Fair question. Here’s the honest answer.
Because most of it is a blend you can’t trace
“Bottled in Italy” often just means it was bottled there — from oils grown anywhere. No grove, no harvest date, no acidity on the label. When the origin is hidden, there’s usually a reason.
Because price tells the truth
Real extra virgin olive oil is expensive to make: hand harvesting, low yields, cold pressing, fast processing. If a bottle costs less than a sandwich, something was cut — usually quality, often honesty.
What we do instead
One farm. One family. A named grove. A harvest year and acidity printed on every bottle. More expensive, yes. Also actually what it says it is. We’re not against affordable food. We’re against pretending.