FAQ

Services

What’s your return policy?
In the case of a return, please contact us at orders@vignolifood.com for return permission and instructions on how to pack and where to ship your damaged product. In the case of a return, the shipping costs are non-refundable. The product cannot be returned and refunded if it has been opened. We do not foresee the possibility of a return if the reason is the client does not like the product.

What happens if I buy and the products get damaged during transit?
We will exchange or refund your order. Please provide a photo and description of the damage and email us at orders@vignolifood.com

What should I do if I have a problem with my order?
If you would like to cancel or change an order, please let us know by email as soon as possible, as we do charge a restocking fee in some scenarios.
If you have a problem with an order (missing item, damage, etc.) send an email with your name and order number to orders@vignolifood.com and please include photos of any damage.

If you think you’re missing an item, please include a photo of the shipping boxes to help us reconcile the order and identify the issue.

I have a discount code. Where do I enter it?

Your discount code can be entered on the checkout page.
You can only use one code per order

Do you have a wholesale department?
Please email wholesale@vignolifood.com to learn more about carrying our product in your store.

What countries do you ship to?
We currently only ship to the United States and all US territories. If you are interested in shipping to Canada please email us at orders@vignolifood.com

What are your shipping rates?
We offer several shipping options depending on location and desired shipping speed. Please contact us at orders@vignolifood.com

When will my order be delivered?
We ship all orders from our facility in Miami (FL). We have a 1-2 business day timeline for picking and packing our orders at this time.
You will receive an email confirming when your package has been picked up and is on its way to you. Delivery will vary based on the Shipping Service selected, and from your location. On average it will take between 3-8 business days.

Do you ship internationally?
We do not ship internationally at this time. We hope to be able to ship beyond our borders in the near future. Contact us at orders@vignolifood.com for shipping rates to your Country

Product

How long will my product last?
Product shelf life depends on the product but you can expect a shelf life of at least 18 months if not more, depending on the product. Most of our products have a shelf life between 24 and 48 months and are shelf-stable.

Can I freeze olive oil?
We do not recommend freezing olive oil. Freezing oils can cause the valuable fats to rupture, creating unwanted flavors when thawed. Refrigeration is acceptable.

Are your EVOOs “First Cold Pressed”?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is that “First Cold Pressed” is a purely commercial term with no factual meaning. 95% of all oils, including most of the world’s best oils, are extracted using a Continuous Cold Cycle. The olive paste that results from crushing the olives has its oil extracted only one time with the temperature remaining below 75 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the entire process.

What does PGI stand for?
In Italian is IGP, Indicazione Geografica Protetta, PGI stands for Protected Geographical Indication. It means a guarantee of origin for foods produced in specific areas, in Italy. Olives and Grapes are grown in a specific area of Italy and then transformed into oil or balsamic vinegar of Modena in the same area. This is therefore a guarantee of the typicality, authenticity, and origin of the product itself.

What Makes Extra Virgin Olive Oil a NUTRACEUTICAL?
According to European Commission Regulation 432/2012, our EVOO can be classified  as a Nutraceutical Oil. What does this mean? It means that our olive oil is rich in nutrients and maintains valuable healing properties. Our EVOO is not just good for you, it’s therapeutic. It’s important to note that not all EVOO’s can be designated as a Nutraceutical Oil. True Nutraceutical Oils, like most of our  oils, must maintain a certain level of nutrients in order to receive this coveted designation.

Only olive oils with more than 250 mg/kg of polyphenols and at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g can be labeled “Nutraceutical” following European Commission Regulation (432/2012).

Nutraceutical oils are nutritional powerhouses since they can help to reduce cholesterol and lower the risk of disease due to their high antioxidant content. Antioxidants are powerful compounds that can help to lower blood pressure while boosting overall cardiovascular health. Nutritionally speaking, in order to optimize the healing properties of antioxidants, ingesting 20-25g (2 tablespoons) of EVOO a day is optimal. In order to enjoy maximum health benefits, EVOO should be enjoyed raw instead of cooked. Just a spoonful straight from the bottle will do! It’s also best to consume EVOO within twelve to eighteen months from the day of its initial extraction.

What Sets our Infused EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar Apart from the Others?
Most infused oils on the market today utilize low-quality carrier oils, either seed oils or just ordinary, lower-quality olive oil, which often has little flavor. This leads to the oil tasting mostly of flavoring (such as truffle or lemon).

Unlike many other producers of infused olive oils, at Vignoli we only utilize the best high-quality Italian EVOO along with a balanced blend of natural extracts to create our exceptionally flavored blends. What results is an outstanding infused oil where you can savor the unique taste of our EVOO along with our naturally-infused flavors. It’s an experience unlike any other.

The same goes for our infused vinegars. Balsamic Vinegar of Modena “dressings” are a dime a dozen and they can be found just about anywhere. These lower cost balsamic vinegars tend to resemble thick glazes and they often contain a lot of sugar and unnatural thickeners.  On the other hand, Vignoli’s Infused Balsamic Vinegars utilize authentic high density Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI (that contain a density of 1.32 ). The density of balsamic vinegar is measured by the quantity of the cooked must that’s calculated to one liter of product. Our balsamic vinegars not only maintain optimal density but they contain no added caramel, colorings, or sugar. Our balsamic vinegars supersede the usual run-of-the-mill sugary ones mainly because we only use high-density and high-quality Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI as our base.

What is Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI?
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI is a high-quality vinegar made exclusively from the  grape must extracted from Lambrusco, Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Albana, and other selected grape varieties. It is a Protected Geographical Indication product, which means that all stages of production must take place between the Italian regions of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Real Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI is thick and velvety with a deep warm brown color. Its fragrance is undeniable and its taste is best described as balanced, pleasantly sour, and slightly bittersweet. All of the stages of production when making this special vinegar are regulated and protected by the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI Production Specifications.

Learn More About the Various Stages of Production of our Balsamic Vinegar of Modena:
Our production begins with grape must.  The must is partially fermented, cooked,  and concentrated by adding a 10-year-old (at minimum) aged vinegar known for its organoleptic properties along with  at least 10% of wine vinegar.

There are certain limits to the addition of these substances since they can cause balsamic vinegar to taste more acidic, thus worsening its fragrance and flavor. It’s important to use less of these additions in order to achieve a higher-quality balsamic vinegar. This is one of many reasons why we choose not to incorporate caramel into the production of our Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI.

– The acetification process of making our Balsamic Vinegar of Modena follows a traditional method which uses selected bacterial colonies. We sometimes incorporate  other methods as well, such as acetificazione lenta in superficie (slow surface method) or lenta a truciolo (slow wood shaving method) when making our vinegars.

– The acetification and maturation then takes place in casks made of top-quality wood, such as sessile oak, chestnut, mulberry, or  juniper.

– The minimum maturation time is 60 days. At the end of this period (if the product meets the standards required) it can be certified as Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

– After  60 days, the vinegar is then moved into smaller wooden vats as it undergoes further aging. When this phase lasts three years or longer, the finished product can then officially be defined as “aged”

– The finished vinegar can then be bottled in glass, wooden, terracotta or ceramic containers, and it must be labeled “Balsamic Vinegar of Modena”, “Protected Geographical Indication” and, if appropriate, “aged”. With this in mind, always read your labels. Adding any qualifiers to the label such as “extra”, “fine”, “selected”, “top quality” or “6 Stars” is strictly forbidden when it comes to earning the coveted Balsamic Vinegar of Modena designation.

At Vignoli, we carefully supervise each stage of the production process to ensure that we are meeting all required standards when creating our Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP.

Where Are Our Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Infused Oils and Vinegars Bottled?

Our EVOO

We take great care to ensure that our customers receive only the freshest, top-quality products. For example, once any olive oil is bottled, its organoleptic properties begin to deteriorate. On top of that, transportation and long-term storage in potentially less than desirable conditions can further expose these delicate olive oils to both thermal and chemical stressors. For example, if our EVOOs were bottled in Italy and then imported overseas to the United States, it would take several months to get that bottle of olive oil to your table. Also, due to current shipping concerns, your olive oil could end up sitting in a distributor’s storage warehouse for an untold amount of time. To avoid this, we bulk import our olive oil directly from Italy to Miami in large insulated containers where it is then moved directly into storage tanks using a process called nitrogen blanketing which keeps the temperature below 70 °F. This process, which includes temperature regulation, helps to prevent both oxidation and deterioration of the olive oil while at the same time preserving all of the oil’s inherent properties. Bottling only takes place once we receive a customer’s order. Our careful attention to these kinds of details during the shipping and bottling process helps to ensure our customers receive only the best quality olive oil.

The only exception is when we bottle our Extra Virgin Olive Oils IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) where production, bottling, and packaging must take place in Italy according to law.

Our Infused Olive Oils and Vinegars

When it comes to the addition of natural flavors, their lifespan can be quite limited. About 6 months after bottling, natural flavors tend to lose their intensity sometimes to the point where you can’t taste them at all which is why we add our natural extract flavorings just prior to bottling which then takes place in the United States. It would be a mistake to allow many months to pass from our initial bottling process in Italy to arrival at your table in the U.S.

This is why, like with our EVOO, we import our olive oils and vinegars in bulk directly from Italy and then we bottle them in the United States.   We take great care to transport our olive oils, vinegars, and other natural flavors in separate containers and then we store them in optimal conditions in order to preserve their integrity. The process of bottling our infused oils and vinegars then takes place in the U.S., and we work hard to preserve the flavor of our oils by only bottling once we have a customer’s order. This not only preserves flavor and freshness but allows us to customize each order to the customer’s liking.

Why buy Olive Oil from us?
Because we are a whole new story, a new way to choose your favorite products.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP (Protected Geographical Indication), and the most delightful Italian delicacies.

Know more, read: https://vignolifood.com/about

Why do we store Olive Oil exclusively in dark glass bottles?
The extra virgin olive oil that is packaged in a transparent glass bottle and exposed to heat sources, in only eight hours, the same bottle will have lost color, flavors, aromas and if exposed to strong fluorescent lights, the product becomes vulnerable and damaged in less than a week. It makes buying olive oil in a supermarket a much less appealing and desirable option.

For this reason, we have decided to bottle our products using only and exclusively dark glass bottles, guaranteeing better protection for the quality and conservation of the oil itself.

Beyond that, the major part of oils sold in the United States has inadequate or even misleading labels. The final consumer does not receive the information necessary for the conservation methods, information relating to the production place, which variety of olives was used, but much more fundamental when the oil was harvested

Upon receipt, I noticed that my bottle is leaking, what to do?
Do not worry. Upon receipt of your EVOO or Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP, you might notice some leaking on the outside of the bottle. This is a normal occurrence when shipping olive oils and vinegars, and it is due to both the air pressure and temperature fluctuations that happen during air transit.

This does not mean that your product has spoiled nor does this mean the flavor and quality have been compromised in any way. Plus, because all of our labels are greaseproof, you can simply remove any excess liquid on the outside of your bottle, by wiping it off with a damp cloth, it will be like new!

You might be asking yourself why we offer our customers discounts on our products. Well, it’s not just because we love our customers but it’s also because we believe in the importance of loyalty.

As a small business just starting out, we decided that instead of spending thousands of dollars on expensive advertising we’ll instead offer special discounts to our regular customers because we firmly believe that the best form of advertising comes organically from word of mouth.

We see our customers as much more than just people who buy our products. Instead we view our customers as Vignoli “Brand Ambassadors” who are eager and excited to help spread the good word, so we don’t mind rewarding our loyal Ambassadors with occasional generous discounts. This is simply our way of saying thanks, and it’s the least that we can do.

So, the next time you see a discount coupon hit your email we hope that you’ll take advantage of this special offer and maybe share it with family or friends. We also want you to know that all of us here at Vignoli truly value your loyalty and we’re honored to have you as a customer.

More Information

Who is Claudio Vignoli?
Claudio Vignoli has been active in the olive oil industry for over 25 years. He has been working as a strategic and marketing agronomic consultant for decades, as well as managing the supply of equipment, and machinery designed specifically for the olive oil industry.

As a world-renowned olive oil Sommelier and Master Miller, Claudio Vignoli travels in major olive oil-producing countries and is periodically busy organizing olive oil tastings. Since 2017, He has been a member of O.L.E.A. (association of olive oil experts and tasters). He is often involved in conferences, international contests, and industry events in Australia, Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru. He is also a jury member at CIOOC, Canada International Olive Oil Competition (canadaiooc.com).

He works to instill the olive oil culture into the minds and hearts of industry professionals and consumers, especially in countries where this excellent product is not so popular yet. Know more on www.claudiovignoli.com