The diagram illustrates the man-made process by which olive oil is produced.
Overall, this seven-stage, linear process begins with the harvesting of mature olives and ends with the sale of the packaged product.
Initially, ripe olives are carefully harvested from the trees and transported to a rinsing machine, where they are washed in cold water to remove dirt and impurities. Once cleaned, the olives are conveyed to a grinding machine, where they are crushed to separate the pulp from the seeds. This grinding process produces a paste, from which the stones are discarded.
Next, the olive paste is placed in a perforated bag, which is then fed into a pressing machine. The pressing applies pressure to extract the oil from the paste. Afterward, any remaining water in the mixture is removed through a separation process. Finally, the olive oil is packaged and prepared for delivery to retail outlets for sale.