Information for olive growing
The yield
The yield is the quantity of oil extracted per kg of olives. It is expressed in kg of olives for a liter of oil or in liters of oil for 100 kg of olives.
The most important is of course to have the maximum oil, which does not always correspond to the highest yield. In fact, at the start of the season, yields are low largely because the olives are full of water which they will lose partly, especially after the first frosts. So the yield can go up not because there is more oil but because there is less water. And if a significant part of the olives has fallen (strong mistral, olives damaged by fly bites), oil will be lost.
Yields vary greatly depending on the date of picking (6 to 7 kg of olives for a liter of oil in early November, 5 kg in December), according to the varieties of olive trees and according to the condition of the olives.
The graph below shows the yield of all the lots of olives treated in 2019. We can note a great dispersion according to the lots (from 4 to 10 kg for a liter) and a certain improvement during the season (but be careful , this does not necessarily mean more oil). Don't pick too late.