Olive oil — guide and verified prices

Olive oil is extracted exclusively from olives, pressed or spun. Extra virgin is the least processed version — no chemical refining, just mechanical and physical processes — so it keeps the flavor and antioxidants naturally present in the olive¹.

The grades of olive oil

Not everything labeled “olive oil” is the same:

• Extra virgin: the highest grade, obtained only through mechanical processes, with low acidity and the olive’s own flavor.
• Virgin: a step below extra virgin, with more acidity and allowed sensory defects.
• Pure / refined: olive oil that went through chemical refining to correct defects, sometimes blended with a bit of virgin oil for flavor. Has much less flavor than extra virgin.

Smoke point: it’s not as simple as “it burns fast”

It’s a fairly widespread myth that olive oil can’t handle high-heat frying. The reality, per the most commonly cited reference ranges, is more nuanced²:

In practice, a refined or “pure” olive oil holds up to heat about as well as a common vegetable oil (see the vegetable oil page to compare). Higher-quality extra virgin also has a higher smoke point than lower-quality extra virgin.

Peru’s olive oil moment

Peru isn’t a minor player in olive oil: it has close to 45,000 hectares of olive groves, with Tacna accounting for 86% of national production (the rest mostly in Arequipa and Moquegua)³. That oil gets exported to Spain, the US, and Chile as established markets, and to Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Japan, and the UK as emerging ones³.

And it’s not just volume — it’s internationally recognized quality. In 2026, two Tacna producers won gold medals at international extra virgin olive oil competitions: Santolivo Group at the EVO International Olive Oil Contest (Italy)⁴, and the Cooperativa Agraria Yalpa at Olive Istanbul IOOC (Turkey), with a single-variety oil made from Peru’s own criolla/sevillana olive⁵.

Regulatory framework in Peru

Olive oil sold or produced in Peru is regulated under Peruvian Technical Standard NTP 209.013:2025 (“Edible oils and fats. Olive oil. Requirements”), approved by INACAL, which sets quality, purity, and traceability criteria for producers, processors, supermarkets, exporters, and distributors⁶. It’s one of nine Peruvian technical standards specifically related to olive oil.

Nutrition facts (verified data)

Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat — unlike most refined vegetable oils, which are mostly polyunsaturated. In the US, the FDA allows a qualified health claim for olive oil related to reduced coronary heart disease risk, based on its monounsaturated fat content¹.

Verified price (per liter)

Verdict

• 🏆 Best for using uncooked: any extra virgin, and if you want one with a real story behind it, it’s worth seeking out Tacna brands like El Olivar — Peru has recent international gold medals to back that up.
• 🤔 Don’t assume “pure” means “extra virgin”: “pure” olive oil is refined and has less flavor (and, in theory, fewer antioxidants) than extra virgin, even though both get called “olive oil.”
• 💸 Most expensive per liter on this list: imported Bertolli, though Peru’s own El Olivar isn’t far behind in price.

Sources