Issue 14: Australia: A Frontier Continent with Big Olive Aspirations

We were lucky enough to visit four olive growing regions in Australia right in the middle of their olive harvest.  Traveling from Melbourne in the South to Adelaide and across the great agricultural belt of New South Wales to Canberra and Sydney, we had plenty of time in the car driving what we estimated to be about 2000 km to figure out what it was about Australia that felt so familiar.  The small farming towns, the resourcefulness of the growers, the sheer scale of production, and the fearlessness harkened back to what we have come to know as the Pioneering Spirit that helped settle the American plains.  It took us no time to discover what was unfamiliar – kangaroos as playful and productive as to make them a hazard when driving at night, adorable koalas whose 20 hour a day sleep we envied, and a people who dare to dream big.  Come along with us....

Issue 13: An Olive and Kiwi Medley in New Zealand

When visiting olive growers in the southern hemisphere, a frequent topic raised is the competitiveness of local olive oil products at home and abroad.  Local consumers, despite evidence to the contrary, sometimes believe that imported olive oils are better.  Price points for imported oils are usually lower than domestic oil due to government subsidies provided to olive growers elsewhere.  Olives New Zealand has sought to highlight the quality of local oil by establishing a voluntary accreditation program in which growers submit their oil for rigorous analysis. Standards are more stringent than the IOC standards (< 0.5% FFA and < 15 mEq peroxide as compared to IOC standards of < 0.8% FFA and < 20 mEq peroxide).  Domestic oils that pass these tests bear a sticker that should reassure buyers of the quality of the oil.   This encouraging initiative stands in contrast to the disappointing rejection of a move to adopt national standards for both domestic and imported oil.  It may be awhile before the industry gets help from the government.  Check it out here. 

Issue 12: Riebeek Valley Olive Festival

In this beautiful valley that announces itself as Shiraz Country on roadside billboards, olives reign supreme for at least one weekend of the year. The 100 km drive from Stellenbosch to the twin cities of Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West took us through bronzing vineyards, plowed fields of caramel and crème, and a gentle mountain pass framed by blue skies. We joined thousands of others, parked our cars and dove into a full day of celebrating olives as the featured guests with food and music (and wine) as the delightful attendants.  Seven sites served as the primary hosts, but dozens of other venues tempted festival goers to sample their wares, take a load off their feet, or enjoy local crafts and creations.  Transportation between sites could be accomplished by walking, shuttle taxis and  hay wagons, or in the back of a local’s pick-up truck.  A large number of 3 and 4 generation families came out to enjoy the spectacular fall weather together and be happy.  South African hospitality was front and center.   Read about it all here.  

Issue 11: Mountain Valleys in South Eastern Part Western Cape

The soul of this stretch of land a day’s drive east from Capetown seems a curious mix of rough plains with mountain backdrops of unbelievable beauty, pioneering outposts with a spirit of independence, and designer art studios whose isolation from the city allowed creativity to flourish.  In regions, one sees endless rows of olive trees stretched into the distance. One can also see acres and acres of deserted fields that once housed a booming ostrich industry that collapsed with the onset of the bird flu epidemic and the evaporation of foreign markets.  Poverty coexists with breathtaking beauty of the Swartberg Pass and the Karoo Caves.  Our host for the weekend in the Oudtshorn, Rob Still, fell in love with this land during his basic training here for the South African army many, many, years earlier.  He was able to take advantage of his vow to return and had made his dream a reality by purchasing farmland in 2005 and planting 125 hectares of olive trees.  This land that may be a bit off the map, but it produces some of the best olive oil in South Africa.  Come with us for a quick journey.   

Issue 10: Rolling Hills, Dusty Plains of the deep Southern South African Cape

South east of Stellenbosch, on a dry and dusty peninsula with extraordinary vistas of False Bay to the north-west and the Indian Ocean washing up against the Southern tip and the East coast, lie a handful of exceptionally good olive groves and wineries with their own unique terroir.  Here, farms are separated by many kilometers, with not much in between.  The land is flat or rolling hills.  Gone are the granite slopes of Franschoeck and the pedigreed groves of Stellenbosch.  This land is a pioneering land, with newcomers plowing new groves and experimenting with new methods.  The groves we visited ranged in size from the family grove of Anysbos to Gabriëlskloof to the massive Greenleaf, a grove big enough to have its own mechanical harvesters and giant cold press.  
This edition of the World Olive Press blog can be found here.   

Issue 9: Highs and Lows of Harvesting In and About Stellenbosch, South Africa

This issue brings you with us to olive harvests at Tokara Estates – a breathtaking grove perched high atop Helschoogte Pass overlooking the Stellenbosch plains, then 20 km south to Morgenster Estates on a hillside in Somerset West with views of False Bay and finally 30 km north from Stellenbosch up to the hillsides of Paarl where we visit Buffet Olives.  The hilly terrain is superficially similar. All are blessed with the dry climates that olives love, but the winds, temperatures, and soils are enough different to make each a unique environment.   The Cape Winds (or Cape Doctor as they are referred to locally) blow relief for the heat of the African sunshine and do so much to moderate the hot temperatures.  And all have views that make us understand the seductive allure of this beautiful country.  At both Tokara and Morgenster, olive oil production was introduced recently as an add-on to the growing of South African grapes.  At both, we find high tech production methods and a dedication to quality and not quantity.  Our diversion to Buffet Olives, South Africa’s largest table olive grove allows us to introduce you to John Scrimgeour, a font of all olive knowledge and a true educator.  Finally, we travel to Capetown to visit MicroChem, a newly IOCC accredited quality control lab.  
Read all about it right here.