FAQ's

An untapped 10L is good for 18-24 months. Once tapped the olive is good for 12-18 months.

Quality olive oil should taste like items you find from a garden (veggies, fruit, nuts, fresh herbs) so you will know your oil has gone rancid when it has a tired (like old nuts), lactic, or an  "oily" mouthfeel. We purchase olive oil that is pressed earlier in the harvest season so it will have a longer shelf life than any other olive oil you'd buy at the grocery store. However, olive oil is not like balsamic vinegar and does not get better with age, use it while its fresh! 

If your casks are sitting full for longer than 6 months that is a good indicator you should reevaluate your selling and marketing efforts on the product or reevaluate that flavor for your market. Please feel free to reach out to our crystal@olivelle.com or nicole@olivelle.com for tips and ideas on how to move product.  

How long does balsamic vinegar last?

Vinegar is self preserving so it won't go bad. However, for optimal flavor we still recommend an untapped 10L is good for 18-24 months. Once tapped the balsamic is good for 12-18 months.

Why isn't our oil sold a dark bottle?

It is a common misconception that a dark bottle will significantly extend the life of your olive oil. Storing your oil properly (in a cool dark area away from direct heat and sunlight) is going to keep your oil fresher longer than the kind of glass it is stored in. We also believe the clear bottles increase the enjoyment of the product as you are able to see the beautiful colors of the oil and vinegar as you use it. 

There's something floating in my bottle of vinegar!

Our balsamic vinegars are not pasteurized and will produce mother naturally over time. Mother is the healthy bacteria that converts alcohol into vinegar- are your familiar with the stringy bits in apple cider vinegar or kombucha? Its the same thing! Although its full of antioxidants, if the mother bothers you or your customer it can be strained out. The best way to tell the customer is to compare it to kombucha or apple cider vinegar. 

My oil is darker/cloudy instead of clear, what's going on?

Your olive isn't bad- in fact this is some of the best olive oil you will taste! What you are seeing is sediment for the olive pressing that was too fine to strain out. Since the sediment is denser it tends to seperate in the bottle or barrel. This oil then can appear cloudy or darker and has a more robust flavor. It's important to remember that color is never an indicator of the quality of olive oil, only organoleptic testing (smell and taste) can determine if an olive oil is good or bad. 

My olive oil is frozen solid after I received it in shipping!

Olive oil is an unsaturated fat, so it is liquid at room temperature and becomes a solid at colder temperatures. During the colder months your olive oil may solidify during shipment. This has no significant effect on the quality of the olive oil, simply let it come to room temperature before you add it to the cask. Need to olive oil to warm up faster? You can place the 10L in warm water (make sure the seal is still on the 10l). 

My 10L bag is leaking! Help!

If you have a leaking 10L bag please take photos of the bag, including a photo of the leak, and of the lot number. Email the photos to orders@olivelle.com and we will get you a replacement ASAP. If the 10L is leaking from the pour spout, try snapping the pour spout back into the bag as this could be an easy fix to your leaking 10L. If your 10L is leaking slow we may ask you to bag it in a few garbage bags and we will send you a return label to ship it back to us so we can rebag the product. In the event that bag won't be able to be shipped back, we reccomend pouring bottles off the 10L and salvaging what you can- this will just be more free product for you!

How should I store my oil and vinegar?

The best way to store oil and vinegar is in a cool, dark, place away from direct heat and sunlight (such as a kitchen cabinet). We want our customers to store their oil and vinegar properly, but not so properly they forget to use it. The oils and vinegars they use everyday can be stored on the countertop for easy access as they will go through the product faster than it will expire.  

Can I return a 10L?

In order to provide our customers with the freshest product we can not accept returns on opened 10Ls due to slow moving products. Please feel free to reach out to crystal@olivelle.com or nicole@olivelle.com for tips and ideas on how to move product. We want you and your customers to be 100% happy with out products, if you have any concerns please reach out orders@olivelle.com so we can make it right for you. 

Are your oils and balsamic gluten free/dairy free/vegan/etc?

Olive oil and balsamic is naturally free of the 8 most common food allergens. The natural flavorings we use to make the Sweet Cream Butter Infused Olive Oil, Brown Butter Infused Olive Oil, and Maple-Wood Smoked Bacon Infused Olive Oil are derived from plants- making these products meat free/dairy free/vegan! Our Black Garlic Tamari Barrel Aged Balsamic is made with real tamari (a gluten free soy sauce) and does contain soy which is now recognized as a common food allergen. 

Why are your balsamic vinegars so thick? Is there additives or extra sugar?

What makes balsamic vinegar different from wine vinegar is the use of grape must (cooked down grape juice). The higher the concentration of grape must the thicker and sweet the balsamic vinegar is. The majority of our balsamic vinegars have 80% grape must. All sugar in the balsamic is natural sugar found in the grapes, our balsamics do not contain added sugar, thickeners, or preservatives. 

How long are you balsamic vinegars aged for?

Due to the aging process old and new balsamic vinegar is continually mixed together and aged in batches. Because of a whole batch is never aged at the same time you can not put an exact age on a balsamic vinegar only an age range. Our Barrel Aged Balsamic Vinegar is aged up to 10 years and our Dark Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is aged a minimum of 3 months. 

Supporting Products

We consider "supporting products" all products we manufacture that are not oil or vinegar. This includes but is not limited to herbs, spices, salts, pasta, rice,  popcorn, and kitchenwares. 

Why is my sea salt hard/clumping?

Our infused sea salts do not contain anti-caking or anti-clumping agents and contain natural moisture from the infusion process. If exposed to high humid climates or left exposed to the air they will clump together or become hard. This does not mean they are bad! Simply break them up with a spoon. We recommend keeping them tightly enclosed in their jar with the gel moisture packed that comes inside the jar. 

Do you make you own spice blends?

Yes! We source ingredients to make our own spice blend recipes. We do all of the packaging and label design in house as well. 

Bottle Washing

Why should I take the time to wash bottles?

The bottle return program is an essential part of the Olivelle On-Tap concept. Allowing customers to return bottles encourages repeat businesses because customers can save money and appreciate the packing is being reused. Stores that have tried to get rid of the bottle return program have a noticeable drop in sales compared to stores that have the bottle return program. Being able to reuse the bottles also saves you money as you don't have to purchase as much new glass inventory. 

What equipment do I need to wash bottles?

To wash bottles you will need a 3 compartment sink, dawn dish soap, baking soda, sponges or rags, bottles brushes in various sizes, jet bottle washer, plastic dishwasher plate rack, and a sanitizing process whether that is chemical (such as bleach) or heat sanitization (such as a commerical sanitizer). 

My bottles have been drying for over 48 hours and they still look wet, what's going on?

You are not seeing water in the bottle but residual oil. Bottles shouldn't take more than 24-48 hours to dry. They will need to be rewashed and sanitized. 

Is there a commercial sanitizer or dishwasher that will wash bottles for me?

1. Remove tapis, hang tags, seals, and any other stickers from the bottles. 
2. Fill each bottle with a drop of Dawn Dish Soap and hot water. Dump out the water to remove the oil inside. 
3. Using a plate rack, run the bottles through a commercial sanitizer. 
4. Run the bottles through a residential dishwasher using a dishwashing pod. 
5. Bottles will come out sparkling clean and dry from the dishwasher. This dishwasher is only used for bottles. 
1. The reason we run the bottles in the residential dishwasher last is that they come out clean, dry, and with no spots. 
6. Let bottles dry upside down for 24 hours inside the dishwasher if needed, then check to make sure they are clean.
7. To santiize tapis seperate the tops from the cork, soak in hot soap water for about 10 minutes, then run through the same process