The Olive Season Has Officially Begun in Italy

As the olive oil season takes off across southern Italy – where the majority of production is concentrated – the first signs of market pricing are beginning to emerge. This is always a hot topic: the cost of olives depends on many factors, from quality and yield to the specific variety and the timing of the harvest.

This year’s outlook is encouraging. The 2025 olive crop is expected to perform significantly better than last year’s, bringing optimism to growers and mills alike – including here at Toscan Olive Garden.

An Early Start, Inspired by Sicily

Just like the grape harvest, the olive harvest is starting earlier and earlier due to heat and drought. Sicily traditionally opens the olive oil season in Italy, and this year the first nets and olive shakers were already in use at the very beginning of September.

Last year’s early start on September 12 surprised many – this year, it’s happening even sooner. Across the country, mills are warming up, ready to press the first drops of golden oil.

Reading Nature’s Signs – Not the Calendar

At Toscan Olive Garden, we don’t follow a fixed calendar; we follow the olives. The key lies in the veraison – that magical moment when the fruit begins to change color, shifting from green to purple and finally to black. That’s when we know it’s time.

Gone are the days when olive picking and pressing took place at the end of October or early November. That was twenty years ago. Today, most of Tuscany’s mills are already in full swing a month earlier, reflecting the region’s focus on quality over quantity, thanks to its Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status.

A Season of Light and Shadow

According to early forecasts, quality will be the defining strength of the 2025 season. Yields are slightly above average – around 11–12% – even though there are fewer olives on the trees compared to last year’s extraordinary crop.

Spring rains in April and May helped ensure abundant flowering, setting the stage for healthy fruit development. The first signs from Maremma, traditionally the earliest Tuscan area to begin harvesting, are promising: “We may have fewer olives, but we’re confident in the excellence of what we’ll produce,” say local growers.

For those who rent olive trees through Toscan Olive Garden, this means something special: a harvest of exceptional quality is on the horizon, and your 2025 olive oil will carry the taste and light of a truly remarkable year.

The Art of Anticipation

Each olive season tells a new story – of patience, sunlight, and craft. 2025 may be a year of contrasts, but it’s shaping up to be one of balance and brilliance.

As we prepare the nets and ready the press, the anticipation in the air is tangible. The first drops of freshly pressed oil are always a celebration – a taste of Tuscany itself.