Olive oil is great for making salad dressings and can also be used for general cooking. But which one should you buy?
Two brands are great choices if you have a limited budget: Bertolli and Pompeian.
This article will give you an overview of who the brands are, what they offer, and the difference between them.
Bertolli
Bertolli stands for an authentic Italian taste experience. In 1865, Bertolli’s history began with a single store in Tuscany.
Today, Bertolli sells products worldwide. While the company is mainly known for tasty pasta sauces, it also sells frozen meals and a selection of vinegar and olive oils.
Bertolli’s Olive Oils
Bertolli has a nice range of olive oils:
- Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Rich Taste
- Organic Olive Oil Extra Light Taste
- Organic Olive Oil Light Taste
- Olive Oil Extra Light Taste
- Cooking Olive Oil
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil Rich Taste
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil Single Serve
- Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Bold Taste
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil Bold Taste
- Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Smooth Taste
- Virgin Olive Oil Smooth Taste
- Olive Oil Cooking Spray
While basic cooking olive oil is ideal for all your cooking needs, bolder olive oils are perfect for making salad dressings.
Where To Buy Bertolli?
You can find Bertolli products in a wide variety of stores, including grocery stores, convenience stores, Walmart, Target, Kroger, and many other stores that sell groceries.
Check Bertolli’s “Where to buy” page to find a store near your home.
You can find Bertolli products online, too, but they are less available than the competition.
Bertolli Olive Oil Ingredients and Nutritional Facts
Like all good olive oils, there’s only one ingredient in Bertolli olive oil: olives! Highly processed olives, of course, but nothing more.
One serving of Bertolli olive oil is 15ml, a tablespoon (to make it easier to picture). If you consume one tablespoon of this oil, you get:
- 120 calories
- 14mg fat
There are no significant amounts of anything else in olive oil.
Pompeian
You couldn’t imagine America’s olive oil industry and history without the brand Pompeian. It was one of the first companies to sell imported olive oil in the USA.
Today, people appreciate that they can afford extra virgin olive oils that are fairly priced. While they may not be artisan olive oils, they are good enough for the average home cook.
Today, Pompeian also sells vinegar, rapeseed oils, and cooking sprays in addition to olive oils.
Let’s look at their olive oils and where you can buy them.
Pompeian’s Olive Oil – What’s available?
Pompeian’s range of olive oils doesn’t have to hide. There are three categories with several options in each (apart from cooking sprays, which only have one olive oil option). Pompeian sells:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oils: Fresh & Fruit, Robust, Smooth, Organic, Bold
- Olive Oils: light taste, mild taste, rich taste
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil cook spray (robust)
Thanks to that selection, you can find the right olive oil for every occasion!
Where To Buy Pompeian?
You can buy Pompeian olive oils in all grocery stores (it would be very unlikely for a grocery store not to sell this brand). You can also buy these products in many other stores, e.g., Walmart, Target, Kroger, Safeway, and BJs.
Amazon, Amazon Fresh, and other online stores that offer home delivery of grocery items also sell a selection of Pompeian olive oils.
You can find plenty of options on Amazon by heading over to Pompeian’s own Amazon page.
Pompeian Olive Oil Ingredients and Nutritional Facts
Olive oil is boring when it comes to ingredients and nutritional values. Pompeian olive oil’s only ingredient is olives. Of course, olive oil infusions will have some other ingredients, but for this, I only look at pure extra virgin olive oil.
One serving of Pompeian Smooth Extra Virgin olive oil is 15ml (one tablespoon).
One serving includes:
- 120 calories
- 14g fat
Comparison Questions
Which Tastes Better?
Neither of those two brands offers a truly extraordinary olive oil that would get olive oil enthusiasts raving.
But both brands do one thing well: the basics. Neither olive oil is a culinary highlight but can be used to create lovely meals, dressings, and marinades.
There is no real difference in taste unless you are an expert.
Which Is More Affordable?
Affordability is an important factor for many people’s buying decisions, so let’s look at what an ounce of each brand’s olive oil costs on average (averages were calculated by taking prices from various stores to get an average, prices correct as of February 2023).
| Bertolli | Pompeian | More Affordable | |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil Smooth / Mild | $0.30 per oz | $0.39 per oz | Bertolli |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil Robust / Rich | $0.31 per oz | $0.39 per oz | Bertolli |
Surprisingly, Bertolli is the winner of this round. Generally, Pompeian is seen as an affordable olive oil company, so many people might not have expected Bertolli to be even more affordable.
Final Thoughts
The only difference between the two brands is that Bertolli is overall more affordable. Both brands are easy to buy, with Pompeian having better online availability, though.
You can’t go wrong with either brand if you just need a basic olive oil, either virgin or extra virgin.