FAQs
... in other words, everything you'd like to know...
but never dared to ask
BIO
Organic, as we know, is trendy today. But it's not just a matter of trend. It's a matter of love and respect for the environment we live in, love and respect for the people who work the fields, and love and respect for those who, in the end, consume our products.
Organic farming is good for nature, good for those who harvest its fruits, and good for you who taste them.
But what's the difference between organic and conventional agriculture? To put it briefly, the substantial difference lies in the use or non-use of chemical agents that interact with the genuine cycle of nature and in the reconstruction and preservation of the environment and territory.
Chemical agents were created and introduced as human knowledge developed. So, it can be said that organic farming, rather than being a trend, is the normal way of acting. Before the introduction of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and herbicides, farming was always organic, and consequently, humans have always eaten organic foods. It's right, therefore, to think of organic as "normal food" as opposed to products derived from chemical crops, rather than as the latest trend.
The organic method works in harmony with natural cycles, respecting the earth and paying the utmost attention to not wasting the planet's resources, starting with water, which is not polluted by the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. In particular, we care about soil conservation and crop rotation to keep the soil fertile. The lack of chemicals also helps preserve the ecosystem.
That said, it's now easy to understand that the organic system is not only a fundamental element for achieving environmental sustainability, but it also turns out to be healthier for humans. Want to know how we at Costa dei Campi do all this? Come and find out here!
Organic products are healthy, rich in nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) and low in polluting, harmful, and noxious substances.
Eating organic, therefore, helps reduce the risk of diseases. But we're not the only ones saying this. According to the EPA (the American Food Protection Agency), in fact, most pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides used in agriculture contain toxic or even carcinogenic substances, and the worldwide increase in cancer cases seems to be linked to their use.
We are not doctors or researchers, but in doubt... we prefer to offer you products grown "like in the old days", without the use of chemicals.
But that's not all. Have you ever tried to savor an organic product? The absence of preservatives, additives, and colorants greatly contributes to improving its taste! And all the nutrients you find inside them have not undergone any alterations. They're exactly as the earth produces them.
Do we want to talk about diet? Did you know that excessive consumption of refined ingredients (salt and sugar first and foremost) causes addiction? Have you ever wondered why, when you eat an industrially packaged product, it never leaves you satisfied or completely full? These are the "empty" calories that these foods are rich in: they trigger a kind of addiction that makes it difficult to stop consuming them.
An organic-based dish, on the contrary, makes you immediately full because it has a caloric and nutritional intake suitable for our needs and to satisfy our sense of hunger.
Our cultivation method involves the use of demanding techniques that require greater human intervention because we don't use chemical agents to speed up the natural cycles of the soil or defeat the enemies of our crops.
Our land is not "exploited": it has constant yield over time, but to a limited extent compared to intensive cultivation.
We produce in smaller quantities, it's true, but thanks to crop rotation, we don't deplete the soil, but nourish it, and above all, we don't pollute it, but try to reclaim it.
Have you ever thought about how much it costs to reclaim a soil or groundwater polluted by intensive agriculture or to treat a disease caused by the excessive use of a pesticide?
If you try to add these costs to the industrial product you buy at a low price, you'll realize that, in reality, the organic product is not so terribly expensive.
No. At the moment, our Company does not have a full "organic" certification. And for two fundamental reasons: firstly, we don't think a label is necessary to cultivate fields and process our products as, in our opinion, EVERYONE should do. We are constantly looking for new methods to minimize the environmental impact of our work and to bring back to our customers' table the authentic and genuine flavor of old-time earth products. We don't want to hide behind a label and wait for others to tell us what to do to improve or to make those who buy our products feel "safe". We want to actively and daily commit to improving the food you eat!
Secondly, that label costs. In terms of time and money. And this cost would inevitably lead us to further raise prices (which we realize are already not "low", at least compared to industrial production... but above we explained why). We prefer to invest in quality and guarantee continuity to our customers, rather than having a brand to print on our labels.
Of course, you have to make an act of trust towards us and our products, if you don't know us yet. We don't have a logo that assures you we are "organic". But our products speak for themselves. Try them and you won't regret it... this we can guarantee you!
ORDERS
No. Registration on the site is not mandatory, although we recommend it.
You can complete your order by entering all your billing and shipping details and receive your order even without creating an account.
However, with an account you have benefits:
- you can follow the progress of your orders at any time by clicking, once logged in with your username and password, on the account icon that you find at the top of every page on this site
- you can check your previous orders
- you won't have to enter your billing and shipping details again (if they haven't changed) on your next visit to our site.
And you can be calm about your privacy. We will never sell your data TO ANYONE (read our Privacy Policy). We will only use them to manage your orders. If you no longer want to share them with us, just let us know! We'll completely delete your account and... friends as before!
You can register on our site (an operation that is not mandatory to complete a purchase, but recommended):
- directly during the order process via the link you will find on your "Cart" page;
- by clicking on the icon that you find in the menu at the top of every page of this website
- by clicking directly on this link.
To make a purchase on our site you must be of legal age and place an order. Registration on the site is not mandatory, but we strongly recommend it to keep track of your order and... who knows... maybe to avoid having to enter all your details again in case you want to buy our products again!
Choose the product you want to order (in the quantity you want) and press the "Add to cart" button that you find on each product sheet. At this point you can decide whether to add other products to your order or proceed to "Checkout", i.e. finalize your order.
And don't worry... adding a product to the cart doesn't oblige you to buy! You can even add all the products you want and decide, in the end, what to keep and what not. Or delete everything. Or buy everything! We will never know what you will do with your cart until you proceed to Checkout. Feel free to use the cart as a shopping list.
To proceed to Checkout, click on the small cart icon that you find at the top of every page of our site, choose billing and delivery address, payment method and shipping you prefer and click on the "Buy now" button.
Except in the case where you have chosen payment by bank transfer (which is an offline method and for which you will receive instructions at the email address you left), you will then be directed to the page of the chosen payment method, where you can complete the purchase in total security (you will never give your payment details to our site!).
Once payment is confirmed, you will be brought back to our site, where you will find a summary of your order.
Confirmation of the order being processed, indicating the relative number, will also be sent to the email address you provided.
There are no minimum or maximum limits on products or amounts for each individual order.
Each order, over time (even within the same day) assumes different "states" ("awaiting payment", "confirmed", "shipped" etc.). If you register on the site, you can follow the progress of your order at any time by clicking on the orders icon that you find at the bottom of every page of this site
Let's say "MAYBE". If you confirm an order and realize you've made a mistake, no longer want it, or want to change something, try contacting us (using one of the methods described on this page)
You can pay by credit card in absolute security with Paypal's Braintree circuit (no need to have a Paypal account) or through the Stripe circuit, with the methods associated with your Paypal account (100% security system) and by bank transfer. 
At the moment we sell and ship our products only in Italy and in other European Community Countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Hungary).
However, we are working to export Costa dei Campi to the rest of the world too!
If you live outside the European Community and want to try our products, contact us! We'll find a solution together!
We usually prepare your orders within 2 working days from receipt of payment and they are shipped by express courier, with a tracking system.
Exclusively for those who pay by bank transfer, the technical time for receiving the credit is two working days: once payment is received, the order processing will begin (generally, delivery takes place within 4 working days from the day the order is sent).
Exceptionally, in case of temporary unavailability of the product, we will contact you through the email address you indicated during the order process and, after prior agreement, the product will be shipped following the order processing and delivery timing already indicated.
For any eventuality, it is possible to follow the status of the order on our website: every progress will be communicated and tracked (even in case of any delays).
We ship with trackable courier GLS, which usually delivers within 24/48 working hours (in Italy) and 48/96 hours (in Europe) from the day of collection.
However, if you pay by bank transfer, it is necessary to wait for the receipt of the credit, which usually takes two working days.
At the time of shipment, we or the courier will send you an email to the address you indicated during the order process (also check your "Spam" folder, you never know!) so you can follow your order step by step.
SHIPPING TO ITALY
In Italy, shipping costs are always fixed at €9
SHIPPING TO EUROPE
In Europe, shipping costs are always fixed at €20
SHIPPING TO OTHER COUNTRIES
At the moment we only ship to Italy and European Community countries, but... if you want to try our products and live somewhere else, contact us! We'll surely find a way to get Costa dei Campi to your home too!
Our products are often packaged in fragile containers such as glass to preserve them from light, minimize oxidation and preserve their natural characteristics. It is our duty to prepare and pack your orders with the utmost care to avoid any problems related to shipping and transport to our customers' homes. However, unexpected events may occur.
If you receive an order with visibly damaged packaging, we ask you not to accept the delivery and to notify us of the incident using one of the methods described on this page or directly through the WhatsApp chat button you find at the bottom left of every page of the site as soon as possible. The courier will return the order to us and we will immediately send you a new order (you won't have to pay anything!), refund you or give you a discount voucher for the value of your order for your future purchases.
If the packaging appears only slightly damaged, we advise you to accept the delivery "with reservation" (it is sufficient, at the time of delivery, to write, next to the signature, the phrase "with reservation for damaged package"). Take a photo of the package as it was delivered to you, then open it and check the contents. If the order inside is intact, you can keep everything. If, on the other hand, the goods are damaged, take some photos and contact us using one of the methods described on this page or directly through the button you find at the bottom left of every page of this site. We will work together to resolve this problem!
If the packaging is intact but the goods are damaged, contact us using one of the methods described on this page or directly through the button you find at the bottom left of every page of this site. In this case too, we will do everything to apologize for the incident and will provide compensation in the way you deem most appropriate.
You received the order, but you're just not convinced? You haven't opened any package yet, but you've changed your mind? Don't worry! You have 14 days (from when you receive the order) to exercise your "Right of Withdrawal" without having to give us any explanation.
To know how to do this, we recommend you read our "Terms and Conditions of Sale"
There are at least 8 types of olive oil, but only 4 of these can be sold to private consumers. Let's try to navigate through all the definitions.
Virgin olive oils
These are the most natural olive oils and are obtained solely through mechanical processes: the olives are simply pressed in mills without the use of any chemical products. They are divided into three families, with very different qualities:
- Extra virgin olive oil. It's the highest quality olive oil. It has an acidity lower than 0.8° and impeccable taste and smell.
- Virgin olive oil. The quality of this oil is inferior to that of extra virgin, it can have up to 2 degrees of acidity and present slight defects in taste and smell.
- Lampante virgin olive oil. Its acidity is higher than 2° and has an unpleasant taste and smell. It is not suitable for consumption unless it undergoes a refining process.
Olive oils extracted through chemical processes
The residue that remains after pressing the olives to obtain virgin oils is called pomace and is still rich in oil. This oil is extracted with chemical solvents and is called crude pomace oil. Crude pomace oil is not marketable before being subjected to further refining.
Refined olive oils
Lampante virgin olive oil and crude pomace oil must be refined to eliminate their unpleasant taste. After refining, two oils are obtained (refined olive oil and refined pomace oil) that are colorless, odorless, and tasteless. These cannot be marketed to the end consumer but are used in the oil industry as blends. This brings us to the last family of olive oils, which is
Blended olive oils
They are essentially divided into two families:
- Olive oil: this is a blend of refined olive oils with virgin or extra virgin olive oils. The proportion, which is usually not indicated on the label, oscillates between 10 and 15% virgin oil and the rest refined.
- Olive pomace oil: this is a blend of refined pomace oil with a certain percentage of virgin and extra virgin olive oils.
These are, obviously, oils of markedly inferior quality to virgin olive oils, but they are marketable for the end consumer.
We at Costa dei Campi, with the aim of giving our customers the best possible quality, work only with extra virgin olive oils.
Extra virgin olive oil is the first choice among olive oils because it can be extracted from olives only through mechanical processes and without the use of solvents or heat treatments during the entire process. In essence, it's pure and simple olive juice. As, in our opinion, olive oil should be.
Our olives are reduced to paste within 24 hours of harvesting and then cold-pressed (the olive paste never exceeds 27°C): our oil thus retains all its flavor and all its chemical and organic characteristics, vitamins, and healthy fatty acids.
Our EVO oil is a highly energetic food (899 Kcal per 100 ml) and is 99.9% composed of fats (it's absolutely the best dressing in terms of fat balance!). Moreover, it is cholesterol-free, rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (over 77%), provides 8% of polyunsaturated fatty acids and is low in saturated fats.
The ratio between omega 6 and omega 3, very similar to that of breast milk, makes it the best dressing fat for everyone's diet, including children.
The high content of monounsaturated fatty acids makes EVO oil resistant to high temperatures.
And that's not all! EVO oil is also rich in polyphenols (substances with high antioxidant power), vitamin E (antioxidant and antithrombotic) and squalene (antioxidant).
In practice, EVO oil is good for health! Several medical studies (particularly from the University of Teramo and Louisiana) seem to transform EVO oil almost into a medicine: recent studies have shown how the consumption of extra virgin olive oil can help prevent colon cancer and, if consumed from childhood, can act as a protective factor in the development of Alzheimer's.
We are not doctors and we do not want to and cannot comment on these studies. We'll see! For us, oil remains, first and foremost, a good food to eat!
Because glass is oil's best friend! Glass, especially dark glass, helps maintain the oil's flavor over time, protects and isolates the precious substances it contains from external agents, and prevents oxidation, thus allowing for longer preservation. Glass is also environmentally friendly because it represents a perfect example of circular economy, being, in practice, infinitely recyclable.
Here are five tips we want to give you to best preserve your extra virgin olive oil and maintain its flavor and properties unchanged over time.
- Store the oil away from sunlight. Oil doesn't like direct light, which is why it's bottled in dark glass bottles or metal cans. Preferably store it in a dark place.
- Always close the bottle cap. Air is the enemy of oil, because it volatilizes polyphenols, responsible for its preservation. Once opened, consume the bottle within 2 or 3 weeks at most.
- Its ideal temperature is between 14 and 20 degrees Celsius. Oil fears high and low temperatures: below 10 degrees, triglycerides tend to crystallize, while above 20 degrees, the oil will tend to become rancid. Be especially careful during the summer season!
- NO to plastic. If you've bought a lot of oil and want to transfer it to other containers, always use glass. Plastic, especially PET and PVC, can release toxic substances, especially if the containers are old or have been used too many times.
- Oil doesn't last forever. Oil is not like wine: it reaches its taste peak between 3 and 10 months after bottling (although, if stored in air-conditioned premises, it can reach up to 2 years). After the first year, the oil begins to deteriorate, that is, to lose some polyphenols and fatty acids: the oil will not necessarily be thrown away, but it will be less pungent. We, however, advise you not to exceed 18 months from bottling before consuming it!
Did you know that not all fruit in jelly can be called marmalade?! The word "marmalade" comes from the Portuguese "marmelada" which indicates a preparation based on quince apples. Since 1982, a European Directive has established the first fundamental difference between marmalade and jam, identifying in the first word only preparations based on citrus fruits and thus making the second word include preparations of all other fruit-based products. This first distinction originated in Anglo-Saxon countries where, with the term "marmalade" (also derived from the original Portuguese), only and exclusively bitter orange marmalade was indicated (try our compote!). But let's get into the details:
- Jam is a jelly-like product based on sugar, water, pulp and/or puree of one or more fruit species. It is further differentiated into:
- Jam: if it contains at least 350g of fruit pulp per kilo of finished product.
- Extra Jam: if it contains more than 450g of fruit pulp per kilo of finished product.
- Compote, on the other hand, is much richer in fruit (up to 80%) and contains much less sugar (and therefore is much less caloric).
- Marmalade, instead, is a jelly-like product based on sugar, water, pulp and/or puree only and exclusively of citrus fruits.
Our compotes are different from the marmalades or jams that can be found everywhere on supermarket shelves! The difference is made by top-quality fresh fruit, selected following its natural ripening and sweetness. For this very reason, it requires a very low amount of sugar, thus making it a healthy product, rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and maintaining intact the beneficial properties of freshly picked organic fruit. The different varieties of citrus fruits, cherries, and figs are just some of the fruits that can be found seasonally at Costa dei Campi.