Chiavalon
Chiavalon
ABOUT US
OPG Chiavalon is a familiy business specialized in growing olives and producing top quality extra virgin olive oil. It takes quite a long time for the olive tree to bear fruit, so that today, after so many years, we can finally see the results of the work we started in 1997. Currently, we have altogether 7,500 olive trees on our estate, mostly autochthonous olive sorts, and there are also several contracted cultivators for an additional 3,000 trees. Our entire production is under certified ecological supervision. We are extremely proud to say that our extra virgin olive oil bears the Organic Label, as well as the Protected Designation of Origin, which both guarantee and ensure that this is certified 100% organic extra virgin olive oil from Istria.
Today, in the world of globalization and huge corporations, one rarely knows who the one is that guarantees a product's quality. When it comes to our extra virgin olive oil, the one is actually - us, the entire Chiavalon family , that strives and guarantees with its name that the extra virgin olive oil which reaches you will be of the utmost quality and the best one you have ever tasted.
OLIVE OIL
Istria is one of the world's northernmost olive tree growing regions, which certainly is our great advantage in the production of high quality olive oil. The secret lies in lower temperatures, thanks to which olive trees have a shorter vegetation period and the oil accumulation in its fruit begins later than in southern regions.
When summer heat waves strike southern areas, the fruit already contains oil, so the high temperatures cause a considerable decrease in its quality. On the other hand, here in Istria, the accumulation of oil begins after the period of high temperatures has passed and can no longer have a negative effect on oil quality. This results in high quality extra virgin olive oil of an intense flavor and aroma, and elegant notes of various herbs.
In addition to being proud of our region, we also take pride in our indigenous olive varieties. Buža, Bianchera (Istrian Bjelica), Carbonazza (Crnica), Moražola and Rožinjola (Rosulja) are olive varieties that have been planted in Istria and the Vodnjan area for centuries. We have continued this tradition because we want to show everyone the richness of this area that our ancestors left us as legacy.
The most important turning point in the production of extra virgin olive oil on our estate, which we introduced from the very beginning, and was up until then completely unknown, was an early harvest and same-day processing. The process involves harvesting healthy olives when about one third of the fruits have changed their color, and processing them the same day in a modern plant using the cold press method, under a controlled atmosphere. Such a process ensures that the olive oil remains exactly the same as it was in the fruit, non-oxidized, with a very low free fatty acids level and a high content of polyphenols - significant antioxidants.
All these compounds of our extra virgin olive oil have a distinctly beneficial health effect. Chiavalon extra virgin olive oil is not only the ultimate seasoning, it is also a remedy.
Once olives are processed and the oil reaches our cellar, the manner in which it is stored is of the utmost importance. Light, temperature and oxygen represent the three greatest threats to the quality of olive oil. That is why our olive oil is stored in stainless steel containers with inert gas, which prevents oxidation, at a constant temperature of 16 °C.
AWARD 2017: THE WORLD'S BEST OLIVE OIL
From 2000 to the present, our extra virgin olive oils have received numerous awards. We have won many gold medals at the Olive Oil Competition in Vodnjan, Vinistra in Porec and Maslina in Split, as well as gold medals and acknowledgments at Alma Armonia in Italy, the International Olive Oil Prize in Zurich, A.I.P.O. Riva del Garda, the L'Orciolo d'oro in Pesaro, Olive Japan, Los Angeles Olive Oil Award, etc.
Since 2005, our extra virgin olive oil has been included in the international Slow Food catalog, as well as the prestigious international guide L'extravergine from Rome, commonly known as Flos Olei. In competition with several thousand olive oil samples from all over the world, in 2008, Flos Olei ranked Extra Virgin Olive Oil Ex Albis among the Top 15 olive oils in the world.
The renowned and influential guide Der Feinschmeker regularly ranks us among the best producers of extra virgin olive oil on the German and Austrian markets.
We regularly receive important awards and prizes at Biol in Bari, one of the world's most prestigious competitions dedicated to organic extra virgin olive oils.
In 2016, the WORLD'S BEST OLIVE OILS included us among the TOP 25 organic olive oil producers in the world.
