(September 15, 2022) Corto, 100% California-grown olive oil and the secret ingredient of top chefs across the nation, announced today its Harvest 2022, limited-edition Agrumato-Method olive oils. Shipping in December, the 2022 Corto Agrumato-Method Box Set is now available for purchase at Corto-olive.com/products/agrumato for $70 and includes one 500mL bottle each of Corto’s newest variety, Yuzu Citrus, alongside last year’s sold-out, award-winning variety, Calabrian Chili. These two varieties provide a full spectrum of flavors — from light and bright to deep and full-bodied — perfect for home cooks and professional chefs alike. Visit Corto’s website to find recipes and serving inspiration.

Inspired by the Corto family’s Nonno Amerigo’s childhood memories of olive harvesting in Italy, this special, limited-edition Harvest 2022 oil is crafted with the Agrumato method by crushing and cold-extracting our Fall Harvested olives simultaneously with fresh seasonal ingredients to produce a sensational flavor experience. Ideal for gifting and drizzling on favorite dishes this holiday season (and all year long), each bottle features an illustrated label by Italian artist Irene Laschi, who specializes in botanical drawings.

“Holidays are just a little bit better when they have a bit of luxury, whether that’s a new, cozy pair of PJs or a bottle (or two) of Corto’s Agrumato-Method Yuzu Citrus Olive Oil with which everything should be drizzled,” said Chef Christian Reynoso.

Corto works closely with California specialty farmers to source the freshest seasonal ingredients that result in complex flavor profiles, perfect for professional and home kitchens. The Agrumato-Method Calabrian Chili Olive Oil features organic, heirloom Calabrian chilies from Longer Table Farm in Sonoma County, California. Working closely with their farmers, who plant over 50 varieties of pepper seeds each year from the Caribbean, Italy, Hungary, France, Peru, and Mexico, Corto can achieve the perfect balance of heat and depth of flavor. Additionally, Corto collaborated with Pearson Ranch, a family-run farm, famous for its oranges and online supplier of the finest specialty citrus since 1998, to develop its newest creation, the Agrumato-Method Yuzu Citrus Olive Oils.

Available for the first time last year, Corto’s Agrumato-Method oils have already impressed the industry, garnering multiple top awards:

Gold - Best of Show, California Mid-State Fair 2021

Gold - Grand Prestige, Terraolivo 2021

Gold - Olive Japan 2021

Like all Corto olive oils, this superior method is rooted in the company’s Italian heritage and inspired by innovation. Committed to its values of transparency and quality, Corto has been producing the freshest, 100% California olive oil since 2005. Made from beautifully fresh olives grown in California groves, Corto’s Master Miller expertly blends its Extra Virgin Olive Oil to achieve a stunningly bright flavor profile that professional chefs have relied on for years to enhance their favorite dishes.

Corto believes that the best olive oil is fresh, but 70% of the olive oil commercially available in retail outlets is harvested from overripe/rotten fruit that has fallen to the ground. Corto uses over-the-row harvesters to gently pick olives off the branches at peak freshness and is dedicated to freshness from grove to plate. The fruit is then cold-extracted in Corto’s state-of-the-art mill within hours and stored in a climate-controlled cellar until a customer order is processed. Only then is the oil packaged directly from the cellar into Corto’s FlavorLock boxes and dark-glass bottles, further ensuring freshness and minimizing exposure to the harmful effects of light, heat, and air. The result is some of the freshest, most flavorful oil possible.

About Corto Olive Oil

Named the best extra virgin olive oil in the US by the Extra Virgin Olive Oil World Ranking (EVOOWR), Corto is the secret ingredient of top chefs across the nation – and for good reason. Corto’s Truly® Extra Virgin Olive oil is not only the best American olive oil, it’s the only American product to make the global top 100 list.

While most olive oil companies harvest their fruit when it’s already black and past its prime, Corto gathers their olives at their freshest, using over-the-row harvesters and cold-extraction methods to produce high-quality oil within hours of harvest. That’s what every chef, in every restaurant and home, deserves.

Corto is dedicated to bringing consumers nothing but the best and since its founding and has valued transparency, quality, heritage, and innovation. Corto’s oil undergoes minimal processing and uses only top-quality ingredients with nothing else added. Corto cherishes its Italian family origin and traditions while placing an emphasis on innovation, such as unique harvesting methods and innovative packaging. The company’s mantra is to always consider the future to ensure operations are as efficient and eco-friendly as possible.