useless are cut so that only the fruit-bearing branches
will remain on the tree.
The irrigation of the olive trees must be carried out with extreme care since olive trees do not require frequent irrigation. However, during the florescence period, that is during the spring months, the irrigation of the olive trees is crucial both for the increase of their production as the quality of their fruit.
The harvest period takes place from the end of October until the end of February. To collect the olives cultivators use the traditional method of caning, as well as modern methods with modern machinery.
The traditional method of caning includes beating the olive tree with a wooden stick to that the olives will fall to the ground and more specifically on the huge sheets which are previously placed under the trees. Next, the olives are put into cases and transferred to the olive oil press for the production of olive oil.
Finally, some olive cultivators follow the traditional method for the multiplication of olive trees called grafting. This particular method involves attaching a branch of olive tree to another tree, while it takes three years after it has been planted for the tree to produce
any crops.
Before bottling any “Saint George” Olive Oil, everything is filtered and clarified. These processes are not, by any means, altering the nutritional properties and qualities of the Oil but help to improve the product conservation significantly by eliminating solid particles and residual water droplets from the oil.
Oil Selection
Different Olive cultivars (or varieties), production zones, degree of ripeness and fruit health produce very different qualities of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Extraction technology (olive mills), time frames and storage methods also impact first on the olives and then on the oils. Each batch of olives is unique and our task is to create the best Cyprus Extra Virgin Olive Oil which their aroma, flavour, colour and taste are approved and processed in the lab for the following quality and authenticity tests.
Quality Tests
We have a testing lab in our premises, with innovative equipment of such sensitivity that can detect even a single drop of contaminant in a million Litres of Olive Oil. Every year we perform approximately 5.000 tests and monitor the products across the whole life expectancy cycle checking around 30.000 parameters.
Chemical Testing
More than twenty different chemical tests enable us to monitor oil quality and its purity from pesticides, minerals oils, environmental contaminants and solvents.
Delivery and storage of raw materials
Different produce of Olive Oils is delivered to our premises every year and its only after the completion of various tests and analysis the Olive Oil is deposited in the storage tanks. Oils with different sensory characteristics and origins are stored separately. Only just before packaging the various Oils all with their unique and different aromas and flavours are mixed according to our recipes and blends that are decided by the experts of “Saint George” so that the results are approved by the sensory profile and quality standards set for each Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Transferring and blending
Any transfer or mixing of Oils from one tank to another is recorded and processed by an IT system which keeps track of the analytical values of the oil in each tank and updates the values. During the packaging phase further 1.000 test per year are performed to ensure that all manufacturing phrases from blending to filtering are done correctly.
Warehouse and storage tanks
We have approximately 25 storage tanks all made from high grade Stainless Steel with capacities varying from 3 to 100 tons with different use according to each type of Oil. Tanks are supplied with an inertization system with nitrogen gas which prevents oil coming into contact with oxygen and thus preserves it qualities. Level sensors measure exactly the quality of oil present in every tank and the available storage space. Some of the tanks that are used for our products are temperature controlled from a range of 53 64F degrees. Electronic sensors inside each tank are set to monitor the quantity of oil in each tank and allow the transfer from one tank to another during the blending phase.
