How to Choose an Olive Oil Supplier for Your Restaurant

A good restaurant olive oil supplier gives you a traceable, lab-tested oil that tastes the same every time, in formats that suit your kitchen, at a fair price per litre. Here's what to check before you commit.

1. Traceability

Can the supplier tell you exactly where the oil comes from? A single estate or named mill is better than "Mediterranean blend". Traceability matters for quality, and it gives front-of-house a story to tell guests.

2. Lab results

Ask for a recent independent analysis. At a minimum it should show free acidity (0.8% or below for extra virgin) and peroxide value (20 or below). Polyphenol figures are a bonus and a good sign of freshness. Our current results are published here.

3. Consistency

A dish built around an oil's flavour needs the same oil next month. Ask how the supplier handles a new harvest, and whether you'll be told when the oil changes.

4. The right formats

  • 3L or larger for the kitchen, where oil is used every day
  • 500ml or 750ml bottles for the table or retail shelves

Larger formats bring the cost per litre down. Smaller ones look better in front of guests.

5. Cooking oil vs finishing oil

Many kitchens use a robust extra virgin olive oil for everything. Others keep a premium oil purely for finishing: burrata, crudo, soups and bread service. A good supplier will help you decide where a premium oil earns its cost.

6. Pricing and terms

Ask for pricing by litre and by volume tier, delivery costs, minimum order and lead times. Compare on cost per litre, not cost per bottle.

7. A sample first

Any supplier confident in their oil will let you taste it. Try it raw, on bread and in a dish before you switch.

Working with us

We supply single-estate, Coratina-led extra virgin olive oil from Puglia to UK restaurants, delis and shops, priced by the litre. It's cold pressed, unfiltered and independently lab tested at 687 mg/kg polyphenols and 0.36% acidity. See wholesale and restaurant supply or email thepugliancollective@gmail.com for our trade sheet.

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