Our First Olive Oil Harvest At Shayna’s Italian Farm
Moving to Europe and living in the Italian countryside has been life-changing. Surrounded by olive trees and endless rolling hills, it’s here that I realized one of my biggest dreams: creating my own organic extra virgin olive oil.
Olive oil is a popular ingredient around the world. In grocery stores, you see aisles filled with endless options. But a shocking “80% of olive oils in America are fake”, diluted with other types of oils like soybean, mislabeled and misleading in terms of purity. Low quality olive oil is extracted from a mix of olives from different suppliers in different countries, which means little to no consistency in quality, shelf life, and health benefits.
I am passionately proud of the fact that Shayna’s Kitchen olive oil is single estate, from olives that are exclusively grown and harvested on my Umbrian farm, capturing the pure authenticity of olive oil that is 100% Italian.
I celebrated the sold-out launch of my EU Certified Organic Ancient Italian Olive Oil this year. The journey of our first harvest has been filled with excitement, hard work, patience, and some growing pains. I am so proud of my team and grateful that we were able to figure it all out. I wanted to take you behind the scenes with me and reflect on the process of not only reconnecting with your dreams but also taking a leap of faith in transforming those dreams into reality.
Grown, Harvested, Cold Pressed, & Bottled In Umbria
Our very first harvest was in October 2023 in Umbria at my biodynamic farm, lush with ancient Frantoio, Moraiolo, and Leccino olive trees that have grown for centuries from the nutrient-rich soil of this land. Our olives were handpicked by farm hands of a local Umbrian mill that cleans, cold presses, labels, and bottles our olive oil in small, artisanal batches.
We honor the rich agricultural culture of Umbria, “the land of green gold”, and cold press our olives for maximum nutritional potency and flavor dimensionality. Our unfiltered extra virgin grade upholds timeless Italian traditions and the highest standards of olive oil taste, aroma, and purity, while adhering to the European organic farming policies. We boast remarkable anti-inflammatory nutrient and medicinal polyphenol levels that help to support gut health, lower cholesterol levels, regulate blood sugar, manage weight, improve brain health, and reduce the risk of diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease.
Made In Italy, Sold From The USA
Our processes ensure that the quality of our olive oil remains pristine as it continues its journey from Italy to the United States to your kitchen.
One of the key standards of extra virgin olive oil is that it contains less than 0.8% free fatty acid (FFA) content, which we achieve by cold pressing our olives to maintain stability and nutritional integrity, and the natural essence of wild olives. Olives that are overripe or extracted with chemicals or high heat result in olive oil that is high in FFAs and prone to nutrient degradation, becoming dull and stale over time. To prevent oxidation, our EU certified organic, extra virgin, cold pressed, single estate, high polyphenol olive oil is bottled in Umbria in dark glass to protect it from light and preserve its antioxidants, monounsaturated fats, vitamins, phytonutrients, and full spectrum of flavors and aromas.
Selling products from within the United States like imported olive oil or matcha requires compliance with the regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure product integrity and safety. Our olive oil was successfully imported into the USA at the beginning of February 2024, arriving at the logistics centre of Shayna’s Kitchen. We were all so excited!
We packed our olive oil into temperature-controlled containers, which are ready to be shipped to fulfill all pre-orders and orders!
Reviews From Our Community
Thanks to the support of the Shayna’s Kitchen community and the dedication of my team, the olive oil launch from our first harvest was a sold-out success! Our website received glowing reviews highlighting the delicious taste.
Our olive oil is unique and unparalleled with distinct yet subtle fruity, bitter, and spicy notes. Naturally providing oleocanthal, oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, chlorophyll, vitamin E & K, oleic acid, squalene, lutein, and beta-carotene, extra virgin olive oil is an anti-inflammatory superfood and one of my favorite ingredients ever, a kitchen essential in my healthy recipes and a gut healing staple in my daily morning routine.
Reflections & Our Next Harvest
I am beyond grateful for everything this year—the victories, the lessons, and even the moments of uncertainty.
As a culinary artisan, holistic chef, and gut health advocate, this first olive oil harvest is a milestone in my journey from a big American city to the Italian countryside. This leap into the uncertainty of moving my life abroad and founding an olive oil business was a step towards the holistic life I had always wanted—a sanctuary for my body, mind, and soul, and a sustainable source of the best organic ingredients for my health & wellness and yours.
Creating my own olive oil is a labor of love that has brought me closer to nature and myself. In times of uncertainty, I relied on my daily rituals, prioritized my gut health, and allowed my intuition to guide me. Every bottle represents the slower, more intentional way of life I’ve embraced.
We can’t wait to show the Shayna’s Kitchen community what we’ve been working on. We are creatively exploring some ideas about our bottles and design while adhering to strict FDA regulations on imported products. We now have our own warehouse in California to have all hands on our fulfillment for quality control from start to finish.
My team and I feel way more prepared and ready for our next harvest. Every step was a part of the learning process. We feel much more grounded in ourselves and confident in the systems we have in place.
Pre-order: Shayna’s Kitchen EU Certified Organic Ancient Italian Olive Oil
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