During the Roman rule of Malta one of the main characteristics of the Maltese landscape was the relatively large number of villas which included an area set aside for the processing of olive oil and for other agricultural activities.

Olive oil consists of olive acid (80%), linseed oil acid (10%), palmetic and stearic acid (10%) and of phytosteroles to a very small percentage. From these components the linseed oil acid is very important for man, and its lack leads to a series of damages, such as retard in growth, disorders in metabolism etc.

The olive oil is cultivated in any soil, but favours the Mediterranean climate, including Malta but not the wind-swept areas. It requires very little care and it is fully exploitable: as wood, leafage, fruit and sub-products.

The poor quality, alkaline soil that we find on the Maltese hillsides and valleys contribute to the extremely low acid content in our soil, which is below 0.5%. Olives coming from older trees are practically devoid of acidity.