International News/Trends

A province in southern Italy has dedicated a 1,400-year-old olive tree known as “The Queen” to US First Lady Michelle Obama because of her commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles. Lecce province in the farming region of Apulia said that the roughly 100 litres of extra-virgin olive oil made from the fruits of the giant tree would be sent to the White House every year starting this fall. The initiative is being supported by local farmers including the “Sant’Anna Cooperative,” which manages the 1,500 hectares where the tree is located.

300 liters or nearly 80 gallons. That’s the most homemade olive oil one Greek family bought at once from Yiannis and Mina Roboras, who have been producing their own olive oil in the Peloponnese region of Greece for more than 20 years. “It a long family tradition,” Mina says proudly. “Our olive oil is special because our mountains haven’t been spoiled by industrialization as other areas have. Our olive oil is 100 percent pure and we think – better quality than in the stores.”

Spain has pumped out a record 1.59 million tons of olive oil this season, according to figures to March 31 released in late April by Spain’s Olive Oil Agency (AAO). With milling nearly complete for 2011/12, the figure easily supersedes the country’s previous high of nearly 1.42 million tons in 2003/04.

The US organic market grew 9.5% last year, breaking the $30bn barrier for the first time, and continuing to outpace sales of non-organic food, according to a new report from the Organic Trade Association (OTA).

The EU Farm Commissioner has launched a plan to rescue the European olive industry from low prices and increasing costs. It’s a move welcomed by the Olive Oil Working Party of Europe, which says the market is in serious crisis, because prices have dropped to 50% below their level 10 years ago. In a situation that mirrors Australia, farmers say they’re up against ‘the buying power of a handful of supermarkets’.

Spanish food giant Deoleo – owner of olive oil brands Carbonell, Bertolli, Carapelli, Koipe and Sasso – is back in the black and planning to double its size via growth in emerging markets. After what it described as “a period of instability, profound change and restructuring,” the Madrid-based world leader in olive oil trade booked a net profit of €1.1m for 2011 after a €56.5m loss the year before.

Despite budget cuts and the current poor financial climate, Spanish olive oil production in the Baena region of Córdoba has reached record-breaking levels with its last harvest. The Denomination of Origin Baena reported collection of 270 million kilograms of olives and over 57 million kilos of oil, which represents a record harvest for the quality label.