>> Narrator: SEVERAL MILLENNIA
BEFORE IT EVER ADORNED A
MARTINI, THE OLIVE AND ITS OIL
WERE CENTRAL TO MANY ANCIENT
ECONOMIES.
TODAY, OLIVES REMAIN AS POPULAR
AS EVER.
NOT ONLY ARE THEY TASTY, THEY'RE
ALSO HEALTHY, LOW IN CALORIES
AND CHOLESTEROL AND HIGH IN
DIETARY FIBER AND IRON.
OLIVES ARE INEDIBLE UNLESS
THEY'RE PICKLED.
THESE GOURMET OLIVES ARE STUFFED
BY HAND WITH ALL KINDS OF
FILLINGS, FROM ALMONDS TO GARLIC
CLOVES, EVEN BLUE CHEESE.
STRAIGHT FROM THE FIELD, THEY GO
INTO BARRELS OF BRINE.
FOR NINE MONTHS, THEY FERMENT,
THEIR HARD AND BITTER FLESH
BECOMING SOFTER AND SWEETER.
THEN IT'S ON TO A CONVEYOR THAT
TAKES THEM TO THE CLEANING AREA,
WHERE WORKERS REMOVE LEAVES AND
OTHER DEBRIS.
NEXT, THEY DROP ON TO A BELTED
CONVEYOR.
THE OPENINGS BETWEEN THE BELTS
GRADUALLY WIDEN.
AS AN OLIVE REACHES AN OPENING
EXCEEDING ITS WIDTH, IT FALLS
THROUGH INTO A BARREL BELOW.
BY THE TIME THE OLIVES REACH THE
END OF THE CONVEYOR, THEY'RE ALL
SORTED BY SIZE, FROM SMALL TO
EXTRA LARGE.
THE NEXT STOP IS THE PITTING
ROOM.
THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PITTING
OPERATION IS A SPINNING DRUM
WITH OLIVE-SIZED POCKETS LINING
ITS PERIMETER.
AS THE DRUM ROTATES, AN OLIVE
SETTLES INTO EACH POCKET.
THIS LINES THEM UP SO THAT THEY
EXIT THE DRUM IN A LINE ONTO
THE CONVEYOR THAT TRANSPORTS
THEM TO THE PITTING MACHINE.
THE MACHINE PITS 900 OLIVES PER
MINUTE.
LET'S SLOW IT DOWN TO SHOW YOU
WHAT HAPPENS.
A CORING KNIFE ENTERS ONE END OF
THE OLIVE, PUSHING THE PIT OUT
THE OTHER END.
AS THE PIT EXITS, IT CREATES A
HOLE THAT'S JUST THE PERFECT
SIZE FOR THE STUFFING.
NEXT, A QUALITY INSPECTION.
WORKERS WEED OUT ANY OLIVES THAT
AREN'T PERFECT.
THEN IT'S OFF TO THE STUFFING
DEPARTMENT.
THESE BEAUTIES ARE BEING STUFFED
WITH PICKLED GARLIC GLOVES.
THE STUFFER CUTS THE CLOVES INTO
HOLE-SIZED PIECES, THEN INSERTS
ONE PIECE INTO EACH OLIVE.
IT'S THE SAME PROCEDURE WITH
OTHER STUFFINGS, SUCH AS
JALAPEÑO PEPPERS, SUN-DRIED
TOMATOES, HABANERO PEPPERS,
ONIONS, ALMONDS, AND MORE.
WORKERS EMPTY THE BASKETS OF
STUFFED OLIVES ONTO A TABLE OF
EMPTY JARS, SPREADING THEM
AROUND UNTIL EVERY JAR IS FULL.
ON THEIR WAY TO THE CAPPING
MACHINE, THE OPEN JARS PASS
UNDER NOZZLES THAT FILL THEM
WITH FRESH BRINE.
AN AIR JET BLOWS OFF JUST A BIT
TO HELP THE CAP GO ON EASILY.
FROM THERE, IT'S INTO THE
CAPPING MACHINE, WHICH TWISTS A
LID ON EACH JAR, HEAT-SEALING IT
FOR AN AIRTIGHT FIT...
THEN STAMPING ON A LOT NUMBER
FOR TRACKING PURPOSES.
FINALLY, THE JARS HEAD INTO A
MACHINE THAT ROLLS ON AN
ADHESIVE LABEL.
THE BRINE SERVES AS A NATURAL
PRESERVATIVE, GIVING THESE
DELECTABLE GOURMET OLIVES A
TWO-YEAR SHELF LIFE.
