Radical Transparency Bears Fruit: California Olive Ranch Earns Seed Oil Free Certification

Rooted in innovation and radical transparency, California Olive Ranch has grown into the largest domestic grower of olives for Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) by challenging industry norms, ensuring the quality, authenticity and integrity of their products for more than 20 years. As the first retail brand offering Extra Virgin Olive Oil to earn the Seed Oil Free Certified™ Seal, California Olive Ranch continues to elevate standards with certification across their full lineup of dressings, marinades and avocado blend cooking oils.

“We pride ourselves on going above and beyond by proudly disclosing place-of-origin, harvest season and quality testing results on every bottle of our cold-pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil,” said Mary Mori, VP of Product & Quality for California Olive Ranch. “Seed Oil Free Certification guarantees customers who choose to avoid seed oils can confidently enjoy all our Extra Virgin Olive Oils, avocado blend and vinaigrettes. It reflects our core value of radical transparency to continually verify all our products meet the highest standards of purity.”

Known for their robust quality assurance program, California Olive Ranch are the first producers of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to earn the Seed Oil Free Certified Seal, affirming that the brands’ olive oils, avocado oil, flavored oils, vinaigrettes and marinades and other ingredients are free from seed oil adulteration and meet the highest quality standards.

“The Seed Oil Free Certified Seal offers verified assurance in a market where premium oils, especially extra virgin olive and avocado oils, are being sought out by consumers for their incredible flavor, health benefits and heat stability,” said Jonathan Rubin, CEO and founder of the Seed Oil Free Alliance. “California Olive Ranch has led the industry in innovation, sustainability and quality assurance for decades. This dedication to what they call ‘Radical Transparency’ is why California Olive Ranch makes a perfect partner for Seed Oil Free Certification.”

The certification process included lab testing for purity and comprehensive third-party audits of California Olive Ranch’s supply chain and formulation practices. All tests are aligned with globally recognized standards, including the International Olive Council (IOC), Codex Alimentarius and the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC). These protocols ensure that every Seed Oil Free Certified product is free from contamination with adulterants such as soybean, canola and corn oil. To become Seed Oil Free Certified, the brand reformulated certain sauces and dressings by replacing carrier oils that contained trace amounts of seed oil with MCT oil.

California Olive Ranch’s commitment to purity, ingredient integrity and consumer transparency is now represented with the Seed Oil Free Certified Seal (pictured). All California Olive Ranch and Lucini products bearing the Seed Oil Free Certified Seal can be found click here and grocery stores nationwide.

California Olive Ranch

• 100 percent California Avocado Blends
• 100 percent California EVOO
• 100 percent California EVOO Reserve Collection
• Global EVOO Blends – Medium, Mild & Robust
• EVOO-based Vinaigrettes
• EVOO-based Marinades
• Black Truffle Flavored EVOO
• Roasted Garlic Flavored EVOO
• Jalapeño Herb Flavored EVOO

Lucini

• Organic Everyday EVOO
• Premium Select EVOO
• Organic Premium Select EVOO
• Delicate Lemon Flavored Oil
• Garden Basil Flavored Oil
• Robust Garlic Flavored Oil

Brands like California Olive Ranch, which do not emphasize health trends around seed oils, recognize the importance of transparency in light of modern dietary shifts. Refined seed oils, virtually absent before the 20th century, now supply more than 20 percent of daily calories for many Americans. Consumers are seeking healthy cooking oil alternatives or avoiding seed oils entirely, driven by a desire for more traditional and less industrially processed ingredients in the foods they choose.

“We rigorously evaluate all of the products made from our own cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and work closely with external certifying bodies like the Seed Oil Free Alliance because customers deserve to know they’re buying the best,” said Mori. “The Seed Oil Free Certified seal is a trusted indicator that our products meet the highest standards for transparency and quality. It reflects our commitment to offering products aligned with consumer values.”

Winner of more than 260 awards at international tasting competitions, California Olive Ranch is the nation’s largest producer of olives for extra virgin olive oil. As a leading innovator in olive cultivation, harvesting and milling, the company has remained dedicated to environmental stewardship, fanatical about quality and operated with radical transparency since its founding in 1998. In addition to Seed Oil Free Certified, the company maintains several third-party certifications that meet the industry’s highest standards, including Certified Extra Virgin, Non-GMO Project Verified, USDA Organic and Certified Regenerative by AGW.