[jancsika]

How can you reliably differentiate their local stuff from the oil that's mixed with imported oil, or even know whether the imported oil is EVOO?

IIRC they're no longer certified by the COOC. Given the massive amount of fraud in the olive oil industry, independent verification seems like the only tool to do that.

But even if you want to go by the seat of your pants, it seems like a bad idea to trust a company named "California Olive Ranch" whose growth into a nationally known label depends on importing olive oil from outside California.

[sonofhans]

Easy. I only — and I know this sounds silly — drink domestic :) I actively avoid imported olive oil for just the reasons you suggest. Last I looked, something like 50% of oil labelled “Italian EVOO” was in fact not, and a solid proportion of it wasn’t even olives. I’m not gambling with that, especially getting it shipped internationally.

California grows olives just fine, so I always use California oil. Now, is California Olive Ranch cheating some cheap import oil into their native EVOO? They could be; I’m betting not. My bet is that their own interests are best served by being straight here — one credible allegation of adulterating oil and their reputation takes a huge hit. Meanwhile, they can continue to charge lots of money for a high-quality product, which is just as it should be.