Author Archives: admin

A Taste of Tuscany from California

Posted on by

Tuscany is famous for its beautiful olive orchards and exceptional olive oil. For years now, we have a special relationship with someone here in Northern California who has a small, Tuscan-style grove that delivers one of the very best oils we mill. The grove, located in the cool, rolling foothills of Petaluma, is planted with a mix of Tuscan varieties – Frantoio, Maurino, Leccino, and a few Pendolino trees. The olives are very, very small, and the fresh oil trickles out of the mill with an incredible dark emerald color and stunning vegetal aromas.

Sam Saltonstall, seen here with his son, Sam, and Gianni, is one of our hero-growers. He carefully tends his trees using sustainable, organic methods, and is so strongly committed to getting the best oil possible, that – even now at 80 years old – each evening, he loads up the day’s harvest and sets out at 4 am to drive his olives to our mill, arriving four hours later so that they can be milled immediately on what he has found to be the best mill around. He unloads and returns home straight away to get another load of olives to us the next day.

This year we are lucky and honored to offer his oil in our bottles, under the Gold Series “Tuscan” label. If you are tempted to experience Sam’s oil, the limited production of 720 bottles is available only on our web site.

2014 Oils Win More Gold

Posted on by
2014 Oils Win More Gold!

We are proud to announce once again, that our new oils have placed very well in this year’s competitions. Since Apollo’s first production 13 years ago, our oils have consistently shown exceptionally well. Reviewing all the awards from past competitions, we found that in the prestigious US competitions our oils have been awarded far more golds than silvers, and been recognized as Best of Class or Best of Show 50% of the time. And that’s not counting top recognitions in various European competitions over the years!

Apollo Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards, 2001 – 2014 in US competitions
7 Best of Show
6 Best of Class
41 Gold
32 Silver

The 2014 competition results just came in, and here they are: internationally, from Italy, New York, Los Angeles, and locally, from Napa Valley:

Biol – International Competition for Organic Olive Oils in Bari, Italy
Mistral – Extra Gold
Sierra – Gold

International Olive Oil Competition in NY
Mistral – Gold
Sierra – Gold

LA County International Olive Oil Competition
Mistral – Gold
Frantoio – Gold
Sierra – Silver
Barouni – Silver
Tuscan – Silver

Napa Valley Olive Oil Competition
Mistral – Best of Class, Gold
Sierra – Silver
Barouni – Silver
Frantoio – Silver
Tuscan – Bronze

Who Needs Milk?

Posted on by

A recent study out of Madrid suggests that olive oil is good for our bones. A two year study was conducted which revealed that people who consumed higher amounts of olive oil also had higher amounts of a compound called osteocalcin. It is thought that the presence of osteocalcin is an indicator of stronger bones because it helps prevent insulin resistance which is associated with weaker bones.

Another study from researchers in Athens found that a diet high in olive oil and low in red meat was linked to healthier bone density in women. The beneficial effect is thought to be caused by the high antioxidant levels in real extra virgin olive oil. Yet another reason to eat the real thing.

Have GMO’s infiltrated the olive oil industry?

Posted on by

Thankfully, the short answer is no. GMO stands for genetically modified organisms. These are plants and animals that have been genetically modified by scientists to produce favorable traits. They have many people concerned because the most common trait that is engineered into these plants is to resist pesticides so that more pesticides can be used to control weeds and pests.

The only known GMO experiment for olive trees was started at the University of Tuscia near Rome. It was an experiment to develop trees that could resist infections. In 2012 the Italian government ordered all the trees destroyed to comply with a 2002 law that banned field experiments involving GMO plants.

Olive trees have escaped the GMO craze because they do not lend themselves to intensive agricultural methods. Also, they have a tremendous biodiversity consisting of hundreds of cultivars so desirable traits can be found with traditional methods of cross breeding and grafting.

The absence of GMO’s and its highly unlikely development in the future is another reason to love olive oil. Almost all other vegetable oils, including corn oil, soy oil, cotton seed oil and many others, contain some GMO’s.

Good Food Award Finalist

Posted on by

We are very proud of winning this Good Food Award because it is the only competition that includes sustainability as a critical component. This is the first year they have had a category for olive oils. The application included many questions pertaining to farming practices, processing, and packaging that were all aimed at choosing those producers with the highest sustainability standards. So with Apollo Olive Oil you can be sure you are not only getting the healthiest and highest quality olive oil, you are also getting the one using the highest standards of production from farm to table.

Vegetable and Shrimp Tempura

Posted on by

This is some fun comfort food. It is not really hard and it is tasty. You can really use any vegetables you like cut into bite size pieces.

1 cup of wheat or rice flour
1 cup of cold mineral water

1 small onion, cut in half then in strips
1 head of broccoli, cut in bite size pieces
12 fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 bottle of Apollo Salute oil

Continue reading →

Holiday Special

Posted on by

With Apollo Olive Oil, you have several gift-giving options – the beautiful golden gift box, your gift message on a nice Holiday card, and the extended 15% holiday savings for orders over $100.

Now, in keeping with our Holiday tradition, when you place an order over $100 just enter the SUPERSAVER coupon code for the 15% discount. That’s a perfect way to stock your pantry AND do your holiday shopping in one transaction.

Our gift to you: A 15% savings PLUS free shipping on any order over $100 by using the coupon code SUPERSAVER.

The Month of Harvest Festivals

Posted on by

These past four weeks have been a lot of fun and very busy. Every year we look forward to attending the Mendocino Art in the Gardens Festival, the North Yuba Harvest Festival, the San Jose Mission Olive Festival, and the Cañada College Olive Festival. We gave out tastings, explained the flavors and benefits of good oil, and sent many folks home with our oils. It is always a pleasure to meet in person, answer your questions, and share the experience.

This year our Balsamic Condiment was a huge hit. Nearly everyone thought it was especially delicious – thicker, sweeter, with a long finish, and unlike anything else they had tried. Based on our very own 25 year old late harvest riesling, it is one of the only balsamic products entirely made in California.

Some of you drove up to four hours to visit us on our own turf, at the North Yuba Harvest Festival! What a surprise and honor. Thank you!