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A workshop being held in Melbourne will help producers through the practicalities of changing from oil to table olive production. Switching from Olive Oil to Table Olive Production is a one-day course covering all aspects of running a successful table olive business, presented by Simon Field of Olive Business. In 2011 Field’s company, Salsi Olive Grove, switched its production from olive oil to table olives and is currently successfully selling olives into the Melbourne gourmet wholesale market. The workshop will be held on Saturday, 25 February at the Vibe Hotel, Carlton.
Time is running out to comment on the National Table Olives Committee’s discussion paper. Feedback in invited from all olive industry participants, with input providing the basis for the development of draft Australian Standards for Table Olives. Download the paper at https://www.olivessouthaustralia.com.au/index.php/home/1-general-info/35-discussion-paper-on-table-olives. Forward comments before the end of January to Peter McFarlane, by post to 33 Phillips St, Somerton Park SA 5044; by fax on 08 8376 7048 or via email to [email protected]
Entries are now open for the 13th Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil competition. Oils are judged by both regionality and fruitiness intensity, with additional categories for flavoured oils. Medals are awarded and winners also benefit from the display and sales of gold-medal winning oils at the annual LA County Fair. The 2012 competition introduces separate competitions for northern and southern hemisphere oils, ensuring all international EVOOs are judged at their freshest and best quality. Entry deadline for the southern hemisphere competition is July 6. More information https://www.fairplex.com/wos/olive_oil_competition/
In the world of olive oil there was no shortage of strong opinions and words to remember in 2011. Online news site the Olive Oil Times narrowed them down to the best, however, publishing a list of the 20 most memorable quotes from 2011 – including three from Australian olive industry members Amanda Bailey, Leandro Ravetti and Paul Miller.
A free online course that aims to increase environmental awareness in the food and drink sectors could help processing and packaging SMEs save money and boost their green credentials, said the body championing the initiative.
Another extra virgin olive oil blended to woo young taste buds is being marketed by a Spanish producer.
Designed to be subtle in flavor but fruity and slightly sweet, the new product from Almería-based Castillo de Tabernas is 60% Picual, 20% Hojiblanca and 20% Arbequina and has a maxmimum acidity of 0.1%. The company says the blends were those preferred in taste tests with more than 2000 children and are designed to introduce them to EVOO’s health benefits from an early age. Perhaps we should be taking ‘Fresher is Better’ into Australian and New Zealand kindergartens – Ed.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has missed its January 4 deadline for publishing details of how it will regulate imported food under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), but says it will update the industry “soon”. The rules relate to the proposed Foreign Supplier Verification Program, which will see importers required to provide verification of certification and compliance with FDA regulations.
Only three Australian and four New Zealand producers have taken advantage of the listings available in the Olive Oil Times’ international online Olive Oil Guide. The guide provides each olive oil brand with its own page on the Olive Oil Times website, complete with producer information, production methods, tasting notes, suggested food pairings, accolades, a link to the producer’s website and retail outlets where consumers can buy products. Producers are allowed one free brand submission, with a small fee charged for each additional brand submission. Learn more https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-business/olive-oil-guide-faq/17815
Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and the Environment has teamed up with the organization Ibercaja y Zeytum Servicios Oleotécnicos to create an olive oil educational program aimed at raising awareness about the benefits of olive oil. The first course runs from January to May at the Centro Cultural de Ibercaja, and consists of five theoretical and practical sessions. Each session allows students to discover the different benefits, aromas and flavors of the main varieties of olive oil through a process of comprehensive sensory analysis.
For the second year in a row, Britain’s annual Taste of London gastronomical event will feature the European Olive Oil Program. The campaign organizers hope its presence at the festival will help spawn increased interest in the so-called ‘liquid gold’. Olive oil, particularly that of Spanish origin, has grown increasingly popular among the Brits in recent years, with sales increasing by 17% since 2009. More than 50,000 are expected to attend the month-long Taste of London event, providing country-wide promotion for European EVOO. Any olive oil producers taking part in the Australia Day promotional events in the UK this year – and if not, why aren’t we? – Ed.