Shelf Life - Information

Air (oxygen), heat, light and the passage of time (age) all have a negative effect on the shelf life of olive oil. Oxidation will make the oil go rancid. The oxidation process is hastened if the olive oil is stored in containers or bottles that are not sealed tight (in which case the oil can also absorb other, negative tastes and/or scents) or in places that are exposed to heat and light. Remember: NEVER leave a bottle of olive oil open on a windowsill in direct sunlight!

Olive oil can be kept longer than any other edible oils. If kept properly, olive oil will only start to go rancid well after the expiration date mentioned on the packaging (two years after bottling). It is best to keep olive oil in (tinted) glass , earthenware, porcelain or not-reactive metals such as stainless steel containers. Can Solivera has chosen to bottle two of its three olive oils in transparent bottles and the third (the organic) in green bottles. The bottles are small (500 ml), so the content will normally be used up well before the expiration date mentioned. We opted for transparent containers in order to show the consumer the oil clearly and any further ado: its clarity, its colour, the swirling crystals it forms at temperatures below 7°C, or its cloudiness in the case of the (unfiltered) Novello oils that connoisseurs will wait in line for. None of this would be possible with a dark green bottle, for example. It is our 'humble' opinion that such coloured containers are quite often used to conceal the (quality of the) contents, barring any exceptions, of course.