Frequently Asked Questions

Certainly not. There’s nothing inherently wrong with blending olive oils from different countries, which is done to maintain a consistent flavor profile and price point. In fact, there’s no guarantee that a bottle of oil that comes from a single country will be any better than a multi-country blend. Here are three main points to consider:

1. Olive oil producers can often achieve great-tasting oils with “coupage” or blended combinations—a widespread practice in winemaking. Some famous appellations like Chianti and Rioja are even required by law to blend different regional wines. Like with grapes, olives from different harvests can have different flavor profiles due to a variety of factors. To account for this, winemakers and olive oil producers can use coupage to balance flavor and achieve consistency year after year. Similar to wines, a coupage of olive oils from different origins can be high quality. It’s not uncommon to find such olive oil blends among the winners of consumer taste tests.

2. Multi-country blends make quality olive oil accessible when and where you want it. When we go to the store, we expect our favorite olive oil to be there. The practice of blending olive oils from different regions helps make sure our preferred products are on the shelf, and they taste the way we expect them to—even if certain growing regions have a difficult season due to weather, which can negatively impact both the availability and quality of olive oil.

3. Olive oil blends are transparent about their countries of origin. For many people, olive oil quality is associated with traceability (i.e., where did this olive oil come from?). However, traceability doesn’t depend on the olive oil having a “single origin.” Olive oil blends are required by law to disclose their olive oils’ countries of origin, and that’s what producers do. What’s more, some producers even use blockchain data and QR codes to help provide additional transparency.

When choosing your oil, the trustworthiness of the producer is a more important factor than the country of origin; small estate producers and companies with positive brand recognition are most likely to take all steps needed to assure the quality of the oil in their bottles, regardless of where the oil comes from. A good rule of thumb is to judge the oil by tasting it as soon as you get it home. If it doesn’t meet your approval, take it back to the store for a refund or substitution.

That said, we recognize that origin is an important factor that some consumers consider when choosing olive oil, and we fully respect that. But again, origin by itself is not a guarantee of quality.