For fifteen harvests, our oils have stood far above global standards. Not by accident, and not through force.

What becomes possible when land is healthy, decisions are restrained, and craft is practiced with intention can be measured.

Extra virgin olive oil lives at the intersection of chemistry, sensory expression, and care. Each number reflects how a tree was nurtured, how fruit was protected, and how oil was transformed without compromise.

This is where craft becomes visible.

Chemical Integrity

What the world measures, and how we interpret it.

Acidity

A baseline, not a measure of excellence.

Industry limit: ≤ 0.8%
Abandoned Grove 15 year average: ~0.19%

Acidity reflects the condition of the fruit before it becomes oil. It speaks to olive health, harvest cleanliness, and speed to extraction.

It is also the most easily achieved number in the industry, and the most easily manipulated. Through blending or selective dilution, acidity can be lowered without improving the oil itself. Low acidity alone does not indicate excellence. It simply confirms basic competence.

Peroxide Value

Freshness and shelf life.

Industry limit: ≤ 20 meq O₂/kg
Abandoned Grove 15 year average: ~5.86 meq O₂/kg

Peroxides measure the earliest stage of oxidation. Lower values indicate an oil at the beginning of its life, with greater stability and a longer shelf life.

This is not about intensity. It is about time and protection from the moment the fruit leaves the tree.

UV Absorption

Proof of authenticity.

Industry limits:
K232 ≤ 2.50 · K270 ≤ 0.22 · ΔK ≤ 0.01

Abandoned Grove 15-year averages:
~1.78 · ~0.15 · ~0.001

UV values detect subtle oxidation and refining markers invisible to other tests. Clean readings confirm purity, compliance, and the absence of hidden refinement.

These numbers do not trend by accident.

Oleic Acid

Stability and intrinsic identity.

Industry requirement: Not required
Abandoned Grove 15 year average: ~75%

Oleic acid contributes to longevity, oxidative stability, and nutritional integrity. Many oils fall between 55 and 60 percent, losing stability and behaving less predictably over time.

High oleic content is not engineered here. It is preserved through variety selection, harvest timing, and geographical location.

Phenolic Compounds

Structure, vitality, and perspective.

Industry requirement: Not required
Abandoned Grove 15 year average: ~505 mg/kg

Phenolics influence bitterness, pungency, shelf life, and health benefits. They are also one of the most misunderstood and overstated numbers in olive oil today.

We take a different position.

Phenolics matter, but only in balance. Enough to protect the oil, support longevity, and contribute to health, without overwhelming flavour or pleasure.

Extra virgin olive oil is food, not a shortcut supplement.

Pesticides and Contaminants

Purity beyond certification.

Industry requirement: Not required
Abandoned Grove average: No detectable residues

Each harvest undergoes multi-residue testing that detects hundreds of synthetic pesticides and contaminants.

Purity should never be claimed. It should be measured.

The Sensory Standard

Where chemistry meets craft.

Chemical analysis defines a category. Sensory evaluation reveals character.

Fruitiness

Aroma, freshness, green life.

Industry reference range: 1 to 2
Abandoned Grove 15 year average: ~5.05

Fruitiness reflects aromatic intensity and freshness, shaped by harvest timing and careful extraction.

Bitterness

Phenolic structure on the palate.

Industry reference range: 1 to 2
Abandoned Grove 15 year average: ~4.36

Bitterness signals freshness and the presence of beneficial phenolic compounds such as oleuropein and ligstroside.

Pungency

The living lift.

Industry reference range: 1 to 2
Abandoned Grove 15 year average: ~4.60

Pungency is the peppery sensation felt at the back of the throat. A marker of freshness and healthy levels of oleocanthal.

Balance Over Extremes

Our oils are not mild. They are intentional.

Intensity is never pursued for its own sake. Every harvest is envisioned to balance fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency in harmony, preserving pleasure, structure, shelf life, and health together.

This philosophy echoes across the work.
Restraint over force.
Harmony over noise.
Craft over shortcuts.

What results are oils that are vibrant, structured, and alive, yet always composed.

What the Numbers Reveal

Across every harvest since our inception, the pattern holds.

These are not marketing achievements. They are the natural outcome of regeneration over extraction, intention over trends, and expertise practiced with patience.

Care comes first.
The harvest follows.