Flip a bottle of olive oil over and you’ll usually find a “best by” date. But the number that actually matters, the one the best producers print, is the harvest date. Here’s why it’s the most useful thing on the label.
“Best by” vs. harvest date
A “best by” date is often just 18–24 months after bottling which could be long after the oil was made. A harvest date tells you when the olives were actually pressed, the true start of the freshness clock.
Why fresher is better
Olive oil is at its best within roughly a year of harvest. After that, flavor and polyphenols steadily decline. Knowing the harvest date lets you judge how fresh the oil really is, and avoid paying premium prices for old oil.
A mark of a serious producer
Printing a harvest date is a sign of transparency, the producer has nothing to hide about when the oil was made. Vague labels usually mean the opposite.
Always dated, always fresh
Our oil is a single annual harvest with a clear date, flown to the US fresh after pressing. You always know exactly how new it is. Shop the 2026 harvest →
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