31 Mar Member Profile: Flinders Island Olives (TAS)
Flinders Island Olives (Photo: WOOFA)
Flinders Island, Tasmania is an island in Bass Strait, Australia. The Roaring 40’s trade winds ensure a clean and pollution free atmosphere. The robust tang in the air challenges the plant life and adds its own flavour to any of the island’s produce.
Flinders Island is a great place to live, work and rest. It has a small and vital community of about 800 people. Flinders Island is part of the Furneaux group of islands and celebrates an important history of Aboriginal presence. (See Flinders Island Aboriginal Association Inc website).
This environment inspires organic practices. Its pristine beauty and mainly unspoiled landform invite sustainable land use. The grove & olive press operations are inspected annually to ensure they conform to the organic standards of the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture in Australia (NASAA).
The grove was established in 2002 by co-founders Jude Cazaly and Mary-Anne Roberts. There are 1100 olive trees on 3.6 ha. The main varieties include Frantoio and Leccino with some Picual, Coratina, Picholine, and Barnea. The grove is tucked behind the sand dunes in Killiecrankie on the north east tip of Flinders Island.
The olives are hand-picked, or picked with handheld picking rakes. Picking usually takes place between April and June.
The olives are pressed on site within hours of picking to produce a magnificent organic olive oil. This organic extra virgin olive oil reflects the environmental character of the island. It is complex and peppery.
Flinders Island Olives olive oil is OliveCare® Certified Freshness Tested Extra Virgin reflecting the quality expected by the Australian Olive Association. The standards encouraged by this organisation are reflected in the consistently low fatty acid measurement in the oil. The Code of Practice recognition awarded after testing ensures you know that the olive oil is truly Extra Virgin.