[Tenuta del Barone di Montemurlo](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en) — Toscano PGI extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany # How much does good extra virgin olive oil cost: an honest guide to prices A good bottle of extra virgin olive oil, hand-picked and milled the same day, costs what it costs to make: not less. Below a certain price, something in the story is missing, usually cheap bought-in olives or forced yields. Here is what actually sits behind the price, line by line. ## What a bottle's price actually depends on The price of a bottle depends on what it costs to produce the oil inside it, not on how much profit a producer wants. The cost lines are always the same: the land and its upkeep, the harvest, the milling, the bottling, the label, the shipping. Hand-picking costs more than mechanical or assisted harvesting: it takes more time and more people per hectare. A producer who hand-picks with combs and nets, as we do, carries a labour cost that a machine-harvested oil simply does not have. ## Why a very low price should raise questions An olive tree on a hillside, in thin, stony soil, yields less oil than an intensive, irrigated grove on flat land. Lower yields mean a higher cost per litre, everything else being equal. A bottle sold at the same price as a flat-land, machine-harvested oil, while claiming hand-picking, is covering that gap somewhere: cheap bought-in olives, blends with oil of unclear origin, or longer milling times that cut costs but also quality. There is no single fixed threshold that applies everywhere, because it depends on the region, the year and that particular harvest's yield. But a very low price on a bottle that claims hand-picking and cold extraction is a reason to ask questions, not to move on. ## What to check beyond the price The label states whether the oil is Italian or a blend of oils from several EU countries: the wording "blend of olive oils from the European Union" means the real origin is not disclosed. Check also for a harvest date: an oil that states it has less to hide than one showing only a distant best-before date. A protected geographical indication, such as Toscano PGI, sets a production rulebook and is checked by an independent body on growing area and cultivars. It is not a guarantee of taste, but it is a guarantee of origin, and origin is often the first thing a very low price sacrifices. ## Our oil and its price Our Toscano PGI extra virgin olive oil comes from Frantoiano, Moraiolo and Leccino olives, grown, picked and milled in Tuscany, at Montemurlo, between Prato and Pistoia, half an hour from Florence. We hand-pick between October and November and mill the same day: 870 metres from the grove, three minutes by road. That work has a cost, and it shows in the price of the bottle. We produce two oils from the same harvest: Luce, from green, early-season olives, markedly bitter and peppery, for a decisive oil used raw; Raccolto, from ripe, November olives, round and balanced, for everyday use and cooking. Both are available directly from our website, with shipping across Italy, the European Union and worldwide, so it reaches you wherever you are. ## Frequently asked questions ### why does extra virgin olive oil cost more than regular olive oil Extra virgin olive oil is made only by mechanically pressing olives, with no chemical processing, and must meet stricter acidity and quality limits. Regular olive oil is often a blend of refined oil and some virgin oil, made through a cheaper process. ### is it normal for one extra virgin olive oil to cost twice as much as another Yes, and this is especially true when the growing region, the year's yield and the harvesting method differ. A hand-picked, hillside oil with low yields is structurally more expensive than a machine-harvested, flat-land oil. ### is it better to buy olive oil from a supermarket or direct from a producer It depends on what matters to you: supermarkets offer lower prices but often sell blends with untraceable origin. Buying direct from a producer means paying the real cost of hand harvesting and milling, with a clear harvest date and origin. ### how much olive oil does a household need to buy It depends on consumption, but a 500ml bottle used daily in cooking typically lasts two to three weeks for a household of two or three people. It is worth estimating yearly consumption and buying larger formats to spread the cost of shipping. ## Our oil, from tree to bottle Two 100% Italian extra virgin olive oils from Tuscany, from a single hand-picked harvest, milled the same day three minutes from the grove. Luce is green, bitter and peppery; Raccolto is round, for every day. We ship across Italy, Europe and worldwide. [Luce](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en/oil/luce) [Raccolto](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en/oil/raccolto) [The estate journal](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en/journal) [All oils](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en)