The 3-litre tin: for caterers, shops and large households

The 3-litre tin is Olivko's largest size. It gives the lowest cost per litre, and it is the one size that asks you to think a little about storage before you buy it.

Who it suits

• Caterers, cafés and restaurant kitchens
• Shops reselling or refilling
• Large households cooking for many people daily
• Anyone confident of getting through 3 litres within a few months

If you are not sure you will finish it, two 500ml bottles are the better buy even at a higher cost per litre. Oil that degrades because it stood open too long saves nobody anything.

Decant into smaller bottles — this is the important part

Do not use the 3-litre tin directly at the stove. Every time it is opened, air gets in, and a half-empty tin is holding a litre and a half of air sitting on top of your oil.

1. 1.Decant into a small dark glass bottle — 250ml or 500ml — for daily use
2. 2.Fill that small bottle close to the top, so there is little air inside it
3. 3.Seal the large tin tightly and return it to somewhere cool and dark straight away
4. 4.Refill the small bottle only when it is nearly empty, not every day

Storing the large tin

• Cool and dark — a store room, a low cupboard, a pantry
• Away from the hob, the oven and the window
• Standing upright, not on its side
• Sealed tightly after every pour
• Not in the fridge — it is unnecessary, and condensation does not help

How long 3 litres lasts

This is the question to answer before buying rather than after. Opened olive oil is at its best within a few months, so your rate of use decides whether this size makes sense.

• A café kitchen using it for salads and finishing: about a month
• Caterers cooking daily: three to six weeks
• A large household cooking for six to eight: two to three months
• A two-person household: too long — choose 500ml bottles

Why a tin rather than glass

Light is one of the three things that spoil olive oil, and metal blocks it completely. At this size, where the oil will sit in its container for weeks, that protection makes a real difference.

A tin is also safer to handle in a busy commercial kitchen, and easier to stack in a store room.

The same oil

The 3-litre tin holds the same oil as the 250ml bottle: organic extra virgin, single-origin Tunisian, cold pressed, free acidity below 0.2%. A larger format is not a lower grade.

For repeat bulk orders, see the wholesale page — trade terms and volume pricing are handled separately.