The capacity of processing/working of the oil mill is attested on 1300quintals:/per day, through the contemporary and continuous function of three methods of processing each constitute by a “frangigramolatrice” machine, an horizontal centrifugal decanter and two centrifugal separators. Schematically the processing cycle is made up of the following phases:

Pre-Production Phase

• The conferring by the members in the early afternoon hours ofhand-picked products during the day and then emptied in stiff containers in order to avoid the damaging of the olives.

• Control of variety and quality of olives to get rid of the parcels/lots that have failed to meet the requested expectations.

• Stocking or momentary stocking of olives in big bins (aerated plastic containers)

• Withdrawing of big bins and discharging of olives in the hopper.

Production Phase

• production of the oily paste by the mean of the olive crushing lasting a few seconds and without air contact through a knife crusher which doesn’t cut the skin.

• first “gramolatura”, meaning a cold mixing of the oily paste to break the water oil emulsion and bring together the small drops of oil in bigger ones.

• conveying of the oily paste in the “sinolea”, an apparatus made up of a series of blades that stir among themselves in parallel inside this paste, provoking the separation by dropping of a first and limited fraction of oily must.

• separation through a centrifugal separator, of the vegetation water from the dropping commercialized with the name brand “Goccia di Sole” or D.O.P “Terra di Bari” (geographical added notion “Bitonto”) the most valid, because it keeps the most quantity of natural anti-oxidants and aromatic fragrances.

• second “gramolatura” of the oily paste.

• separation of the oily must and of the husks through a centrifugal horizontal extractor (decanter).

• separation through a centrifugal separator of the water of vegetation of the centrifugal oil that will be commercialized with the brand name “Etichetta Verde (green label)”.

Post-production Phase

• chemical analysis and organolectic test, testing taste and smell.

• stocking in separate tanks, for the different types of oil.

• digestion/selling off of the vegetation water through the controlled distribution on the land of the members given from the norms of the laws in force.

• the selling of husks to the husk mills for the extraction of oil with solvents (esano) for the production of husks oil; this production is not legalized in the oil-mill.

• the packaging of the product in cans or bottles of various size and capacity.

• with the denomination D.O.P., what is recognized is not only the type and quality of the extra virgin olive oil.

The brand D.O.P. represents a quality mark for all the operations that follow the production of the oil and the olive transportation cycle of olives: the carriage of olives in stiff containers to avoid cuts of the fruit, poses in aerated bins to avoid abnormal fermentations, immediate processing to keep them fresh, the “defoliatura” and elimination of ground to avoid bad tastes, cold crushing to give importance to the organolectic characteristics, rational oil stocking, packaging and retail selling.