Unfiltered, 'raw' olive oil
Tunisian olive oil processer C.H.O. has made a name for itself in Europe in recent years with its Terra Delyssa brand, an extra virgin olive oil that is mechanically extracted and available in conventional and organic.
This year saw it launch a new brand, Origin 846, which uses hand-picked olives that are cold-pressed within hours of being harvested.
The logo and name references the Carthage queen Dido who is said to have founded the ancient city of Carthage around 846 BC.
Origin 846 launched in the US and Canada earlier this year, where the recommended retail price is around $12 to $14 (€10.50 - €12), and is now looking to expand into Europe.
Chris Fowler for C.H.O. North America told us: “Terra Delyssa is a great, everyday olive oil but there is a trend among consumers today for raw and unprocessed foods so we decided to launch this unfiltered, raw olive oil. It keeps all the polyphenols and antioxidants that can otherwise be lost during the filtration process.”
“All olive oil is healthy so this is for consumers who want to go a little bit further with an unprocessed oil,” she added.
Both Terra Delyssa and Origin 846 use a blend of three olive varieties that grow well in the North African climate – Chetoui, Chemlali and Arbequina – in varying quantities.
Parent company C.H.O., headquartered in the Tunisian town of Sfax, was established in 1996 and produced around 40 million litres of olive oil a year. It has both B2B and B2C divisions.