They are unique and celebrated among olives for their distinctive almond shape, meaty texture and dark aubergine color. Once harvested, Kalamatas are split or cracked to allow the red wine vinegar and herbs in the brine to fully permeate the flesh. While other producers source inferior olives from Turkey or Egypt, at Mezzetta, we maintain the highest standards of quality by sourcing only the finest olives from Greece—from small family farms with whom we’ve been working for more than thirty years. Jeff Mezzetta and our Italy-based import manager visit Greece frequently throughout the harvest to ensure that only the best quality olives wind up in Mezzetta’s products.