Purpose of the Program
There are three related purposes of the California Olive Oil Council certification program:

• To provide producers and marketers with a standardized method of grading their 100% California olive oil as extra virgin.
• To provide consumers with assurance that the oil they purchase is in fact extra virgin.
• To provide producers and marketers who meet the certification standard with a means of distinguishing their products in the marketplace.

Overview of the Certification Process
The certification program seeks to replicate the standards set by the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC). To gain COOC certification, you must submit your oil(s) to a tasting panel for sensory evaluation and also have a chemical analysis conducted to test for free acidity.

The tasting panel conducts a blind evaluation of the oil and makes a Pass/Fail determination based on the presence or absence of major defects.

The chemical analysis will determine if the oil contains less than one percent free fatty acids - the standard for extra-virgin oil set by the IOOC.

Procedure

1. At least one week before the tasting panel convenes, send a sample of at least two 500 ml. bottles of each submitted oil to Paul Vossen, Univ. of California Cooperative Extension, 2604 Ventura Avenue, Room 100, Santa Rosa, CA 95403-2894. One bottle will be evaluated, the other kept sealed. Please label carefully the bottles you submit.
2. Fees for each submitted oil are as follows:
   • COOC supporting members pay $125.
   • COOC basic members pay $200.
   • Non-members fee is $300.
   The submission fee is non-refundable. Oils will not be evaluated by the tasting panel unless this fee has been paid. Please send a check payable to the California Olive Oil Council at this address:
   California Olive Oil Council
   P.O. Box 7520
   Berkeley, CA 94707-0520
3. Submit documentation of a chemical analysis of your oil's free fatty acid content to the Council. If more than one oil is analyzed, be very specific in your documentation. The analysis must be conducted by a certified lab:
   • Biological Testing and Research Lab, Attn: William Leigh, 966 West Palm Street, Lindsay, CA 93247; phone 209-562-2839.
   • The Olive Press Lab, Attn: Sally McCormick, 14301 Arnold Drive #15, Glen Ellen, CA 95442; phone 707-939-3711.
   • SGS Control Services, 1019 Harbor Avenue, Memphis, TN 38113; phone 901-775-1660.
   • Siliker Laboratories, 1139 East Dominguez, Suite L, Carson, CA 90746; phone 310-637-7121.
   • Thionville Labs, 5440 Pepsi Street, Haragan, LA 70123; phone 504-733-9603.

Results
After your oil has been evaluated by the tasting panel, the COOC will notify you in writing of the results. This normally takes three to four weeks. The results of all COOC evaluations are kept strictly confidential.

If your oil is passed by the tasting panel and it meets the requirements of the chemical analysis, you will be eligible to use the COOC seal, which certifies your oil to be extra virgin.

In order to display the seal, you must sign an agreement with the COOC that regulates its use.

If your oil is not evaluated as extra virgin, you may contact Paul Vossen by email at pmvossen@ucdavis.edu or phone at 707-565-2621 to discuss the results of the tasting panel. You may also, if you choose, re-submit the oil for a second evaluation by a tasting panel at no additional cost.

California Olive Oil Council
Phone: 888-718-9830
Fax    : 510-528-2271