Traditional stone-milled and cold-pressed olive oil retains all its vitamins, antioxidants and aromatic properties because water is never added to the milling process. The centrifugal machinery used in industrial olive oil production requires the addition of water to extract oil from the olive paste; since the vitamins and antioxidants found in the oil are water soluble, a large percentage of them are washed out when the oil and water are separated. Biolea’s oil retains all its nutritive value. The temperature of the olive paste must be kept below 27°C during all stages of production to ensure the preservation of the olive oil’s nutritive and aromatic properties.

Olive oil produced with millstones and presses is sweeter and milder than industrial oils. The millstones crush the olives, but never cut them, therefore bitter agents are not released into the oil. Olive oil should be sweet and mild, enhancing the flavours of food, but never overpowering them. Consumers should always purchase either virgin or extra virgin olive oil, both of which are extracted by mechanical means, and not with chemical solvents. The traditional stone-milled, cold-pressed method is more ecologically-friendly because it produces half the liquid waste of an industrial factory.