Standing at the shelf, you wonder why two near-identical bottles carry such different prices. The answer lies entirely in the cost of production. Here's how to understand what a good EVOO really costs and how to calculate the price per litre without being misled.
The price of extra virgin olive oil is one of the most misunderstood topics at the supermarket. On one shelf you find bottles for a few euros, on another oils that cost far more — and it's tempting to think "it's all the same oil anyway." In reality, it really isn't.
A genuine quality Italian EVOO — single-origin, cold-extracted, with acidity below 0.2% and polyphenols above 350 mg/kg, like QuBi's — is the result of a precise supply chain in which every step has a cost. The price isn't arbitrary: it reflects the quantity of olives required, the work in the grove and at the mill, and the processing choices that preserve quality instead of maximising yield.
If you want to understand what makes an oil truly superior — beyond the price — we recommend our complete guide to extra virgin olive oil, where we explain acidity, extraction, and how to read the label.
To understand how much EVOO costs, you have to look at what sits behind every litre. Four factors weigh the most.
The harvest is one of the most expensive stages. To obtain a high-quality oil, the olives must be picked at exactly the right ripeness and rushed to the mill, often within a few hours. This requires labour, equipment, and tight timing: all of it real work that carries a real cost and can't be squeezed beyond a certain point without compromising the result.
This is the point that surprises people unfamiliar with the sector the most. A large quantity of olives produces a relatively small quantity of oil: yield varies with the variety, the season, and the timing of the harvest. An early harvest — which gives oils richer in polyphenols and greener in colour — generally produces less oil per kilo of olives. More quality often means fewer litres: and it's one of the reasons the price climbs.
Cold extraction, below 27°C, is what protects polyphenols and aromas. But there's a trade-off: working at lower temperatures reduces yield compared with hot extraction, which presses out more oil but degrades its properties. Choosing cold means giving up litres in exchange for quality — and that choice is reflected in the final price. If you want to dig deeper into the role of these antioxidants, read what polyphenols are and what benefits they bring.
Finally, there's the seasonal variable: a difficult harvest, with low production, pushes up prices at source. And the guarantee of a 100% Italian supply chain, traceable and single-origin, costs more than an anonymous blend of EU oils. All of this is the value you pay for — and find again in the glass.
If the costs we've just seen are real, then a cheap EVOO at a few euros per litre must have cut a corner somewhere. The right question isn't "why does this one cost so much?", but "how does that one manage to cost so little?".
Comparing pack prices is pointless unless you bring them back to the same unit of measure. The only honest way to compare two oils is the price per litre: take the price of the pack and divide it by the litres it contains.
€14.90 ÷ 0.5 L = about €29.80 per litre. It's the "ready-to-use" format with the precision dispenser.
€39.90 ÷ 3 L = about €13.30 per litre. The same oil, at less than half the price per litre.
When you look at an oil at the supermarket, do the same calculation: only then are you comparing apples with apples, quality aside.
Without inventing market figures, we can describe qualitatively what you'll find across the different price tiers of extra virgin olive oil. The higher the tier, the more quality, traceability, and polyphenol content increase.
The good news? The premium tier doesn't necessarily mean spending more every day. With the right refill system, you can enjoy a top-tier oil at a surprisingly accessible price per litre. That's exactly what the QuBi refill does.
Here's the interesting part. Buying a good extra virgin shouldn't mean paying a prohibitive price per litre with every purchase. The QuBi 3-litre tin is designed for exactly this: the same premium oil, at a much lower price per litre.
In short: with the 3-litre refill the price per litre drops to about €13.30, versus roughly €29.80 for a single bottle. It's the exact same oil — 100% Italian, cold-extracted, polyphenols above 350 mg/kg — but at less than half the cost per litre. And the steel tin protects the oil from light, keeping it fresh right down to the last refill.
A quality Italian extra virgin olive oil, single-origin and cold-extracted, has a price per litre that is clearly higher than industrial supermarket oils, because it reflects the real cost of harvesting, the modest yield, and cold extraction. Be wary of oils that cost just a few euros per litre: at that price it's almost impossible to cover the cost of a genuine, quality Italian extra virgin.
Because behind a good EVOO there are real costs: harvesting the olives, a yield in which many kilos of olives produce relatively few litres of oil, cold extraction below 27°C that lowers yield but preserves quality, and the traceability of a 100% Italian supply chain. An oil that's genuinely cheap has usually cut one or more of these costs.
Not always, but a price that's too low is a warning sign. A very cheap oil is often a blend of EU oils of mixed origin, with almost no polyphenols and a flat sensory profile. The low price is paid in quality: fewer antioxidants, fewer aromas, and a shorter shelf life.
Simply divide the price of the pack by the litres it contains. A 500ml bottle at €14.90 works out to about €29.80 per litre; the QuBi 3-litre tin refill at €39.90 works out to about €13.30 per litre instead: the same oil, at less than half the price per litre compared with the bottle alone.
Yes. The QuBi 3-litre tin costs €39.90 and provides around 6 refills of the 500ml squeeze bottle. The price per litre drops to about €13.30 versus roughly €29.80 for a single bottle: it's the most cost-effective way to enjoy the same quality extra virgin olive oil while cutting the cost per litre.
QuBi Olio: 100% Italian, polyphenols >350 mg/kg, acidity <0.2%, cold-extracted. Start with the squeeze bottle, then save with the 3-litre refill.