01 / 08
Grove
Harvest
Poles and nets spread beneath the olive trees, as it has been done in the Douro for generations.
24
hours, at most, to the mill
The mill, from the inside.
Around 2,000,000 kg of olives per harvest, pressed on the same day they are picked.
The harvest
From late October to early January
Rain-fed groves prevail in Trás-os-Montes and the Upper Douro. The traditional method is beating: poles knock the olives onto tarpaulins or nets spread on the ground.
The olives travel in perforated crates, so they can breathe, or loose, and are milled within 24 hours of picking.
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Today
Harvest: from the end of October to early January.
Milled on the very day of picking.
Eight steps, from conveyor to vat
Extraction is done cold, below 27 °C, to preserve the oil's sensory properties and phenolic compounds.
02 / 08
Mill
Reception, washing and weighing
Leaves, twigs, stones and soil are removed. Each batch is weighed and labelled in its own crates.
03 / 08
Mill
Disc mill
The olives are crushed into a paste, which goes on to the malaxers.
04 / 08
Mill
Malaxers
Slow, continuous movements for 50 to 60 minutes make the first separation of the oil.
<
27
°C
cold extraction
05 / 08
Mill
Decanter
The paste separates into two phases: clarified oil and olive pomace.
06 / 08
Mill
Vertical centrifuge
Removes residual water and any remaining liquid impurities from the oil.
07 / 08
Mill
Yield and acidity
The oil is weighed to know the yield of the olives, and acidity is checked by titration.
08 / 08
Storage
Vats
It settles away from light and oxygen until bottling.
2–3
months settling
Small growers
Bring your olives
Besides the Ouro da Fábrica brand, the mill supports small farmers in the region. We lend our own crates for transport, so the olives arrive without being crushed or damaged. You can also bring them loose.
What matters is delivering them on the day of picking: the olives are milled that same day.