Fresh extra virgin olive oil extracted from Maltese-grown olives is to be launched this week, Sam Cremona of Wardija said.

The extra virgin olive oil was bottled soon after pressing and has not been allowed to settle.

"It may be a bit peppery and there can be some sediment but it is like that only because it is pure and freshly pressed," Mr Cremona said.

"The oil I am bottling is unadulterated and contains no preservatives, colour or other additives. Hence, its shelf life is limited and I recommend it is consumed within one year," he said.

Mr Cremona has for a long time been wanting to revive olive oil pressing - the industry was strong in Malta centuries ago - and started seeing his dream come true two years ago when he pressed 14 tonnes of olives, producing some 2,500 litres of oil.

Twenty-one tonnes were pressed last year, producing 4,000 litres and it is envisaged that about 80 tonnes of olives will be pressed this year. It is estimated that 10 to 20 litres of oil are extracted from each 100 kgs of olives.

"I have already pressed 20 tonnes this year but there is so much interest in olives and olive oil that I am inundated with requests to press more. An individual from Siggiewi had over four tons of olives to be pressed," he said.

The demand has led Mr Cremona to invest in another olive press. His original press was only able to handle 50 kgs per hour but his new machine can press five times that.

"The response I have received has been incredible. A German company wanted 2,000 bottles to give as a gift to doctors. Another German company making Maltese bread in Munich wanted Maltese olive oil.

"I have requests from several countries, including the UK. The problem is I have little oil for sale. Most of the olives I press belongs to other people who would want to keep it for themselves," Mr Cremona said.

The demand is mostly due to the fact that the oil has negligible acidity.

"It is a genuine product, organically grown, no pesticides are used and its quality is superior compared to other olive oil which has traces of sulphur because of the soil. Our soils are poor and it is the sun that develops it.

"Maltese pressed oil has a high content of a natural antibiotic oleuropein. Laboratory tests have shown it has six times as much as the best olive oils. The antibiotic is produced by the tree to preserve the olive and the leaves. It also helps safeguard the oil and is at its highest soon after the olives are pressed. Within a year it goes down to about ten per cent of its original level, that is why I say that oil should be consumed within a year," he said.

Mr Cremona said one could not compare the Maltese olive oil he was pressing to refined olive oils which hardly have 20 per cent olive oil in them, even though they claim to be extra virgin oils.

When Mr Cremona started pressing olives two years ago, his dream was to see 200,000 olive trees planted in the Maltese islands.

"My dream will soon come true if olive tree planting continues at this rate. Over 100,000 have been planted over the past three years and there is a huge demand for trees as more people want to have Maltese olive oil," he said.

An open day is planned to be held at Trapetio, in il-Madonna tal-Abbandunati Street, Wardija, on November 2 and people will be able to see the olive pressing process and taste the freshly pressed olive oil served on Maltese bread.

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