published: in April .2025 by K. Ehrenberger, Owner of Protos Mediterrane Spezialitäten
As with wine, not every bottle of olive oil is the same. Vintage, variety, region - and above all: the time of harvest and processing - make the difference. Olive oil from early harvests is particularly exciting: intense in flavour, rich in ingredients (polyphenols à secondary plant substances) and a real highlight for fans of Mediterranean cuisine and all those who love good olive oil.
Olive oil is normally pressed from fully ripe, dark purple to black olives - in other words, when the fruit has reached its peak ripeness. This is different with early harvest olive oil: the olives are harvested when they are just beginning to change colour - from fresh green to dark purple. Sometimes even a little earlier. This moment is crucial, because it is precisely then that the fruit is particularly fresh and strong - in other words, it has a high polyphenol content. We prefer not to say much about the flavour at this point because, as the saying goes, it's a matter of debate. But simply put, the time of harvest can significantly influence the flavour, aroma, chemical composition and organoleptic properties as well as the shelf life of the resulting olive oil.
There is no exact or predefined date for harvesting ‘unripe’ olives. As you might expect, the time of harvest depends on the olive variety, region and weather. However, the early harvest of olives usually takes place around 4 to 6 weeks earlier than the harvest of fully ripe olives.
Why are olives not always harvested earlier?
There are several reasons why olives are not always harvested in the early ripening phase. The most important, however, is the oil yield. The earlier the olives are harvested, the more olives are needed to produce the same amount of oil.
A general rule of thumb states:
The oil yield of ripe olives is around 20-25%. This means that around 20 to 25 litres of olive oil are obtained from 100 kg of ripe olives. For olive oil from the early harvest, the oil yield figure is different and is between 12-14%, as 100kg of unripe olives can only yield 14 litres at best.
But be careful - these figures are only a rough estimate!
The actual oil yield depends on many factors and not just the time of harvest. The olive variety, the growing region and the weather conditions play a decisive role in how high the oil yield ultimately turns out to be.
The following examples show how strongly the variety influences the oil yield:
Varieties with high oil yield:
Varieties with lower oil yield:
Now it's getting exciting:
Imagine an olive grower who only grows Koroneiki olives. This variety only produces a moderate oil yield of around 14-18% anyway - even when fully ripe!
If the farmer opts for an early harvest, the yield can easily drop below 12 %. In plain language:
Instead of getting around 16 litres of oil from 100 kg of olives, he may only be left with 10-11 litres. That is a yield loss of up to 40 % compared to a later harvest - simply due to the earlier harvest time.
For producers who prioritise quality over quantity - especially with varieties such as Koroneiki - the decision to harvest early is a real feat. They invest more work, harvest fewer litres, but deliver an exceptionally high-quality olive oil. A luxury that you can taste - and that consumers can appreciate.
And of course we have one in our range ↓:
The title may sound a little confusing, but here's what it means: There is no protected term for early harvest olive oil. As a result, many different terms can be found on olive oil labels and may not mean much. In other words, there is no test, no seal of quality, no obligation to provide proof. Rather, this is an ‘internal’ classification created by the producers of their own extra virgin olive oil.
Familiar terms
However, you can recognise from a few characteristics whether the contents of the bottle promise what is written on the label.
Based on 3 simple criteria - colour, smell and aroma - you can basically tell whether the term could correspond to the content.
Olive oils from the early harvest show a clear green tinge or a shiny green colour (due to the higher chlorophyll content). Furthermore, the odour test should show clear herbal notes. The flavour of the oil should not be mild, but rather intense, sharp and bitter.
