VENAKKI | Newsletter > Venakki brand EVOO Standard & Procedure

RELATED TO THE QUALITY PROCESS

1. Grade of quality of the olive oil

We bottle exclusively superior quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Our demanding brand Standards and Procedures thatguarantee the best quality and we are able to guarantee year after year, a acidity level that may vary (most times due to climatological reasons) between 0,1% and a maximum of 0,3%. Very bellow the maximum 0,8%maximum permitted for Extra Virgin Olive Oil according to the International Olive Oil Council.

2. Accreditations

Elected as BEST EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL in the province of Malaga for three times, in the seasons
2003 / 2004, 2007 / 2008 and 2008 / 2009. (Written accreditations may be supplied upon request)

3. Detailed report of the olive oil elaboration process step by step

Our Standard Procedure determines that the Olives, as raw material, is only of the highest quality and originates from the Fruit of the Olive tree (Olea europaea). It must furthermore present the following characteristics:

· Recollected exclusively from the tree and never form the floor.

· Optimum degree of ripeness according to the type of EVOO to be elaborated

· All mechanisms of recollection are either manual for our ULTRA PREMIUM product line and or with
mechanical asistance (never fully automated systems) and always respectful with the tree and the fruit, for our PREMIUM SELECTION and SELECTION product lines.

· Minimum possible degree of damage imposed to the tree and the fruit during the recollection
procedures, guaranteeing and integrity of the fruit and therefore its low acidity after grinding
process.

· Only the best and healthy fruits are used.
Our Standard Procedure determines that the Reception, Washing, Weight & Fruit Classification must
present the following characteristics:

· The reception of fruits is done in small batches to ensure the optimal integrity of the fruit.

· All fruits are washed with water and freed form leaves, dirt and small debris from the farming field.

· All batches are weighted and the fat content analysis in our own laboratory within the Mill facilities.

Our Standard Procedure determines that the Juice extraction must present the following characteristics:

· The process for the extraction of Olive Oil is exclusively by mechanical means of first cold
Extraction 25 °C (77 °F).

· Based on oil extraction by mechanical procedures, we guarantee no thermal alterations and no more treatments than washing, decanting, centrifugation and filtering (if product specifications so require).

· Our method of olive oil extraction uses a decanter to separate all the phases by centrifugation. In this method the olives are crushed to a fine paste. This is done by a hammer crusher; this paste then goes to then malaxation for 30 to 60 minutes in order to allow the small olive droplets to agglomerate. The aromas are created in these two steps through the action of fruit enzymes.

· Afterwards the paste is pumped in to an industrial decanter where the phases will be separated. Cold water is added to facilitate the extraction process with the paste.

· The decanter allows the phases to be readily separated according to their different densities (solids > vegetation water > oil). Inside the decanters rotating conical drum there is a coil that rotates a few rpm slower, pushing the solid materials out of the system. The separated oil and vegetation water are then rerun through a vertical centrifuge that will separate the small quantity of vegetation water still contained in oil and vice versa.

· The lower phases in the Oil decanter, the more guarantee for the preservation of the polyphenols, therefore a two phases oil decanter was implemented as an attempt to guarantee and preserving this nectar of youth, even if sacrificing part of its extraction capability, but it uses less added water thus reducing the phenol washing.

· The olive paste is separated into two phases: oil and wet pomace. This type of decanter, instead of having three exits (oil, water and solids), has only two. The water is expelled by the decanter coil together with the pomace.
(We do not bottle and do not endorse pomace oils)

4. Origin of the olive oil

The olive Oil is elaborated exclusively with olive fruits of our area, namely our own crops in the
Guadalteba (link available in Spanish only) and adjacent private farms under the influence of the mountain range of Ronda (link available in Spanish only) and of Sierra de las Nieves (Natural Park) (link available in Spanish only).

5. Type of crop

All our crops come from own low density fields of olive oil tree and of our trusted private independent
farmers and are result of a natural and traditional agriculture. We activly promote responsible and ethical conducts and although every effort to maintain traditions and skills is made, we are in process of Ecological Certification, and therefore we do not designate our products as ecological, but as natural and traditional.

6. Materials, fertilizers and products used during the process.

Our olive Oil It contains no preservatives, no solvents and no chemical additives.
Furthermore, every effort is made during the production process to assure the absence of neither artificial production enhancers nor other chemical products.

RELATED TO THE FINAL PRODUCT

1. Acidity level of all the products

All our Extra Virgin Oils are tipically of an acidity that may vary between 0,1% and a maximum of 0,3%.

2. Origins of the other products used in the INFUSION varieties and type of crops.

All dried spices being used presently in our infusions are from within the European Union and have individually performed laboratory analisis to determine their optimal condition for human consumption prior to infusion and maceration processes.
Our spice supplier is a single local family owned wholesale company, establish in Malaga, Spain since 1944, very reputable and well known by both professionals as for the local population as they have as well some retail shops where they supply private clients with endless range of spices and exotic products from around the world.

3. Production quantities and Infusion product batch.

· ULTRA PREMIUM - Early harvest 5.000 Liters per year

· ULTRA PREMIUM - Infusion Olive Oil 5.000 Liters per year
(200 liters per flavor x 4 batches per year)

In order to ensure freshness we elaborate small batches only in food grade stainless steel tanks of 200 liters each, every trimester. Production increase to meet customer demands, is made my adding more tanks of 200 liters to the desired flavor for an adequate natural cold slow maceration process (tipically during 60 days) and flavor dispersal occurs, ensuring the high standards of flavor and aroma that are unique to our Infusion Olive Oils.

· PREMIUM SELECTION - Intenso (intense & peppery) 20.000 Liters per year

· PREMIUM SELECTION - Suave (smooth & fruity) 20.000 Liters per year

These products are elaborated by selecting the best batches from our trusted farmers and therefore, our production may vary each year, depending of the climate conditions and other factors. We prize quality over quantity and therefore we produce only by the quality criteria.

· SELECTION - 100.000 Liters per year

These products are elaborated by selecting the best batches from our trusted farmers for elaborating a natural Coupage of 3 varieties that gives birth to one of our most distinctive olive Oils, of unmistakable flavor and aroma.

5. Different types of containers, bottles, and weights.

Please refer to updated information over each product line by the due product specification sheets.

6. Legal certificates of quality.

For meeting the demanding EU regulations and our own Standard procedures, we have obtained the proper Sanitary Registration Certification (available upon request), ) as well as a System of Traceability and also in place a System of Auto-Control (which is inspected regularly by the correspondent State Authorities that make unscheduled visits to our facilities).

Ongoing process of certification for the ISO 9001

Please accept my most sincere appreciation for the time you hve dedicated to further expand information about the VENAKKI brand EVOO standards and procedures.