Olive Harvest

The Olive Harvest - la raccolta delle olive – runs from late October to early December from Tuscany to Sicily. The region of Puglia, in southern Italy, is the most important olive growing area with 60 million olive trees and accounts for almost half of all olives harvested in Italy.

If you find yourself driving or walking along the countryside in Puglia, during harvest season, you will see farmers and workers under olive trees with rakes or on ladders shaking branches. Unlike other fruit, olives are removed from trees by shaking rather than picking. You will see large nets under trees ready to catch the olives as they fall from the branches.

There are 400 known varieties of olives in Italy! The extra-virgin olive oil produced in Puglia is recognized to be the best in the world. Olives are not only used for olive oil but you can also enjoy eating them right out of the jar.

Did you know that olives are also used in skincare products? Olive oil as well as olive leaf extracts is infused in skincare products which help your skin stay hydrated and moisturized.