Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor Magazine - December 2021

2021's Best

2021 December

Awards results, Aust & NZ 2021 AOA National Olive Conference Olive products & GST Labelling flavoured oils R&D: Xf detection

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Contents

Incorporating Australian Olive Industry Journal Published by the Australian Olive Association Ltd Publisher Australian Olive Association Ltd Executive Editor Michael Southan ceo@australianolives.com.au Managing Editor Gerri Nelligan editor@olivegrower.com.au Advertising Gerri Nelligan editor@olivegrower.com.au Production Sandra Noke production@olivegrower.com.au Subscriptions A one-year subscription (four issues) is: Aust $44 (AOA member discount rate $40), NZ $56 (ONZ member discount rate $52) and international $100. Visit www.olivebiz.com.au to subscribe.

Circulation & Advertising Enquiries editor@olivegrower.com.au Contributions Articles and other contributions are welcome and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Photographs are best received as high resolution jpg files via email, and as separate attachments not embedded.

Printing Lane Print & Post Adelaide Australian Olive Association ABN 57 072 977 489

Contents News AEVOO in the spotlight as new Guinness World Record set Goodbye and thank you to “the impressive Peter McFarlane”

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News - awards Big results for small producers at 2021 Australian International Olive Awards 2021 Australian International Olive Awards – Major Awards Sweet smell of AIOA success for Leisal Rose AIOA Best of Show as good as a holiday!

Frankland River Olive Co named WA’s Best among “amazing” 2021 entries

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News - NZ awards Third time ‘Best’ for Kapiti Olives

R&D Insights – Hort Innovation

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Conference and exhibition Zoom Conference abuzz with information and ideas

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Olive business Q&A: GST and olive products How to use video to boost your social media Labelling flavoured olive oil Beating biennial bearing: we need your input!

The changing face of commercial solar ABC of nutrition information panels

39 41 42 43 44 46

Products and services Boost natural soil ecosystem and plant growth processes

PO Box 3012 Allambie Heights LPO Allambie Heights NSW 2100 Ph: (+61) 0478 606 145 E: secretariat@australianolives.com.au

December 2021 Issue 122

What’s on/Advertiser index

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ISSN 1448-5486 Conditions The opinions expressed in Olivegrower & Processor are not necessarily the opinions of or endorsed by the editor or publisher unless otherwise stated. All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher.

All material in Olivegrower & Processor is copyright © Australian Olive Association Ltd. All rights reserved.No part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, the published will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

Cover: Rio Vista’s Jared Bettio (main image) was one of the big winners at this year’s AIOA, with a prize haul including Best EVOO of Show Commercial Volume. He was joined in the winners’ circle by (from top, right) Liz Tonkinson, Leisal Rose – Best of Show Boutique Volume; Willow and Julianne Bakogiannis, Olive Twist – Best of Show Flavoured Oil; and Marlies and Peter Eicher, Saluté Oliva - Best Table Olive of Show.

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 3

News

Gerri Nelligan Managing Editor

I’ve no idea where the year went but saying goodbye to 2021 is a bittersweet experience.

COVID lockdowns and restrictions have made it another tough year, creating movement and supply frustrations for some, reducing markets and sales for many, and forcing the postponement or cancellation of industry events across the country.

At the same time, we’ve seen ingenuity and tenacity shine through,

along with a ‘let’s make this work’ attitude I’ve seen in olive producers since I first entered the industry. We’ve pivoted our business models, accessed new markets, worked around shortages and gone online for events, and we’re heading out of COVID-Year 2 looking positively to the future.

And did I mention that we also produced a record olive crop … which translated into some of the highest-pointed EVOOs in competition judging history?

No matter what your role in the industry - grower, processor, marketer, retailer (for many, all of the above) or service provider – you’ve got reason to be proud. We made it through a tricky year pulling together and pulling head, having raised industry production while taking the quality of Australian olive products up yet another notch.

Nice work, everyone. Have a safe, happy and relaxing holiday season, and let’s do it all again in 2022.

Editor Gerri Nelligan and the OG&P team.

Presenters Joanna McMillan, Leandro Ravetti and Rob McGavin were thrilled to ‘accept’ the successful World Record Certificate from the GWR official.

AEVOO in the spotlight as new Guinness World Record set The evening of 28 October saw more than 16,500 consumers focused firmly on the qualities of Australian EVOO, as they joined Cobram Estate to successfully set a new Guinness World Record for the biggest virtual olive oil tasting event.

Viewers from across Australia and the world tuned into the event, which had aimed to beat participation in the previous Guinness World Record for the biggest olive oil tasting event. Held in a football stadium the Spanish city of Jaen, an incredible 12,909 people gathered to taste and set that 2009 record.

Cobram Estate co-founder and chairman Rob McGavin had hoped for 13,000 participants at the Australian event, a figure easily overtaken by the final confirmed number of 16,537 unique viewers.

All up more than 18,500 people registered

for the Cobram Estate livestreamed event, which was held virtually due to Australia’s ongoing COVID restrictions, and the peak of concurrent viewers on Youtube was 11,981.

Format

All registered participants were sent a tasting kit of five oils – mild, medium and robust EVOO blends, an ultra-premium varietal Hojiblanca EVOO and a rancid oil for freshness comparison – along with tasting cups, olive leaf tea samples and information on Australian EVOO production.

They then logged in for the livestreamed masterclass, joining Cobram Estate co-founder and chairman Rob McGavin, chief oil maker Leandro Ravetti and nutritionist Dr Joanna McMillan online for the mass tasting and information session.

4 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

Industry benefit

Ravetti said the event was a great promotion of Australian EVOO, and introduced thousands of new households to the amazing flavours and quality of fresh, local products.

“Despite being a branded exercise, our Guinness Record tasting was an incredibly successful educational event for the Australian olive Industry that reached out to more than 16,000 Australian consumers,” he said.

“We taught participants how to taste EVOO, how to differentiate different styles and how to distinguish between qualities.

The event also focused on other important aspects relevant to all Australian growers: we educated consumers about the process of growing and pressing quality EVOO, about the health aspects linked to it, about

News

Participant feedback Here are just a few examples of the enthusiastic feedback received about both the event and a new appreciation for Australian EVOO: “What a fantastic way to learn about Australian made produce!”

“This was a great event, we loved it and learned a lot. Can't wait to head to the supermarket now, knowing what I'm doing!”

“We all learned so much about extra virgin olive oil tonight and we'll change our cooking and shopping as a result.”

“I loved the hints and tips in trying different oils. Heating it up in my hand before smelling was amazing mind blowing even.”

“Thank you. I have shared everything I learned with my family and friends.”

“My 80-year-young mother joined us all tonight. She has had her larynx removed due to cancer, she doesn’t taste anything. Her nose and taste buds don’t work anymore.

Tonight she TASTED the different notes and flavours in your extra virgin olive oil - apple and peppery flavour!! Thank you again for an awesome night.”

Participants really made the event their own, turning homes across Australia – and beyond – into one giant virtual venue.

owned by the grower/processor. We also encouraged participants to buy Australian certified products, and showed them the Code of Practice logo.

“All those messages were delivered to the benefit of the industry as a whole.”

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Recording available

For those unable to make the live event, the recording remains available on the Cobram Estate YouTube channel.

• Complete packaging service - just send your oil to us and we will do everything • Self fill packaging - ‘self fill’ supplies so that you can pack your own olive oil • ‘Bag-in-drum’ IBCs, drums and replacement liner bags

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the fact that you can cook with it and, most importantly, how to shop for high quality and good value-for-money EVOO. “We encouraged participants to buy local, buy fresh, and discussed the importance of buying from a trusted Australian brand

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• All your packaging needs - from 1 litre casks up to 1000 litre bulk ‘bag-in-drum’

Mobile: Kent 0428 829 024 Mobile: Michelle 0448 965 349 PO Box 114 Riverton SA 5412 Email: oops@aussiebroadband.com.au Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 5

News

Goodbye and thank you to “the impressive Peter McFarlane” At the end of September your editor’s job became harder following the retirement of industry shaker and mover, Peter McFarlane. We joined the industry at around the same time and Peter has been a constant source of information, factchecking and answers ever since. His generosity, humour and ‘no BS’ manner have made working with him a pleasure, and his encyclopaedic knowledge of industry matters has solved a multitude of queries. As we say farewell, let’s take a look at Peter’s work and legacy, from both his own perspective and those who have worked with him.

“Farewell and best of success for the Australian olive industry.

“I have really enjoyed working with the AOA Board and staff, as well the many olive industry participants I have met over the past 13 years, in particular OliveCare® members.

“My olive industry involvement commenced in 2008, working with Olives SA and PIRSA to develop and implement a ‘voluntary olive industry levy’ and a ‘levy funds management plan’ for the South Australian olive industry. This scheme operated from 2009 until 2013, when it was replaced by the National Statutory Olive Levies.

“The SA voluntary olive levy generated significant interest nationally, resulting in my appointment in 2009 as chief investigator of RIRDC Project PRJ-005287: National Olive Industry Levy Consultation, working with the Board of the AOA and RIRDC to progress a National Statutory Olive R&D levy, and Biosecurity (EPPR) levy. These levies were eventually approved by the Australian Government and implemented in May 2013, funding important industry research and development work.

“Concurrently with this levy work, I was appointed by the AOA Board to several industry roles including: • since 2011 I have served as Convenor of the AOA’s National Table Olive Committee (NTOC), a sub-committee of the AOA Board, comprising table olive specialists and producers, which worked to develop and successfully implement a Voluntary Industry Standard for Table Olives in Australia, and to address other table olive sector issues;

As National Olive Industry Levy Consultant, McFarlane worked with then-CEO Lisa Rowntree and the AOA Board towards the end result of “a total R&D funding package for an effective, vibrant industry”.

• from 2011 to 2019 I was appointed as the AOA’s Table Olive Competition Chief Steward, working with a panel of impressive table olive judges; • in 2012 I was honoured as the recipient of the AOA’s Services to Industry Award;

Michael Thomsett - AOA President

“On behalf of the AOA Board of Directors and the entire membership, I would sincerely like to thank Peter for his most valuable contributions. Peter is leaving a legacy, not only to the membership but to the Australian industry.

“Peter's accomplishments for the industry have included work in Biosecurity, OliveCare®, the industry levy, market surveillance, and chemical and organic registrations and permits.

“His communications, and especially the OliveCare® newsletter, have been technical and accurate, detailed, comprehensive and widely well received.

“We look forward to the 2022 National Conference, where hopefully Peter can join us for a personal thank you.”

6 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

• since 2012 I have served as the AOA’s Code of Best Practice Administrator (later rebranded OliveCare®), a program funded by the Olive Levy and the Commonwealth of Australia through Hort Innovation Projects OL13007 & OL17006; • since 2013 I have served as the AOA’s Agri-chemical Permits Co-ordinator, to ensure the Australian olive industry continues to have access to approved and efficacious pest and disease control solutions; • from 2016 to 2020, I served as the Tastebook® Program Co-ordinator - a sensory training initiative pioneered by AIOA Chief Judge Shane Cummins, which shares the experiences of appreciating, describing, and understanding the

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News

Lisa Rowntree - Producer, AOA Director and previous CEO

Thank you, Peter!

“I appreciate the opportunity to say a few words about Peter McFarlane’s retirement from the olive industry.

“I first met Peter when he began coming to our Olives SA Board meetings in 2006.

We were having a committee meeting and in walked a bloke who resembled Father Christmas, with his thick white beard and authoritarian voice. I expected him to jingle a bell and yell out “ho ho ho”, but he didn’t, he just pulled out a seat and started listening in. Eventually he started to offer comments on various matters, and I remember thinking, this bloke is pretty smart and knows a lot about the intricacies and inner workings of Government. Peter quickly made himself an invaluable member of the team.

“One of Peter’s first achievements was helping to establish a state-based voluntary contribution (levy) in South Australia. We had both spent an enormous amount of time on this initiative and were pleased when it finally got up. Peters’ knowledge around what was required to bring about a levy was incredibly useful, and his writing skills were second to none.

“Soon after I became CEO of the AOA and in 2010, the board contracted Peter to help the AOA establish a National Olive Levy. As with all things, there are some that love what you do and some that don’t. Throughout this process, which was sometimes quite tough, Peter remained stoic, focussed and calmly steered us through the journey. I was very appreciative of his persistence and fortitude.

“In 2012 Peter was awarded a Service to Industry Award at the Australian Olive Industry Conference, which was thoroughly deserved.

“The great work of Mike Baker (WA) in managing the industry’s chemical permits register was handed over to Peter in about 2013, so that Mike could retire. Peter took to the challenge with gusto and immersed himself in this important part of the industry, ensuring that relevant required chemicals were reviewed, renewed and made available to growers.

“Peter was instrumental in setting up the National Table Olive Committee that went on to write the Code of Practice for Table Olives, and has overseen and worked on many revisions of that document. The Code is one of those documents that can get large and unruly, but Peter always strived to keep it simple and meaningful for growers.

“Peter has assisted the Australian olive industry at many levels, but authenticity remains a great passion. Peter has always wanted consumers to have the best EVOO and table olive experience possible and has held us growers to a high standard. He has been diligent in managing Code signatories, ensuring data was provided annually to ensure compliance. He has looked after the intellectual property of the Code, undertaken marketplace testing and written an excellent newsletter to keep us all informed.

“Peter has also actively assisted in organising workshops, field days and National Conferences. He’s judged at many olive oil judging and organised table olive competitions. There really is not one area of the industry Peter hasn’t been involved in at one time or another.

“It is Peter's unending optimism that has seen us through tough times, and I’ve really appreciated his innovative approach to hard situations, passion and commitment, but most of all his friendship and support.

“Thank you, Peter, from the bottom of my heart, for all that you’ve done for the industry: your efforts will always remain appreciated.

“Best wishes to you, Jan, Meg, Mohammed and Mo on your next adventures.”

Lisa 8 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

In recent years McFarlane has been an integral part of the industry’s knowledgesharing programs, including the highly popular national series’ of Healthy Soils – Healthy and Productive Groves field days and TasteBook®/OliveCare® Sensory Training Workshops.

®

quality of EVOO, flavoured olive oils and table olives; • since 2017 I have served as the AOA’s Biosecurity Representative to Plant Health Australia, working to ensure the Australian olive industry continues to develop biosecurity awareness and preparedness programs.

“Significant industry developments that I have contributed to over recent years include a strong interest and engagement with the table olive sector, and an increased focus on product quality and testing; risk management, including grove biosecurity; and improving grove productivity and profitability.

“During this time there have also been many challenges for olive producers, including prolonged drought in many regions, followed by fire, flood and frost events, as well as outbreaks of pests and diseases, all with associated crop losses and financial stress. Fortunately, the 2021 season has proved to be a bumper harvest

News

Michael Southan - AOA CEO

“Peter has been an absolute stalwart in all things quality-related and technical for the AOA, and particularly for getting me up to speed in the important areas of the OliveCare® Code of Practice, olive biosecurity and olive agrichemical permits.

“Peter’s dedication to producing results and his comprehensive communication documents have placed the AOA in a very strong position to build on the productivity growth and quality focus that the industry has already achieved.

“Peter, we wish you well in retirement and thank you for your service.” for most producers, fostering a renewed optimism in the future of the industry.

“In my time working in the olive industry, I have been most impressed by the sense of community, enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge, the preparedness to adopt industry best practice, and the dedication to producing high quality olive products, as evidenced by broad participation and success in the AIOA and other olive competitions.

“In signing off, I would like to wish everyone good health and the very best of success with your olive enterprises.”

Peter McFarlane

McFarlane’s dedication to compliance earned him the industry nickname of The Sheriff, with Life Membership of the ‘International Olive Sheriffs’ Association’ presented by MC Kent Hallett at the 2019 National Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition.

Paul Miller - AOA Director and International Advisor

The impressive Peter McFarlane “It is a rare privilege to be able to describe someone as a genuine pillar of a community. Peter McFarlane has been this and more for the Australian olive industry for well over a decade.

“There are too many highlights for me to recount here but some that come to mind are Peter’s work to achieve a state and then a national olive industry R&D levy (alongside Lisa Rowntree). Amazing persistent work.

“In my time as President, I could always count on Peter’s advocacy for and support of the table olive producers in Australia, knowing that this critical part of the industry would be looked after by the AOA better than before he took it on. He has been a champion for Australian table olives.

“The important and easily overlooked topic of biosecurity has also been a key focus for Peter and therefore the AOA Board.

“His work on export and innovation has created knowledge and documentation which, along with all the documented aspects of the Code of Practice (now OliveCare®) and product quality, represent a foundation for best practice activities in both domestic and export markets.

“Peter took over and built on the work of Mike Baker, keeping the industry up to date and well-resourced with chemical permits and registrations, always with an eye on integrated and responsible practices.

“In recent years I have been super impressed with the extension efforts of the AOA spearheaded by Peter and others. I was thrilled to hear that this is being held up as an example to other industries, so there!

“Peter is never backwards in coming forwards with constructive criticism, which has been of immense benefit to the AOA. He is both a deep thinker and a doer. I have really appreciated him always being there for us in good and difficult times, and for being such a valuable sounding board.

“Above all, Peter has been a cheerful colleague and great company.

“Warm and heartfelt thanks from me.”

Paul Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 9

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News - Awards

Leisal Rose Farm owner Liz Tonkinson: Champion Mild EVOO, Champion NSWales EVOO, Champion Australian EVOO, Best Southern Hemisphere EVOO and Best EVOO of Show - Boutique Volume.

Jacqueline and Jared Bettio: Champion Greek Varietal EVOO, Champion South Australian EVOO and Best EVOO of Show Commercial Volume.

Big results for small producers at 2021 Australian International Olive Awards Small producers made a big impact on this year’s Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA), with NSW producer Leisal Rose Farm and SA’s Rio Vista Olives taking the dual top trophies for Best of Show Boutique and Best of Show Commercial respectively.

With production of just 500L from around 300 trees, Leisal Rose is undoubtedly a ‘boutique’ operation, while Rio Vista’s Elisi Grove estate, from which its winning oil was produced, is at the small end of the commercial production category.

Major winners

Leisal Rose’s extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) blend topped the judges’ scores with a rare 96/100, earning the 2021 competition’s highest pointed Gold medal. The accolades then grew as the presentations proceeded, as the trophies for Champion Mild EVOO, Champion New South Wales EVOO, Champion Australian EVOO, Best Southern Hemisphere EVOO and Best EVOO of Show - Boutique Volume – were added to Leisal Rose’s prize cache.

Rio Vista’s Elisi Grove Kalamata EVOO was awarded an equally impressive score of 95 by the judges, also earning a standout high-Gold medal. Once the major awards

were announced, their prize haul totalled four Gold and nine Silver medals, along with the trophies for Champion Greek Varietal EVOO, Champion South Australian EVOO and Best EVOO of Show - Commercial Volume.

Joining them on the virtual podium to accept major awards were Victorian producers Olive Twist, which won Gold, Champion Agrumato Olive Oil and Best Flavoured Olive Oil of Show for its 95-pointed Lime Agrumato; and Saluté Oliva, awarded 92, Gold and the trophies for Champion Dried Olive, Champion Australian Table Olive and Best Table Olive of Show for its unique Semi Dried Olives.

Spanish producer Goya En España led the field among international entrants in both oil and table olive categories, taking the Best EVOO Northern Hemisphere award for its Goya® Unico Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Best Table Olive Northern Hemisphere for its Manzanilla Stuffed with Minced Smoked Salmon.

Greek producer G-Team was also among the major winners, taking the trophy for Champion EVOO - Highest Phenolic Content for its Hypereleon Ultra Gold. A new award for 2021, this category reflects

12 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

What makes a Gold Medal extra virgin olive oil?

When first smelling a gold medal extra virgin olive oil it is fresh and clean (fault free). It shows excellent fruit intensity with a variety of different aromas and scents. In the mouth the aromas transfer to the palate and are as intense or more intense than on the nose. It tastes fresh, vibrant and clean. The oil feels light and creamy (not oily) on the palate.

Depending on oil style, bitterness, pepper and/or astringency are present in varying degrees. A mild oil has little or no levels of pepper and pungency whilst a robust oil has significantly higher levels. Either way, they are in balance and do not overpower the fruit or mouthfeel. A gold medal oil has a flavourful lingering finish. To finish, the oil is fresh, balanced, complex and harmonious. You will want to drink it.

News - Awards

The

AU STRAL IAN I N T E R N AT I O N A L Olive Awards

®

www.internationaloliveawardsaustralia .com .au

Saluté Oliva’s Marlies and Peter Eicher: Champion Dried Olive, Champion Australian Table Olive and Best Table Olive of Show.

the increasing global recognition of olive polyphenols for preventative health and treatment, and of EVOO as a functional food.

Form … and firsts

Several of the major award winners have form at the Australian International, having won Champion or Best of Show awards in previous years. This was Liesel Rose’s first foray into the competition, however – its first entry in any EVOO competition, in fact - and G-Team were also welcomed as a first-time entrant this year.

All of which goes to show that when you make great EVOO, flavoured oils and olives, no matter how big, small or new you are to the industry, entering the AIOA is the ideal way to gain expert feedback on your products and benchmark them against your peers.

Global impact and judging

Australia’s premier olive competition, the AIOA is run annually by the Australian Olive Association (AOA) and opened to international entries in 2017. In recent years judging has also gone international and 2021 entries were judged by expert panels in six countries - Spain, Italy, New Zealand, Tunisia, China and across Australia.

AIOA Chief Steward Trudie Michels said the involvement of so many international experts is rapidly growing the reputation of both the competition and the Australian industry across the globe.

“We’re extremely proud to have so many

What makes a Gold Medal flavoured oil?

On first impression a gold medal flavoured oil is fresh and fault free. On smelling the oil, it shows excellent intensity of the flavouring element/s (lemon, rosemary, etc.). It has varying attractive aromas highlighting the flavouring element/s and where possible fresh olive oil.

The aromas and flavours are authentic and pure representations of the flavouring (not artificial). In the mouth the aromas transfer to the palate and are as intense or more intense than on the nose. It tastes fresh, vibrant and clean. The oil feels light (not oily) on the palate. The oil’s level of bitterness, pepper and/or astringency is balanced with the flavouring element/s. A gold medal oil has a flavourful lingering finish. A gold medal flavoured oil showcases the flavouring element/s purely as well as be fresh, balanced, complex and harmonious. You will want to get in the kitchen and start cooking. highly qualified and respected international and national judges on the AIOA team,” she said.

“Invitations were accepted with enthusiasm and all the panels committed 100% to the judging process, some travelling substantial

distances to judging locations or taking leave to participate. COVID-19 restrictions and freight challenges meant it was touch-andgo for several of the panels but the end result was a global judging process carried out with the utmost professionalism and integrity, thanks to their flexible attitudes.

“It really highlights the respect these people have for the Australian olive industry, and for the competition, and the AOA is indebted to all of the judges for their time, effort and commitment.”

Increased entries

Michels said the organisers had hoped that the successful 2021 harvest would translate into strong entries, particularly after last year’s challenging conditions. They weren’t disappointed.

“Thankfully it did, and we saw a substantial increase in entries for both flavoured and extra virgin olive oil classes,” she said.

“We were thrilled to receive a total of 269 entries this year, especially considering the ongoing COVID-19 chaos. Of those, 209 were EVOO entries (from 91 exhibitors), 37 flavoured oil entries (from 17 exhibitors) and 24 table olive entries (from 11 exhibitors).

“It was wonderful to welcome back producers who had nothing to enter last year, and also very exciting to see an increase in the number of new entrants to the competition. It was even more pleasing to see a number of those first-timers awarded Gold medals and key awards.

“It was unfortunate that table olive entries were lower this year but the longer

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 13

News - Awards

Julianne and Willow Bakogiannis of Olive Twist: Champion Agrumato Olive Oil and Best Flavoured Olive Oil of Show.

production lead time means that many entries for this year’s competition would have come from the 2020 harvest – a difficult one due to drought, bushfire, poor flowering and unseasonal weather. Many producers who would normally enter therefore indicated they did not have the volumes or quality they needed to enter.

“But given this year’s sensational harvest, we are excited about the potential for table olive entries and quality in next year’s competition.”

Gold = very, very good

Michels said that, while this year’s record entry numbers were exciting, the buzz was really about the quality.

“Feedback from all the judges was that the quality overall this year is outstanding,” she said.

“The international panels were particularly complimentary, which is reflected in the number of Gold medals they awarded – 10 each from Tunisia and Spain, four from Italy, three from China and seven from the New Zealand judges.

“They were suitably impressed by the high standard of this year’s entries and producers can be confident that if your products received a Gold medal, they are really very, very good.”

Medal tally

In this year’s extra virgin olive oil competition there were 184 medals awarded to the 209 entries, including 66 Gold medals (56 awarded in 2020), 74 Silver medals (47 in 2020) and 44 Bronze medals (27 in

Alpina Fine Food’s Boris (left) and Rainer Sandmann, for Goya En España: Best EVOO Northern Hemisphere and Best Table Olive Northern Hemisphere.

What makes a Gold Medal table olive?

On first impression a gold medal table olive has an attractive freshlooking appearance with an absence of skin blemishes, pock marks and bruises. The olive’s colour, size and shape are consistent with the class entered. The olive’s aroma (and brine) is fresh and fault free. On the palate the olive’s skin is firm but easy to bite (not tough). Flesh on green olives is firm but not woody. Flesh on black olives have reduced levels of firmness (i.e. softer) but not mushy.

The olive has excellent olive flavour.

Any added flavourings or fillings (herb, EVOO, garlic) compliment the olive flavour – not overwhelm it.

Bitterness, acidity and salt levels are balanced and neither are overpowering. A gold medal table olive is balanced, has great texture and is complex with a long flavourful finish. You will want to eat the whole bowl.

2020). This saw 88% of entries awarded a medal, with an average score of 78.21/100 (strong Silver).

The flavoured olive oil competition had a similar success rate, with 89% of entries awarded a medal.

The 37 entries was significantly higher

14 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

than the 23 received in 2020, and again included several international exhibitors, with a total of 33 medals awarded - 14 Gold (8 in 2020), 15 Silver (12 in 2020) and four Bronze (two in 2020).

And while table entries were down this year (24 entries compared to 46 in 2020), the competition also saw 88% of entries awarded a medal – four Gold, nine Silver and eight Bronze medals. Given the drastic reduction in entries, this compares very well with 2020’s result of six Gold, nine Silver and 14 Bronze medals.

Industry improvement

Michels said this year’s results reflect both the successful 2021 crop across Australia and continuing improvement by the industry.

“The AOA’s ongoing program of extension activities provides workshops, webinars, field days and a repository of reference resources, covering all the crucial elements of production quality from the tree to the finished product,” she said.

“Growers are taking it in, and utilising the information, and that’s showing in their oils and olives - right across the industry. This year the top awards reflect a real crosssection of businesses, many new to the industry or who haven’t entered before, and also a number who had entered previously but not won major awards before.

“Whereas years ago we used to see the big guns dominating the trophy scene, smaller producers are increasingly making their mark on competitions, and have certainly done so at this year’s Australian International. Some of them are tiny, in fact - they make just

News - Awards

The Australia n International Olive Awards 2021 Results

2021 AIOA EVOO entry fast facts • • • • • • • • • •

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209 entries from 91 exhibitors 184 medals awarded: 66 Gold, 74 Silver, 44 Bronze medals to 88% of entries average score 78.21/strong Silver increase in mild and medium intensity oils, decrease in robust made from one or more of 41 varieties (34 in 2020, 28 in 2019): monovarietals 52%, two-cultivar blends 23%, three cultivar blends 16%, four+ cultivar blends 9% 60% of gold medal oils made from a single cultivar average free fatty acid percentage: 0.207 (0.211 in 2021, 0.199 in 2019) average peroxide level: 5.811mEq O2/kg (5.89 in 2020, 8.08 in 2019) average polyphenol count: 260.74mg/kg (323.92 in 2020 and 274.06 in 2019) polyphenol range: 50ppm (Leccino) to 1155ppm (Greek Olympia)

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The 2021 AIOA Results Book provides a comprehensive overview of the competition and a full listing of results, with each medal-winning product featured.

300 litres of oil, or 20 kilos of table olives and it’s really hands-on production.

“It shows that whether they’re big, small, high-tech or low-tech, olive producers are making superb products.”

AOA CEO Michael Southan agreed.

“The results are more proof that the

Australian olive industry has really come into its own in terms of quality production,” he said.

“We’re growing great fruit, processing it with care, and putting attention and expertise into producing incredible oils and table olives. Importantly, we’re then ensuring the end products are treated with that same level of TLC as they make their way to the consumer.

“The increased technical knowledge base across the industry is giving producers the ability to achieve consistently high quality products. In turn, this is giving consumers

the confidence that, if the EVOO, flavoured olive oils and olives they buy are Australian, they’re going to be very, very good.”

Full results

The winners were announced at the Australian International Olive Awards Gala Virtual Presentation on Friday, 15 October. Full details are available by downloading the official 2021 AIOA Results Book from the competition website: www. internationaloliveawardsaustralia.com.au, where you can also watch the recording of the presentation event.

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Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 15

News - Awards

2021 Australian International Olive Awards – Major Awards Best of Show Awards

Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Highest Phenolic Content: G-Team Hypereleon Ultra Gold (GREECE)

Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Show - Boutique Volume: Leisal Rose Farm Extra Virgin Olive Oil (NSW) Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Show Commercial Volume: Elisi Grove Kalamata (SA) Best Flavoured Olive Oil of Show: Olive Twist Lime Agrumato (VIC) Best Table Olive of Show: Saluté Oliva Semi Dried Olives (VIC)

Champion Awards – Class

Champion Class 1 - Mild Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Leisal Rose Farm Extra Virgin Olive Oil (NSW) Champion Class 2 - Medium Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Rochford Hall Koroneiki Extra Virgin Olive Oil (TAS) Champion Class 3 - Robust Extra Virgin The Olive Oil: Michael's Olives Jumble Frantoio Best of Show Awards -Region (SA) Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Southern AU STRAL IAN Champion Class 4 - Non-Packaged (Bulk) Hemisphere: Leisal Rose Farm Extra Virgin I N T E R N AT I O N A L Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Nasmin FS-17 (SA) Olive Oil (NSW) Olive Awards Champion Class 5a - Spanish Varietal Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Northern Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Wollundry Grove Olives Hemisphere: Goya® Unico Extra Virgin Olive www.internationaloliveawardsaustralia .com .au Delicate Flavour (NSW) Oil (SPAIN) Champion Class 5b - Italian Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil : Best Table Olive - Southern Hemisphere: Saluté Oliva Semi Dried Michael's Olives Jumble Frantoio (SA) Olives (VIC) Champion Class 5c - Greek Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Elisi Best Table Olive - Northern Hemisphere: Goya® Manzanilla Olives Grove Kalamata (SA) Stuffed with Minced Smoked Salmon (SPAIN) Champion Class 5d - Other Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Alto Olives Alto Vividus (NSW) Champion Awards - Region Champion Class 6 - Flavoured and/or Infused Olive Oil: Homeleigh Champion Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Leisal Rose Farm Grove Lemon Myrtle Infused (ACT) Extra Virgin Olive Oil (NSW) Champion Class 7 - Agrumato Olive Oil: Olive Twist Lime Champion Australian Table Olive: Saluté Oliva Semi Dried Olives Agrumato (VIC) (VIC) Champion Class 11 - Green Olives: Goya® Manzanilla Spanish Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil - ACT: Homeleigh Grove Olives (SPAIN) Family Harvest (ACT) Champion Class 12 - Medley of Olives: Olive 1 More Medley (SA) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil - New South Wales: Leisal Rose Champion Class 14 - Kalamata Olives: Arkwright Estate Traditional Farm Extra Virgin Olive Oil (NSW) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil - South Australia: Elisi Grove Kalamata (SA) Champion Class 16 - Dried Olives: Saluté Oliva Semi Dried Olives Kalamata (SA) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Tasmania: Rochford Hall (VIC) Champion Class 17 - Stuffed Olives: Goya® Manzanilla Olives Koroneiki Extra Virgin Olive Oil (TAS) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Victoria: Manna Hill Estate Stuffed with Minced Smoked Salmon (SPAIN) Champion Class 18 - Specialty Olives: Bruny Island Olives Barnea Frantoio Extra Virgin Olive Oil (VIC) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Western Australia: Tarralea Whole Olives (TAS) Grove Barouni (WA) Full results: www.internationaloliveawardsaustralia.com.au

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16 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

Olivegrower profile – 2021 AIOA Best of Show

Sweet smell of AIOA success for Leisal Rose As a remedial massage therapist, improving outcomes with handson care is nothing new for Leisal Rose owner Liz Tonkinson. But when she took on the task of rejuvenating a neglected 300-tree olive grove, she had no idea she’d end up producing this year’s Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA) Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Show.

2021 Award wins

Leisal Rose’s EVOO was the stand-out winner of the 2021 Australian International competition, awarded Gold and the judges’ highest score with a rare 96/100. The blend also made a clean sweep across all eligible trophy categories, named Champion Mild EVOO, Champion New South Wales EVOO, Champion Australian EVOO, Best Southern Hemisphere EVOO and then Best EVOO of Show Boutique Volume.

With production of just 500L, that’s a big mark on the world of olive oil for such a small producer. And making the win even more remarkable, it was the first time Liz had entered an oil into any competition.

Liz said the award also belongs to her ‘right hand man’ Dick Galvin, who helps manage the grove.

Background

Liz’s life in olives began about 10 years ago, when she decided to swap city hustle and bustle for a tree change and more peaceful life.

“I was a single parent, working in Sydney as a remedial massage therapist with people with disabilities, and I was sick of sitting in city traffic. My daughter had finished her studies, so I thought I’d transition to the country and have a different lifestyle,” she said.

“I hoped to supplement my income with something and just stumbled on this little place in Murringo, which had about 300 olive trees. At the time I thought ‘It’s an olive grove, that’s lovely’ but didn’t look too closely, and when I moved here I found they’d never been looked after. The people I bought from said they could get them bulldozed out but there’s no way I was doing that.”

Learning to manage

Which meant that when Liz took over the property, she also took on a huge learning curve in olive grove management.

“The trees were in such bad condition, full of scale and black with sooty mould. I used to call one section the black forest,” she said.

“But I was very green to the country - I knew nothing about

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 17

Olivegrower profile – 2021 AIOA Best of Show

Prioritise pruning

Liz’s steep learning curve has taken her from total novice to award-winning producer in just her third year of production.

We asked her to share her tips for other producers just starting out in the industry, based on her own experiences.

“If you’re planting, prune the trees from the start.

“And learn how to prune properly so you get it right.

“Other than that, just nurture the trees and give back to them.

“But I think the pruning is really the most important.”

gardening even when I got here - so I didn’t really see it earlier, and I just had to learn to deal with it. They hadn’t been pruned either, so I also taught myself to prune. Luckily they’re very forgiving.

“I went online, read lots of information, then just got into it. It’s a bit of common sense as well, when you look at them, so while I was very green at first I’m pretty confident now.

“And I found this lovely local man, Dick Galvin, who is just amazing.

He works part-time for me but goes there every day when I’m in Sydney working. He helps with the pruning and comes when we’re harvesting, and we take the olives to the press together. He really is a blessing and I’d be lost without him helping me.”

“I don’t use any chemicals and I follow all the organic principles. I think that makes a big difference.”

The property

Leisal Rose Farm is at Murringo, between Boorowa and Young on the southwestern slopes of New South Wales. Once a gold-mining town, it’s now part of the Hilltops food production region which boasts orchards, vineyards, olive groves and a reputation for great mustard.

Liz’s grove is planted with Paragon and Corregiola cultivars, which are thriving in the loamy soil thanks to good water provision.

“The trees are all irrigated now,” Liz said.

“There was a small dam when I bought it but I enlarged it and made it deeper. It’s huge, like a big lake, and ensures we can water all of the trees when they need it. We had quite a lot of rain last year, though, and this year the ground is saturated.”

18 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

Other than the contract harvesting and processing, Liz Tonkinson handles everything from grove management to bottling and sales.

“The trees were full of scale and black with sooty mould. I used to call one section the black forest.”

Grove practices

The farm isn’t certified organic but is managed naturally, which Liz says is for both environmental and health reasons.

“I don’t use any chemicals and I follow all the organic principles. I think that makes a big difference,” she said.

“I’ve always been interested in the medicinal value of plants, making sure what you’re eating is really good for you, and I think slowly more people are seeing that.

“I did have to spray the scale at first, given how bad it was, but I haven’t sprayed for five years now. And for the first few years I didn’t worry about the crop, I was concentrating on getting them back to health, so I wasn’t harvesting the fruit anyway. In fact, I’ve only harvested three times so far.

“I also grow a lot of bee-friendly things, and I have geese and chooks which free range. They do pest control, add fertiliser and they’re good lawn mowers.”

EVOO and more

Making award-winning EVOO from the olive grove is just one arm of the farm’s production.

“I make table olives, just for myself at this stage, but I might get a few more trees and do some to sell in the future,” Liz said.

“I also grow garlic and sell it. I started growing it for myself and people loved it, so now I grow more.

“And I planted some oak trees a few years ago, inoculated with truffles. They’ll take about 10 years to produce, so I’ll probably be up there on my walking frame.”

Markets

With such a small-scale of production, it’s not surprising that Liz’s marketing strategy is pretty low-key – and her business very personalised.

“I grow it, help harvest it and store it here. Then I bottle it, label it

Olivegrower profile – 2021 AIOA Best of Show

Awarded Gold and the judges’ highest score of 96/100, Leisal Rose’s EVOO made a clean sweep across all eligible trophy categories.

The Leisal Rose management team - ducks, Dick and Liz – at work in the grove.

and sell it. Other than the contract harvesting and processing, I do it all myself,” she said.

“I mainly sell to friends and clients. A lot of it is by word of mouth - people sell my oil for me. I’ve also done a few markets, and a little bit into local shops, and I really enjoy talking to people about the oil.”

“For the first few years I didn’t worry about the crop, I was concentrating on getting them back to health.”

Significant numbers

The healthiness of her oil is important to Liz, so she harvests early and has it tested. This year’s lab results were impressive, and provided the impetus to enter the AIOA. “One thing I talk to people about at markets - all the people I sell to, actually - is the health benefits,” she said.

“I wanted to know the anti-oxidant levels, to ensure it has good nutritional value, so I sent it to Modern Olives to get the polyphenols tested. The numbers which came back meant nothing to me, so I rang up to clarify and they said ‘It has very high polyphenols. Your oil is very, very good.’

They were so helpful, and when I suggested that I might enter it into a competition, they said I should.

“So I knew I had beautiful oil, and one worth entering in a competition, but I never expected to win a major award. It was such a surprise and I’m still in shock.”

Shared excitement

Liz said she’s always had great support from her local community, which has embraced her win with gusto.

“People are just so excited for me,” she said.

“I took some to a shop in Boorowa and asked if they’d like to try my oil. She emailed within minutes – ‘Your oil is so divine, can you drop some bottles in straight away’, and I’ve since sold quite a bit to them.

They have beautiful products and I was so happy to tell her we’ve won this award. All my friends and family are very excited for me too, and really proud.

“The only downside is that I could have had double the amount of oil this year. I got a shaker in which took off 5.5 tonnes of olives, but there was still a lot on the trees. I wanted to go back through but just couldn’t make the time and logistics of getting it pressed work.

“I certainly wish I had that oil now, and I’m going to purchase some electric rakes for the next harvest.”

“Whether they’re big, small, high-tech or low-tech, olive producers are making superb products.”

Award-winning alchemy

When asked what she thinks makes this EVOO so good, and so special, Liz put it down to “the climate and the soil”.

“I don’t really understand the science of it. It’s some sort of alchemy and somehow it has just come together: the soil, the climate and the health of the trees,” she said.

“I don’t think I do anything different to other growers. I feed them and water them, just nurturing the trees. I’m sure everyone does that.”

That said, she’s happy to admit that the AIOA win is a great reward for all the effort which goes into producing EVOO. “To win a gold medal sent me over the moon, but to win so many other places is simply astonishing. I couldn’t be more thrilled and excited,” she said.

“I work so hard and it’s just wonderful to get something for all the hard work. I put my heart and soul into it, and I think it’s paid off with this award – which also belongs to Dick and all the amazing people in Murringo who support me.

“And it’s expensive to make, so the boost in sales is such a bonus.

Instead of three bottles, now people will ask for 12 – when it’s won Best in Show, it makes a great present.

International value

“When I was thinking of entering, I looked up online and thought that the AIOA looked like a good competition. The fact it’s judged by some of the top experts in the world is astonishing and having my oil looked at by them is so valuable.

“Being named this year’s best gives me absolute confidence that I’m doing things right and I’ll be telling people whenever I sell it. They can taste it and see it’s a nice oil but to know it’s been judged by people here and maybe in Europe makes it a really worthwhile product to buy.”

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 19

Olivegrower profile – 2021 AIOA Best of Show

The Olive Twist grove is in an ideal location, on well-draining sloping land and with plenty of wind keeping pests and diseases at bay.

AIOA Best of Show as good as a holiday!

Settling into life with a six-week old baby sounds like a great time to buy a holiday house - but when that house includes 550 olive trees, we all know there won’t be much of a holiday involved.

That’s just what Olive Twist owners Julianne and George Bakogiannis did, however, setting themselves on the path to producing this year’s Australian International Olive Awards Best Flavoured Oil of Show.

The Victorian producers were one of the 2021 competition’s highest scoring entrants, with the Olive Twist Lime Agrumato awarded a soaring 95 points by the judges. Earning a high Gold medal, the Lime Agrumato then went on to take the trophies for Champion Agrumato Olive Oil and Best Flavoured Olive Oil of Show.

Olive Twist’s Lemon Agrumato also earned a Silver medal in this year’s AIOA, cementing a reputation founded on Gold and Silver medal wins in a number of previous competitions.

“Mostly we learned from local olive growers - that was a life-safer.”

Confirmation and confidence

Julianne and George said the win has given them confidence in their products and methodologies.

“It makes us very proud,” they said.

“It’s confirmation that you’re doing the right thing: for any job you do, it’s nice to get that pat on the back, to know we’re on the right track and our oils are good quality.

“And especially as we came into this with blinkers on. It shows that we now really know what we’re doing.”

20 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

Background

The Bakogiannises bought their property in 2010, when George said he wanted to buy a holiday house. Nestled in the South Gippsland hills near Jumbunna, Julianne said it wasn’t what they were originally looking for.

“It was over our budget, and a lot bigger than we were looking at, but we just fell in love with it,” she said.

“We knew immediately it wasn’t a holiday house, it was a sea change.

“There were 550 olive trees, which were about eight years old when we bought it, so we got into olives purely by chance. But George grew up on a vineyard, and his Mum had olive trees, so he knew what hard work it was and had that background of looking after things. It was a bit of going back to his roots really.”

While those roots were there, taking on the grove was a big learning curve for an accountant (George) and a disability carer (Julianne).

“We went to a lot of expos for the first couple of years, including one in Italy, and George has done the courses with the AOA as well.

We learned a lot from those,” Julianne said.

“But mostly we learned from local olive growers - that was a lifesafer.

“We were always going over to their groves and seeing what they were doing; bouncing questions off them. We found everyone really helpful, whereas other industries they’d tell you to piss off. We were just so lucky that olive people are so generous, and so passionate about what they do.

“We returned the favour with another guy who came up to us at the market, and he won his first Gold medal at the AIOA this year!”

Olivegrower profile – 2021 AIOA Best of Show

Grove practices

Olive Twist’s trees are mainly Frantoio and Corregiola, with a few Nevadillo Blanco and some Kalamata. They’re planted to traditional spacing, in most years are dry grown and are hand-picked early in the season.

“In the last couple of years we’ve watered them with hoses from the water tanks, as it has been quite dry,” George said.

“If the leaves start going a bit yellow over Christmas time when it’s scorching hot, we’ll give them a big drench. We’ve got a giant tank, 200,000 litres, so we have plenty of water. But this year we’ve had constant good rains, so they’re pretty happy.

“The varieties all ripen at a different stage, so we just jump around the paddock as they ripen. If the crop is good we keep the varieties separate, if it’s smaller we mix it together.

“And we keep the Nevadillo Blanco separate. We like to pick when they’re still green and they ripen a lot quicker than anything else, so often by the time you get down there they’re gone. In the last couple of years we haven’t picked them, though, so they haven’t really cropped much since.”

Share, ask and give it a go Having gone from property buyers “with blinkers on” to Best of Show producers, we reckon Julianne and George have some pretty good advice to share with other producers learning the ropes. Here are their top tips: “Share information.

“Ask questions.

“People think it’s easy but it’s a lot of hard work. It you want to get into the business, think about all the steps involved and make sure you can manage them before you start.

“And don’t think you’re going to make a lot of money out of it; many growers are just likely to meet their costs. You need to have other avenues for earning, especially if you’re really small. We fund it from the businesses we’re running now, and eventually we hope we can make it a business which covers itself.

“So overall, realise it’s not going to be easy but give it a go.”

“The varieties all ripen at a different stage, so we just jump around the paddock as they ripen.”

Stone mill processing

Julianne and George make both EVOO and flavoured oils, and specialise in citrus oils. All are hand-made using a rare agrumato stone mill press.

“It’s the old-fashioned method. There are only two left in Australia, although we believe it’s the only working one now,” Julianne said.

“When we first got it we knew nothing about them, so again we relied on the olive industry to help us: we contacted the only other working stone mill press left in Australia and went over to learn from him. He was a great help.

“It can do up to 200kg of olives per hour as a continuous process but for our flavoured oils, we do 100kg of olives and 20-25kg of citrus.

We crush the citrus for a good hour, then it goes into the malaxer as well, whereas I think others add the citrus straight into the malaxer.

“We usually do lemon, lime, blood orange and mandarin – we previously won a Best in Show with our mandarin – but this year we only produced the lime and the lemon.

“We also do infusions of truffle, garlic, chilli, and plain EVOO sometimes Frantoio, sometimes Frantoio and Corregiolo.”

Double act

Like most boutique olive businesses, Olive Twist is a two-person operation.

“I’m the general dog’s body, George is the brains. We do everything together,” Julianne said.

“We used to use a lot of WOOFERs and I do all that, looking after them, organising them. George is out there picking as well and he’s the presser, operating the machinery. That’s beyond me.

“But I do the bottling and labelling, and selling at the markets.”

Markets and marketing

That’s an important job, as 80% of Olive Twist’s sales happen at those markets, with the other 20% online or through local gourmet shops. They’re hoping that might change into the future.

“Farmers markets are classed as an essential service, so they’ve continued during COVID but with less stalls,” they said.

“When we first started we used to make double what we make now because there were fewer markets. Now every man and his dog runs

The Olive Twist Lime Agrumato wasn’t their only winner this year, with the Lemon Agrumato awarded a silver medal.

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 21

Olivegrower profile – 2021 AIOA Best of Show

Julianne and George are diversifying Olive Twist’s business, building seven yurts throughout the olive grove for tourist accommodation.

one, so we do three times as many markets as we used to but you don’t make so much at each individual market.

“But we’ve formed a group of local growers, Southern Gippsland Olives. We’re trying to promote the area as a great olive growing region and that between us we’re producing great olive oil. We’ve got an online co-op shop and everyone provides one of their oils, which we sell as a six-pack – a taste around the region, so they can compare and contrast.

“People can also go onto the SGO website and order individual producers’ products.”

Crushing quality

As with all our winners, we asked what they think it is that makes Olive Twist’s products worthy of a ‘Best of’ award.

“I think the stone mill press, and that we crush the citrus first. I think others add the citrus straight into the malaxer,” Julianne said.

“The decanter we’ve got is a good one for citrus oil, we use only good quality olives, and we use really good quality, locally-grown citrus as well, picked on the morning of pressing. Then it’s just those things which ensure the best quality: we pick the olives and process straightaway, store in stainless steel containers, use floating lids, etc.

“And obviously also the location. It’s slopey land, so even with excess water it’s never boggy, and it's windy, which means we have no real problems with pests and diseases.”

“In the current times, when people can’t taste the oil, the fact that you’ve got a medal makes a huge difference.”

Business boost

Julianne and George said that, while their AIOA Best of Show is a ‘pat on the back’ personally, it’s also provides an important boost for their business.

“Especially in the current times we’re in, when people can’t taste the oil, the fact that you’ve got a medal makes a huge difference,” George said.

22 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

“One year we put all four citrus oils in the competition and got three Gold and a Silver. It made a massive impact on our sales.

“Agrumato oil is expensive to make: you don’t get as much yield from it and then there’s the extra cost of the citrus. And with Agrumato, if you make 200L and it doesn’t sell, you’re left with it, and if it all sells you can’t make any more.

“But awards like these give consumers the proof that it’s really good, and with the stickers on there, it just walks out the door. It speaks for itself and people will buy it, so you know you’re going to have strong sales.”

“We’ve got an online co-op shop and everyone provides one of their oils, which we sell as a six-pack – a taste around the region, so they can compare and contrast.”

Industry value

The Bakogiannises also believe that quality competitions like the AIOA are important to the industry as a whole.

“Everyone looks up to the opinion of judges and it gets people realising that there are different grades of oil. Initially people were a bit sceptical and in the last 8-10 years it’s made a big difference to how people think about olive oil - 20 years ago any old oil would have done,” George said.

“It’s good because a lot of the oldies think the best oil is from Europe – even my Mum was hard to convince – but awards like these show them that local oils are really good.

“The big producers have helped too, both with their marketing and getting really good quality oil into the big supermarkets. That’s just brilliant for the whole industry.”

More information: www.olivetwist.com.au.

THE LATEST UPDATES ON R&D WITHIN THE OLIVE INDUSTRY | DECEMBER 2021

R&D Insights contains the latest levy-funded R&D project updates, research findings and related industry resources, which all happen under the Hort Innovation Olive Fund.

Hort Innovation partners with leading service providers to complete a range of R&D projects to ensure the long-term sustainability and profitability of the olive industry.

In parts of Europe, Xf has completely devastated olive groves. Picture: Sjor/Wikimedia Commons.

Tackling a global crop pandemic - from the air Professor Pablo J. Zarco-Tejada and Dr Tomas Poblete, University of Melbourne The ongoing National Xylella Preparedness Program, a joint initiative of Hort Innovation, Wine Australia and Plant Health Australia, aims to proactively ensure rapid detection and management should an incursion of Australia’s number one pest threat, Xylella fastidiosa, occur. The program has supported research into innovative detection methods, which allow remote monitoring of tree condition with the ability to separate biotic (living, e.g. disease) and abiotic (non-living, e.g. drought) stresses. The new research complements the work of the tree crop remote sensing project featured in the September edition of R&D Insights, and is explained in this overview by the lead researchers.

“We need to be able to detect where Xf is present and where it isn’t, while reducing false positives, where an algorithm incorrectly indicates Xf due to other factors”

and reducing the size of fruit in a wide variety of important crops including olive, almond, avocado, coffee, grapevine, citrus, along with many herbaceous and forest species. It could also infect native Australian and ornamental plants.

The spread of the Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) bacteria is a huge threat to global agriculture, but research is enhancing our capacity to detect it in crops using airborne monitoring.

In Apulia, Italy, Xf has left devastating scenes of dead and dying olive trees in its wake and it could cost $US22 billion to control the outbreak there over the next 50 years. If it spreads through Europe the losses in just the olive industry alone are projected to reach up to €5.2 billion per year.

This so-far incurable bacterial disease causes plants to wither and possibly die, scorching and browning leaves

Overseas, Xf is arguably the greatest disease threat to food security and agricultural productivity worldwide.

2 Already widely distributed in the Americas, it has now been identified in Spain, France, Israel, Iran and Taiwan, raising international alarms about the potential for a global Xf epidemic.

Find it early The key to containing Xf is early detection, which isn’t easy given that some infections don’t cause visual symptoms for 8-10 months. And during this period, the asymptomatic plants continue to be infectious.

But our new research takes us a step closer to developing a rapid and more accurate large-scale screening process of at-risk crop species by enhancing the effectiveness of airborne scanning using hyperspectral imaging.

Hyperspectral images allow us to “see” in more fine-grained wavelengths, and our previous research has already demonstrated that we can use it to detect Xf in olive trees before symptoms were visible.

Identifying stressors But a common problem is that the remote sensing algorithms that scan the hyperspectral images can’t always distinguish the symptoms of Xf from the symptoms of other pathogens or environmental stress like lack of water or nutrients.

This aspect is particularly relevant for pathogens like Xf that invade a plant’s vascular (circulatory) system because the bacteria eventually block the water flow, causing similar symptoms that can be wrongly attributed to lack of water.

Just as visibility and rapid testing were essential to managing COVID-19 in humans before the deployment of vaccines, we need to be able to see where Xf is present and where it isn’t, while reducing false positives, where an algorithm incorrectly indicates Xf due to other factors.

Published recently in Nature Communications, our research with international partners from the EU, UK and US demonstrates that hyperspectral imaging and a novel algorithm can distinguish the disease from water-induced stress. It can also increase Xf detection to as high as 92% accuracy, while reducing uncertainty to below 6% across

Hyperspectral image data gathered on flights are analysed for traits linked to plant health at resolutions that allow assessment for each tree.

different hosts, including almond and olive, and across other vascular pathogens.

The technology The research is based on scanning one million infected and healthy trees in seven regions in Europe.

The technology used in this study is available in Australia as part of our Airborne Remote Sensing Facility - HyperSens Lab, established across the Faculties of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences (FVAS) and Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) at the University of Melbourne.

“(This method) can increase Xf detection to as high as 92% accuracy, while reducing uncertainty to below 6%” With two hyperspectral imagers and one thermal camera, the facility can scan thousands of hectares in the visible, near-infrared and thermal spectral regions of light, generating images where every single tree

or vegetation pixel is acquired with hundreds of narrow spectral wavebands.

By using algorithms based on physical models and machine learning, we can retrieve spectral plant traits directly linked with the physiological condition and stress levels of each tree, generating a pool of spectral screening indicators related to subtle changes occurring to infected vegetation.

In a trial in Victoria last year, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment (DAWE) as part of the Plant Biosecurity and Response Reform (PBRR), we were able to scan several thousand hectares of healthy almond, citrus and olive trees with varying water and nutrient status levels as baselines, to better adapt the Xf detection models developed in Europe for the particular varieties and management practices in Australian agriculture.

These methods enable the collection and delivery to the grower of water stress and nutrient maps for each tree in an orchard within 24 hours.

These are innovative precision agriculture technologies to support the efficient use of resources and

3

Remote monitoring of tree condition can provide rapid detection of pest and diseases, drastically reducing the risk of our growers ever having to do this. Image: James Hook©, Getty Images.

“Rapid detection through airborne and drone-based hyperspectral imaging is our best hope for protecting Australia’s $A15 billion horticulture industry and preventing Xf’s spread around the world” optimizing yields while protecting the environment.

Biosecurity and food security And in the context of biosecurity, if an Xf outbreak occurs in Australia or elsewhere, our methods could potentially be used to rapidly detect and prevent the spread of the disease.

Global warming and international trade are causing unprecedented risks to agriculture, particularly with emerging and re-emerging pathogens that cause yield losses exceeding 30% in food-deficit regions with fast-growing populations.

At the same time, we need to increase global food production by 50% in the next 30 years to achieve food security.

Where to from here?

These facts underscore the importance of developing global plant disease and precision agriculture monitoring methods that use advanced technologies. But the answer isn’t only to be found in technological advances, but also in collaborative research across disciplines.

Found something scary in your grove? Or just not sure?

The future requires joint efforts between agricultural and engineering disciplines to create networks of hyperspectral sensors mounted on drones, as well as high-altitude drones and satellites that can concurrently screen for disease outbreaks and assess water and nutrient limitations at a global scale.

Until we get there, the rapid detection through airborne and drone-based hyperspectral imaging is our best hope for protecting Australia’s $A15 billion horticulture industry and preventing Xf’s spread around the world.

Source: www.nature.com - ZarcoTejada, P.J., Poblete, T., Camino, C. et al. Divergent abiotic spectral pathways unravel pathogen stress signals across species. Nat Commun 12, 6088 (2021). https://doi. org/10.1038/s41467-021-26335-3.

4

Above and right: Field days, webinars and updates of industry R&D reports are just some of the outputs of the olive industry communications and extension project.

Communications and extension project extended

The ongoing stream of industry information and learning is set to continue, with an extension to the olive levy project Australian olive industry communications and extension program (OL18000).

industry experts, the project promotes world’s-best practice and the results of R&D in grove management and olive oil production to the Australian olive industry.

Run by the Australian Olive Association (AOA), over the past three years the project has provided outstanding knowledge transfer opportunities across a wide range of timely and relevant industry topics. The initial project period was set to end in September this year, however it has now been extended to June 2022 to ensure continuity of information dissemination around a number of ongoing projects and events.

Project outputs

What it does

other video content covering best

Utilising the AOA’s industry-owned communications platform and network of national and international

The outputs are broad in both content and dissemination format, aiming to reach and inform as much of the industry as possible, and include:

events including best practice

workshops and field days, held across all producing states and supported by information on the industry OliveBiz website;

recordings of and/or from these events for ongoing reference; practice management topics;

webinars covering topical issues and practices;

related fact sheets and reference material;

expert updates of existing industry RIRDC resources;

monthly Grove Innovation

e-newsletters, emailed to levy payers and also available on the OliveBiz website;

quarterly R&D Insights lift-outs,

published in the Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor industry journal and also available on the OliveBiz website.

AOA CEO Michael Southan said the extension provides the opportunity to complete several activities curtailed

by COVID restrictions over the past 18 months, and to ensure the flow of information on new R&D and projects currently underway.

“The communications and extension project has been an incredible success across all aspects,” he said.

5

in their groves and businesses, along with new techniques and methodologies to improve their management practices. All of that is translating into a continuing increase in product quality and viability across Australian olive businesses.

“We now hope to secure a further three to five-year extension of the project so we can continue to drive increased industry knowledge, best practice management and capability.”

Access resources online

“Grower feedback throughout the project period is that the information provided has been relevant, practical and highly useful. In particular, the project has provided invaluable solutions to issues being experienced

The communications and extension program has generated a wealth of resources over the past three years, all of which are available to access, view and/or download 24/7 from the OliveBiz website.

Go to www.olivebiz.com.au and you’ll find them in the various dropdown tabs – Publications, Projects/Comms Project, R&D Reports and R&D Insights.

Research recap PROJECT NAME: Australian olive industry communications and extension program (OL18000) PROJECT AIM: Continuing to build greater skills, capacity and knowledge in the Australian olive industry by promotion and dissemination of world-best practice and the results of R&D in grove management and olive oil production PROJECT PARTNER: Australian Olive Association FUNDING: Hort Innovation Olive Fund CURRENT PROJECT END: June 2022

6

OWI puts cooking with EVOO on the front burner There’s no stopping the team from the Olive Wellness Institute on their mission to educate health and food service professionals on the health benefits and culinary versatility of EVOO and olive products.

In the three months since we last updated on their work there’s been a bunch of new activities undertaken, and new resources produced. Let’s take a look at what they’ve been up to.

Food service webinar It was virtual ‘standing room only’ on 26 October when 270 chefs and food service professionals joined the OWI for a webinar run by chef Emma Rosen and Cobram Estate Olives Joint CEO Leandro Ravetti.

The free event, Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Can I cook with that?, was presented in conjunction with Nutrition Australia with support from the Australian Culinary Federation. It looked at both culinary and technical aspects, covering how EVOO is made and the science behind cooking with EVOO, along with the health benefits of consuming EVOO. It then got practical with a live demonstration by Emma of three EVOO-based recipes – focaccia, crispy skinned salmon and tomato salad - providing the opportunity to both showcase EVOOs versatility as an ingredient and dispel the myth about cooking with EVOO at high temperatures.

The OWI’s Sarah Haworth said the session was a huge success, particularly in terms of increasing the chefs’ technical knowledge about EVOO. “We surveyed the participants at the start and end of the session, asking them to rank their knowledge on each topic from poor, fair or good to excellent,” she said.

“There was an increase of 50% in ‘knowledge of processing and production of EVOO’ and an

increase of 48% in ‘knowledge of smoke point and stability of EVOO’.

“That’s a great result, and means that at least 135 chefs and food service professionals now have a better understanding of the benefits of using EVOO in their dishes. If each of them works in a kitchen with a group of other professionals, that’s a substantial wave of influence for a change to EVOO,” she said.

Blog posts and recipes Recent months have also seen new blog posts on the OWI website, written by nutritionist and TV chef Zoe Bingley-Pullin. A passionate advocate for proactive health through functional foods, Zoe’s blogs provide practical information about the active health components of EVOO. Her first two blogs, The Misconceptions Around Cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Enhancing your diet with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, also offer more mythbusting about EVOO and heat, and promote the use of fresh, local EVOO. Each also has accompanying recipes, giving readers a delicious introduction to the benefits of swapping to EVOO for cooking.

HEIA National Conference In late September the OWI also virtually attended the Home Economics Institute of Australia (HEIA) National Conference, ‘meeting’ delegates in the virtual trade hall to share the benefits of cooking with EVOO.

“It was a great opportunity to reach a large cohort of professionals on the front line of food preparation education, in the context of community wellbeing,” Haworth said.

“We were also able to provide them with resources on the health benefits of cooking with EVOO and introduce them to our website for a wider range of resources.”

Access resources The recipes demonstrated during the October webinar and referenced in the new blogs are available on the Olive Wellness Institute website - www.olivewellnessinstitute.org along with a wealth of additional resources. Use and share them to keep spreading the word about the myriad benefits of cooking with healthy, Australian EVOO!

7

Olive Fund Annual Report 2020/21 released As a levy payer, the Hort Innovation Olive Fund is your R&D fund, invested along with Australian Government contributions into initiatives to help growers be as productive and profitable as possible.

It’s important that all stakeholders know what their levy dollars are being used for – and just as importantly, what they’re achieving for the industry.

To that end, Hort Innovation produces annual reports for each of the 37 industries it handles levies for: the latest were released in late October, covering the 2020/21 financial year.

The reports provide key project information from the year, including grower case studies of how levy investments have made an impact on the ground.

Report overview Not everyone has time to read the fine print, so here’s an overview of the Olive Fund Annual Report 2020/21.

Fund highlights Among the major projects delivered during the 2020/21 year were:

issues and opportunities critical to the future of Australian horticulture*

projects supported by grants

secured by Hort Innovation, ranging from cross-sector Rural R&D for Profit initiatives to horticulture-specific work to aid in access to crop protection products.*

*These initiatives were delivered outside of the Hort Innovation Olive Fund and, in most instances, did not involve the industry levy.

Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) alignment Investments specific to the Olive Fund are guided by the olive Strategic Investment Plan (SIP). The SIP features priority outcome areas that have been identified and agreed upon by the industry, and Hort Innovation works to invest in R&D initiatives that are aligned to these.

Project expenditure in the Olive Fund during 2020/21 was aligned to the SIP, with each project allocated to a SIP outcome based on its primary objective:

the industry Communications and Extension Program, delivering Grove Innovation newsletters, editions of R&D Insights, best practice workshops and more;

Outcome 1: Supply - improved on-farm productivity, sustainability and product quality saw investment of $154,320 on seven projects, including:

An integrated pest and disease management extension program for the olive industry (OL17001)

Extending OliveCare® to foster excellence in production of Australian olives (OL17006)

Olive industry minor use program (OL16000)

International Olive Council Committee (OL15002)

Improving preparedness of the Australian horticultural sector to

Olive Fund snapshot 2020/21

educational resources via the

Olive Wellness Institute, providing evidence-based health information about olive products to health professionals, and the olive industry;

preparation support for pest

incursions, including emergency minor use permits and longerterm investments to bolster the horticulture sector’s response;

$392,322 invested in R&D

a range of pest and biosecurity

investments to ensure the olive industry is equipped to manage present and future threats;

investments in the Hort Frontiers

strategic partnership initiative to address longer-term and complex

12

active R&D investments

$130,809 in levies collected

by the Government and passed on to Hort Innovation for investment

8 the threat potentially posed by Xylella fastidiosa (MT17006)

Current Olive Fund investment activity

Generation of data for pesticide applications in horticulture crops 2019/20 (MT18018)

Strategic Agrichemical Review Process (SARP) Updates (MT19008)

Currently underway:

2+ R&D investments

Ready to use:

10+ resources and reports

Levy collected in 2020/21:

$130,809

Invested in R&D in 2020/21:

$392,322

Potential impact of industry SIP:

$25 million

Outcome 2: Demand - Increased demand for Australian olive products within Australia and in key overseas markets saw investment of $124,000 on two projects:

t levy ions align orities Horticulture trade data (MT19005) Educating health professionals

about Australian olive products (OL19001)

Investments

Here’s what your fund invested in over the year Outcome 3: Capacity $110,000

Outcome 3: Capacity - Greater skills, capacity and knowledge in the industry saw investment of $110,00 in one project:

Enabler $4,944

Australian olive industry

communications and extension program (OL18000)

Outcome 2: Demand $124,044

Other content

The report also includes the 2020/21 Outcome 1: Financial operating statement, a list Supply ) was created in 2021 to reflect current t $154,320 of new and current chemical minor agemen n a lved extensive consultation with olive m d n u F use permits for olives, and a case uding the Australian Olive study focusing onAssociation. the approach, that are specific to the Hort Innovation Olive Fund are guidedare by the olive Both documents currently being demandInvestments creation Hort Innovation’s oversight andAustralian use and impact of The Strategic Investment Plan (SIP). The SIP features priority outcome areas that have been finalised.

We’ll let you know when identified agreed upon by the industry, and Hort Innovation works to invest in R&D investment programs.

Olive Industry Code of Practice extension andand capacity initiatives that are aligned to these. they’re released, and they’ll be (OliveCare®) program.

In the above chart, you can see how project expenditure in the Fundon during

business insights. available toOlive view the2020/21 Olive Fund cision making in levy investments and was aligned to the SIP. Each project has been allocated to a SIP outcome based on its Management page. particular industry from which the levy objective.

The focus primary for the next five years will Future investment Expenditure on projects classified as ‘enabler’ support the broader delivery of the industry’s n of the SIP is to make sure that levy be detailed in the olive Strategic The report lists the four productivity strategic investment plan, such as impact assessments.

Want more detail, or resources?

Investment Plan 2022/2026, and the priorities. and profitability outcome areas olive Annual Investment Plan (AIP) The full Olive Fund Annual Report identified in the SIP for future eas that will contribute to olive the productivity Annual Report 2020/21 3 2021/22 will detail how levy funds for 2020/21 is available to download investment as: are: will be spent over the 12-month from the Hort Innovation website, nt industry supply, productivity and period. along with the previous annual ec t curre ainability 21 to refl 0 2 e in v li d o sustainability te reports for the 2017/18, and on with as crea2018/19 onsultati n (SIP) w c n. la o e P ti iv t s ia n c n e o financial estm d ex te Go to www. live A ss lveyears. ic Inv2019/20 o O g v n in te lia a is a tr h tr S T us and the A industr y.

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News-Awards

The Gardner Family Farm team - Michelle Ewers, her father Frank Brown and daughter Emma Ewers - went home medal-laden and happy, awarded Premium Gold, two Golds and Bronze for their 2021 EVOOs.

Frankland River Olive Co named WA’s Best among “amazing” 2021 entries The Frankland River Olive Company led the winner’s field at this year’s 2021 WA Olive Awards, with its Jingilli brand Picual EVOO named both Best WA Oil of Show and Best Oil of Show. From the Great Southern region, the Jingilli Picual was awarded an outstanding 94 points and Premium Gold by the judges, who described it as “a delicious, complex oil”.

Jingilli/Frankland River Olive Company was also awarded 82 points and Silver for its Frantoio/Leccino EVOO blend.

Best Boutique Oil of Show was awarded to Jarrahdale producers Tarralea Grove for their Barouni olive oil, which also achieved the competition’s top score of 94 points, Premium Gold and the judges’ praise as “a lovely oil”.

Tarralea Grove also received 91 points and Premium Gold for their Hojiblanca EVOO, 83 points and Silver for their Ascolana EVOO, and 84 points and Silver for their Premium Blend of Mission, Kalamata and Manzanilla.

And the Best Flavoured Oil of Show award, an increasingly competitive category among Australian producers, went to NSW producer, Fedra Olive Grove for their Chilli and Lemon Flavoured Olive Oil. The winning oil was awarded 87 points and Gold by the judges, who described it as “delicious and versatile in usage”.

Fedra also received 84 points and Silver for their Garlic Oil Thyme & Lemon Infused with Oregano, and 77 points and Silver for their Rosemary Oil with Fresh Rosemary.

Mild and memorable

Chief Judge Isabelle Okis said the best oils tasted were of an excellent quality this year.

“The winning oils were exciting, memorable and world-class,” she said.

The Frankland River Olive Company’s Rene Breuer was thrilled to accept two of the major awards, taking home the trophies for Best Oil of Show and Best WA Oil of Show.

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 31

News-Awards

The 2021 team of olive oil judges included, from left: Tim Martella, Chief Judge Isabelle Okis, Richard Taylor, Professor Stan Kailis and Steve Milton.

Major Awards - 2021 WA Olive Awards Best Oil of Show Jingilli/Frankland River Olive Company Picual Best WA Oil of Show Jingilli/Frankland River Olive Company Picual Best Boutique Oil of Show Tarralea Grove Barouni Best Flavoured Oil of Show Fedra Olive Grove Chill and Lemon

“The flavours were beautiful and left the palate really clean, with long lingering flavours.

“It was also a most interesting year, with so many delicate oils. Of the 85 EVOO entries, 70% were delicate to very delicate, 15% were in the medium category and 7% were classified as being robust. The unusual weather season in the west, with heavy rain halfway through the harvest season, undoubtedly caused the polyphenol levels and oil percentages to drop.

“It was also noted that 36 of the 85 EVOO entries had a Free Fatty Acid (FFA) content above the average of 0.3. This is of concern, as oils with higher FFA values will have a shorter shelf life.

“Overall, however, the quality was very high and there were so many delicious oils this year. Of the 15 Gold medal winners in the EVOO section, six had scores of 90 or above and were therefore awarded Premium Gold, while in the Flavoured Oil section 13 out of 14 oils were awarded medals.

“So congratulations to all the winners. To the Best of Show EVOO producer, congratulations on a world-class oil. And to the producers who missed out on a medal, please don’t give up. Learn from experience, and you could find yourself as a future contender for Best of Show.”

The statistics

This year’s competition received 99 entries across five classes from 44 entrants, being 85 extra virgin olive oils and 14 flavoured oil entries.

This was a 65% increase on the 60 entries from 30 producers for the 2020 competition.

32 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

Barry and Anne Sander added another trophy to Tarralea Grove’s growing cache, with their Barouni varietal awarded Best Boutique Oil of Show.

Judges awarded six Premium Gold and 11 Gold medals across all classes, accounting for almost 20% of entries, while more than 50% (51) received Silver medals. Almost 20% received Bronze medals, taking the total medal count to 87/99 - 88% of entries.

Gold medals were awarded to producers right across Western Australia’s growing regions, and also from New South Wales and Victoria.

The full list of medal winners is available in the Results Booklet on the Olives WA website: www.oliveswa.com.au/events.

New Zealand - 2021 NZ EVOO Awards

2021 Best in Show winners David and Helen Walshaw of Kapiti Olives were thrilled to receive their third Best in Show trophy.

Tauherenikau Olives/Olive2Oil owners Rod and Elaine Corlett weren’t able to make the presentation, so celebrated their Best in Class and Best Boutique wins at home with their trees.

Third time ‘Best’ for Kapiti Olives Kapiti Olives owners Helen and David Walshaw returned to the winners’ podium at this year’s New Zealand Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards, taking the coveted Best in Show trophy for the third time.

Kapiti also took the top award in 2019, and for the first time in 2010, and have been consistent medal and trophy winners in the competition for the past 18 years.

Major winners

Kapiti took Gold and Best in Class - Commercial Medium Blends before claiming the top trophy for its Frantoio Blend, which comprises predominantly Frantoio fruit along with percentages of Koroneiki, Leccino and Picual.

The Walshaw’s commercial-sized grove of 2,300 trees is located close to the Otaki River and its success at competitions both at home and abroad has helped cement the quality reputation of Kapiti EVOO. This year that is backed up by fellow Kapiti producer Totara Tunnel, whose Frantoio varietal was named Reserve Best Boutique in Show. A boutique grove of around 550 trees located on the Kapiti Coast, Totara Tunnel is one of the few olive groves in New Zealand following organic practices and all three of their entries in this year’s competition won gold medals.

The Totara Tunnel Frantoio took this year’s award for Best in Class - Boutique Medium Single Varietal, which it also won in 2019, and the company last year took the trophy for Best in Class - Boutique Mild Single Varietal for its Leccino.

The other major award winners are all Wairarapa producers, continuing the ongoing success of the region at the national competition.

The Best Boutique award was won by Tauherenikau Olives/

Olive2Oil’s blend of French Picholene and Greek Koroneiki. The grove of almost 1,300 trees is located near Greytown and owners Rod and Elaine Corlett specialise in boutique production of blended olive oils.

Martinborough producer Blue Earth Intense also won big with a blended EVOO, its Koroneiki and Manzanilla combination taking the Reserve Best in Show title for 2021. The gold-medal winnng oil was also named Best in Class - Commercial Intense Blends, building on its 2020 Best in Class – Boutique Intense Blends and 2018 Best in Class – Commercial Medium Blends trophies.

The award for Best Flavoured Oil was also won by a Wairarapa producer, The Olive Press/Pressed Gold, for its Midori No Yuzu agrumato oil. Made from fresh yuzu fruit and Frantoio EVOO, the Pressed Gold Midori No Yuzu also won Gold and Best in Class – Flavoured Citrus, along with multiple medals for other EVOOs and flavoured oils.

Other awards

Pressed Gold’s parent company The Olive Press was once again named the country’s Best Processor, a title it has held consistently since 2013.

And as an exception to this year’s Kapiti/ Wairarapa dominance, the Best Label trophy was awarded to Hawke’s Bay producer The Village Press.

Record entries

The New Zealand Olive Oil Awards celebrated its 21st edition this year, and fittingly attracted a record number of entries. The 165 entries also earned an astounding 81 gold medals, reflecting both the successful 2021 harvest and the increasing quality of production across the New Zealand industry.

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 33

New Zealand - 2021 NZ EVOO Awards

2021 Major Awards

Best in Show - Kapiti Frantoio Blend Reserve Best in Show - Blue Earth Intense Best Boutique - Tauherenikau Olives/Olive2Oil Reserve Best Boutique - Totara Tunnel Frantoio Best Flavoured - Pressed Gold Midori No Yuzu Best in Class Awards Boutique Intense Blends - Mystery Valley Leccino Blend Boutique Medium Single Varietal - Totara Tunnel Frantoio Boutique Medium Blends - Olive2Oil Boutique Intense Single Varietal - Dali Koroneiki Commercial Commercial Medium Blends - Kapiti Frantoio Blend Commercial Medium Single Varietal - Elovi/Tasman Ridge/ Three Groves Frantoio Commercial Intense Blends - Blue Earth Intense Commercial Intense Single Varietal - Loopline Olives Picual Flavoured Flavoured Citrus - Pressed Gold Midori No Yuzu Flavoured Other - Juno Olive Oil Red Chilli Blue Earth Intense owners Margaret and Mike Hanson were all smiles as they accepted the Reserve Best in Show trophy from Neil Smith from sponsor The Grove Supply Company.

2021 judge Hilary Fenemor (right) presented the Reserve Best Boutique award to Totara Tunnel owners Sally Murrey and Brent Meldrum.

The Best in Class Boutique Intense Blends award was presented by Rick Holmes from sponsor Arthur Holmes to Mystery Valley’s David Henderson.

“New Zealand has a growing reputation for producing outstanding extra virgin olive oil that can compete at the highest standard internationally,” Olives New Zealand Executive Officer Gayle Sheridan said.

“Despite challenging growing conditions with our maritime climate, our growers have adopted proactive grove management strategies that have enabled our olive oils to just get better and better every year. We were pretty excited about the 2021 harvest and it’s fantastic to have had this year’s quality recognised with a record number of gold medals awarded.”

2021 Head Judge Charlotte Connoley agreed that the quality of this year’s award entries was superb and reflects the positive progression of the New Zealand industry.

“The achievement of 81 gold medals and 72 silver medals is an

outstanding achievement for the industry,” she said.

“The overall quality of the New Zealand oils has improved immeasurably since the early days of the national competition, and the harmony and complexity of the oils entered - across both the single varietals and blends - shows the high levels of skill of those now crafting the oils.

“And it’s great to see that gold medal-winning quality is becoming the standard rather than the exception, as it may have been in the past. We certainly saw this year that the bar has been lifted across the industry as a whole.

“This may in part be due to a good season, but it’s also no doubt a result of the work of Olives New Zealand in providing support and education to growers. Their ongoing focus on improving best practice in grove management and processing practices, including optimal

34 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

New Zealand - 2021 NZ EVOO Awards

This year’s Best in Class line up.

Dali’s Ross Vintiner (left) accepted the award for Best in Class Boutique Intense from Rick Holmes from sponsor Arthur Holmes.

Tasman Bay’s Roger Armstrong accepted the award for Best in Class Commercial Medium Single Varietal from Lisa Holmes from sponsor Arthur Holmes.

harvest time, racking and optimum storage, is having a huge impact on the overall quality of production across the industry.”

The stats

The 2021 competition was judged by a panel of six experienced judges to International Olive Oil Council Panel (IOC) standards. Due to COVID lockdown restrictions at the time, judging was undertaken remotely: identical coded samples were sent to each judge, who

assessed each oil independently then ‘met’ via video conferencing for final adjudications.

There were 165 entries (compared with 128 in 2020), with 81 Gold, 72 Silver and nine Bronze Medals awarded (42 Gold, 75 Silver, 11 Bronze in 2020). Three entries received no medal, compared with nil in 2020.

The medals were awarded across all of the country’s growing regions: Wairarapa received 77, Kapiti 20, Canterbury 19, Nelson 11, Auckland nine, Hawke’s Bay six, Bay of Plenty five, Waiheke Island, Northland and Marlborough four each, and Central Otago three.

A complete list of the results is available on the Olives New Zealand website: www.olivesnz.org.nz/awards.

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 35

2021 AOA National Olive Industry Virtual Conference

Zoom Conference abuzz with information and ideas The industry was in Zoom mode again this year as the AOA 2021 National Olive Conference was run on-line for the second time. A gathering in Devonport, Tasmania had been scheduled but was postponed midyear due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions across the country.

The event followed last year’s highly successful format, running from 3-5pm each afternoon over four days from October 12-15 The timing provided the maximum opportunity for attendance by busy producers, while the online format reduced costs for both registration and travel expenses, elements which were reflected by the strong registration numbers across all sessions.

Viable and successful

AOA CEO Michael Southan said the conference continued the industry’s run of successful information-sharing events.

“While we all would have liked to get together in Devonport as planned this year, when you’re in a pandemic you have to work with a viable alternative,” he said.

“The post-event survey feedback shows us

we achieved that, with attendees very happy overall with both the format and content of the event.

“In summary: • respondents rated the presenters as very good to excellent; • respondents rated the content of the presentations as very good to excellent; • the Day 3 session, Factors Influencing Olive Yields, was rated by respondents as the most useful information for their business; • the time slot and length of presentations each day suited the majority of respondents; • most respondents found the Q&A sessions useful or very useful; • respondents were generally happy with the presentation format of recorded presentations and live Q&A; • most respondents indicated that they would attend a virtual AOA conference again and those who paid (attendance was free for all AOA members) thought it was generally good value.

“We were especially pleased with the response around future adoption of information and practices, with most of the

36 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

attendees saying that they were likely to adopt something they heard or saw during the conference in their olive business.

“Transference into action is the main aim of any information-sharing event, particularly one focussed on improving industry practices, so we reckon that alone makes the Conference a success.

“That was also backed up by the survey responses, where the majority rated the virtual conference as very good.”

Let’s get physical

Southan said that appreciation of the virtual event hasn’t dampened enthusiasm for a chance to get together physically in the future, however.

“While they’ve enjoyed the last two years’ virtual events, and gained significant learning from them, a number of the survey respondents commented that face-to-face presentations with live demonstrations was their preferred format,” Southan said.

“So it’s not surprising that most respondents said they are highly likely to attend the Conference in Devonport next year.

2021 AOA National Olive Industry Virtual Conference

“The AOA is just as keen to make that happen, and we’ve already got dates set, and bookings for the Conference venue and other key elements in place. Of course it’s all dependent on what’s happening with COVID at the time but we’re determined to get there, and get the industry together again, as soon as it’s possible.

“So we’ll continue putting plans and another great program in place for October 2022, and urge everyone to get vaccinated and get organised for a trip to Tassie.”

2021 program refresher

The four two-hour sessions covered a broad range of industry issues impacting olive producers and their businesses. Each featured expert presenters and included an interactive Q&A session - a highlight for some attendees thanks to the robust and informative discussions which ensued.

Here’s a reminder of the what and who of the 2021 program: The Big Picture: the economy, trade, export, local markets. Presenters: David Robertson, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Economic & Financial Market Outlook FY22; Anne Maree Weston, Austrade - Australian Government Support for Agrifood Exporters; Andrew Burgess and Nicolas Urbin, Cobram Estate Olives - Production and Retail Update; Richard Seymour, Mount Zero Olives Reflections on the Importance of Branding in a Covid World.

Biosecurity: Xylella, fruit fly, other threats.

Presenters: Andrew Bishop, Biosecurity Tasmania - Plant Biosecurity in Tasmania: Maintaining the Edge & Queensland Fruit Fly Response; Robert Spooner-Hart, Western Sydney University - Olive Biosecurity: Pests & Diseases not Detected in Australia; Craig Elliott, National Xylella Preparedness Program - Are you Xylella Ready?.

Factors Influencing Olive Yields: frost, biennial bearing, canopy management.

Presenters: Paul Miller, Industry consultant – session facilitator; Leandro Ravetti, Cobram Estate Olives - Biennial Bearing and Practical Approaches to Managing It; Andrew Taylor, Horticulturist, Pendleton Olive Estate - Olive Tree Pruning.

Olives and Olive Oil in Food: table olives, cooking with olives, health and wellness. Presenters: Jared Bettio, Rio Vista Olives - Young Chefs Culinary Competition; Rosa Matto – Writer, Food educator - Table Olives; Abby Dolphin/Sarah Haworth, Olive Wellness Institute - Health Benefits of Olive Products: What’s new and how you can share this information with your customers.

Event recordings

As in 2020, all of the Conference sessions were recorded and have subsequently made available for viewing on the industry’s OliveBiz website.

Usefulness of Information for your Business Poor

Average

Good

Very Good

Excellent

16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Day 1: The Big Picture

Day 2: Biosecurity

Day 3: Factors Influencing Olive Yields

Day 4: Olives & Olive Oil in our Food

Would you attend an AOA virtual conference again based on your experience this time?

No. of Responses 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 No

Highly unlikely

Not sure

Highly likely

Yes

Will you adopt anything you saw/heard in your olive business?

No. of Responses 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 No

Highly unlikely

Not sure

The recordings provide ongoing access for those who may want to refer back to the information to refresh on what they learned and also a chance to catch up on missed content, for those who may have registered but had ‘stuff happen’ and not been able to attend on the day.

Conference registrants can access the recordings in the Events section of the OliveBiz website - www.olivebiz.com.au - using the

Highly likely

Yes

passwords emailed post-event. If you didn’t receive the passwords, please contact Liz at the AOA via secretariat@australianolives. com.au.

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 37

2021 AOA National Olive Industry Virtual Conference

Sponsor support The AOA sincerely thanks the 2021 AOA National Olive Industry Virtual Conference sponsors for their generous contributions and support of the event.

Throughout the year these businesses continue to support the industry through the provision of high quality services, information and advice, playing an integral role in the ongoing improvement of olive products and the success of Australian olive businesses.

The AOA encourages all industry members to in turn support our sponsors, who helped make this year’s event happen in another COVID-challenged year.

2022 sponsor and exhibitor opportunities

A range of sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available for the 2022 event, providing promotion of your business directly to the industry.

To secure your preference early, please contact Gerri Nelligan for a prospectus at editor@olivegrower.com.au, or phone 0408 525 798.

Thanks to event sponsors: AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND

&

NATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE OLIVE INDUSTRY

The Board and Staff of the AUSTRALIAN OLIVE ASSOCIATION would like to thank our members for their ongoing support We wish you all a SAFE & MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

2021

Please note the AOA office will be closed from Monday, 13 December 2021 to Wednesday, 26 January 2022 inclusive, re-opening on Thursday, 27 January.

38 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

Olive business

Q&A: GST and olive products The AOA OliveCare® Administrator received a query from a signatory about GST and olive products. We looked into it and found the situation is not that simple - and, it appears, is not fully understood across the industry. So to provide some clarity, we delved even further into the legislation: here’s the outcome of our investigations.

Professor John Fielke, Ag-IQ/Olives 1 More Q#1: Do you know if there is a concise ruling on GST on table olives that are sold in a pack? To me it appears that if it’s a snack food it has GST. If it is an ingredient it does not.

AOA OliveCare® Administrator A: Good question. It’s the first time I have been asked this and, on checking online, I note that many olive producers are selling their table olives inclusive of GST. And it would seem that there is a lot of confusion generally on the issue. I know that Woolies have staff dedicated to constantly checking for GST compliance and seeking specific rulings on individual items.

Supermarket tax invoices should show which food items are subject to GST - usually by having an asterisk next to the item – so our team checked their invoices to see what’s being done.

One bought a major brand of EVOO at Woolworths and the invoice has no GST marked against it.

Another bought both olive oil and table olives (the latter pitted, to be precise). The receipt showed that the oil was sold GST-free, while the table olives were marked as having GST added.

However, my reading of the ATO GST Act (refer below) is that, while table olives may be consumed as a savoury snack, they have been specifically classified as a GST-free food.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) Industry Issues - Detailed Food List

This list details the GST status of major food and beverage product

lines. It includes a number of olive products, as follows: Olive oil marketed for culinary purposes GST-free Fat/oil marketed for culinary purposes. Paragraph 38-4(1)(f)* of the GST Act applies.

Olive oil spread GST-free Fat/oil marketed for culinary purposes. Paragraph 38-4(1)(f) of the GST Act applies.

Olives (black, green, kalamata, marinated, pitted, stuffed) GST-free Food for human consumption that is not of a kind specified in Schedule 1** of the GST Act. Tapenade GST-free Food for human consumption that is not of a kind specified in Schedule 1 of the GST Act. Oil cooking spray GST-free Fat/oil marketed for culinary purposes. Paragraph 38-4(1)(f) of the GST Act applies.

Oil marketed for non-culinary purposes Taxable Paragraph 38-4(1)(f) of the GST Act does not apply to an oil differentiated for a non-food use. Examples include massage oil and aromatherapy oil. *Food is defined in subsection 38-4(1) of the GST Act to include ingredients for food for human consumption. **Schedule 1 of the GST Act is a listing of food that is not GST-free (i.e. taxable)

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Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 39

Olive business

×

AUSTRALIAN EVOO

AUSTRALIAN EVOO

Australian Table Olives

Australian Table Olives

Dukkah

AUSTRALIAN EVOO

GST

GST

×

✓

GST

Australian Table Olives

Roasted Spiced Almonds

Dukkah

While edible olive products are not subject to GST, when you’re providing gift baskets or hampers including other products the issue becomes much more complicated.

Q#2: To expand the question, if the olives are placed in a gift basket of olive products are they still GST exempt?

A: Here’s where things get a bit more complicated. In short, if all items in the basket are edible olive products included in the listings above, then the answer would be yes. If the gift basket also includes olive oil massage oil, or input taxable items such as water crackers, roasted nuts or chocolate, then some GST is payable and there’s a calculation process involved.

Relevant Goods and Services Tax Rulings

With hampers/gift baskets, where a mix of GST-free and taxable individually packaged goods is packed and sold together, the items are taxed individually as a mixed supply and the following Goods and Services Tax Rulings apply: GSTR 2001/8 Goods and services tax: apportioning the consideration for a supply that includes taxable and non-taxable parts; and GSTR 2006/9 Goods and services tax: supplies (paragraphs 63 to 66).

Proposition 3: a supply may be mixed, composite or neither.

63. A supply may consist of separately identifiable taxable and non-taxable parts. In GSTR 2001/8 the Commissioner refers to this as a 'mixed supply'. *Refer below for how you work out the value of the part of a mixed supply that is a taxable supply.

64. If all of the parts in a supply have the same GST treatment, then there is no requirement to separately identify each part.

That is, if all of the parts are taxable, then apportionment of the consideration is not necessary as GST is payable on the total value of the supply. Similarly, if all of the parts are non-taxable, then no GST is payable on the supply and apportionment is not necessary. Apportionment may still be necessary in relation to the acquisition of the supply, such as where not all the parts of the supply are acquired for a creditable purpose.

65. A supply that contains a dominant part, but also includes something that is integral, ancillary or incidental to that

New OliveCare® Administrator, Michael Southan For all OliveCare® enquiries, please now contact: Michael Southan AOA CEO and OliveCare® Code of Best Practice Administrator Mobile: 0476 760 160 Email: olivecare@australianolives.com.au or ceo@australianolives.com.au

®

40 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

part is a 'composite supply', being the supply of a single thing.

66. On the other hand, a supply may simply involve something that is different to, and has a separate identity from, its parts, for example, the supply of a cake. The cake is made from ingredients such as flour, butter, sugar and eggs, but it is readily apparent that it is a cake that is supplied. There are no separately identifiable parts.

Calculating GST on a mixed supply

The New Tax System (Goods And Services Tax) Act 1999 - Sect 9.80 provides the calculation method for the value of taxable supplies that are partly GST-free or input taxed.

(1) If a supply (the actual supply) is: (a) partly a *taxable supply; and (b) partly a supply that is *GST-free or *input taxed; the value of the part of the actual supply that is a taxable supply is the proportion of the value of the actual supply that the taxable supply represents.

(2) The value of the actual supply, for the purposes of subsection (1), is as follows: *Price of the actual supply x 10 10 ÷ Taxable proportion where: "taxable proportion" is the proportion of the value of the actual supply that represents the value of the * taxable supply (expressed as a number between 0 and 1).

Simple example

So if the retail price of the mixed supply basket is $10, and the value of the items subject to GST is $5, then the value of the actual supply for taxable purposes is calculated as: ($5 - no GST payable) + ($5 – taxable @ 10% GST = $5.50) = $10.50, including $0.50 GST.

Do your homework

What’s clear is that, if you’re selling only edible olive products as listed above then GST isn’t applicable. If you’re selling any other products as well, you need to check the GST status for each of those individual products and calculate/apply accordingly. You can do this via the ATO's Detailed Food List.

And if you have a farm gate shop or café where you also provide food to consume on the premises, you’ll definitely be dealing with GST inputs – e.g. while antipasto items are GST-free an antipasto platter is taxable, even if it contains the same items.

So again, check the list and if you’re still unsure, contact the ATO and ask for clarification.

More information: www.ato.gov.au/law; www.classic.austlii.edu.au.

Olive business

Digital marketing: big opportunities for small business Lauren Hamilton, Digital Narrative

How to use video to boost your social media Social media use has sky-rocketed within the past few years, in part thanks to the continued lockdowns caused by the COVID19 pandemic around the world.

With millions of us stuck at home, many people turn to social media for amusement, their daily news, and for a way to connect to the broader world. And video content above text, still images and all other formats - is the king of content.

Short and sweet

Tiktok dominated the news last year, with global use of the platform increasing nearly 36% from December 2019 to July of 2020.

This alerted social media giants like Instagram to how much people like that short video format, leading to the Facebook-owned mega-platform bringing out similar features with its Reels concept.

But wait. We’ve been able to post videos to Facebook and Instagram for ages, right?

Yes. But Reels has exploded the popularity of shorter, snappier, more amusing videos beyond all expectations. People love it: a lot of videos are going viral (with astounding numbers of views) and engagement has shot through the roof.

There’s no doubt, the short video format is here to stay!

Simple, effective … and viable

So, how can small and traditional businesses take advantage of this and create content their followers will love, without spending too much time and money?

Here are three suggestions for video content that is simple but effective. It would be great to create them for Instagram Reels or TikTok (because that’s where most viewers are now) but if you’d rather share videos on Facebook or YouTube, the same ideas apply. For those platforms, simply film your video on your phone as normal then edit it to the right length and add any filters or text overlays using InShot (a handy free app found on the App Store/Play Store). Then go ahead, and upload and post it to whichever platform you prefer.

Short videos are king on social media right now, and a great way for small producers to engage with their followers without spending too much time and money. Photo: Eaters Collective on Unsplash.

Note: don’t overthink it, don’t worry about it being perfect, and just remember if it turns out crap, you can delete it and try again (I tell you how below).

Three ideas for great video content

Explainer videos Explain how to do something, how something is produced or grown, or some other interesting element of your business that people have previously shown curiosity about. Examples could be: • How do we harvest olives without using machinery?

• Our favourite three ways to use olives in cooking, or • What’s the difference between early and late harvest olive oil?

Meet the Team videos If you have more than two or three people working for your business, write a list of three questions and film each team member answering them. The best questions will be related to your business, such as: • Which of our products is your favourite?

• What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever drizzled olive oil over?

• How many days a week do you eat olives?

Behind the Scenes videos People are genuinely interested in the

processes behind their favourite artisan products.

Filming a team member preparing a product or performing some other intriguing element of their jobs is fascinating to people that love your brand. Even more so if it's that repetitive, hypnotic appeal of a process occurring over and over, which individuals tend to like.

How to create Reels

You don’t need fancy equipment, only a good smartphone and the time to watch one of many quick Reels tutorials you'll find online. They explain the best way to film, filter, add music and edit your videos easily.

Simply plan and practice roughly what you’re going to say (you have 60 seconds max), go outside or somewhere with good light and a nice background, then use the steps in the tutorial video to film and post a simple little video to Reels.

There is a box to tick if you want to share a preview of your Reels video onto your normal Instagram feed, and a spot to write a short caption and a title for your video. Use both of these, ensuring you include keywords and hashtags.

And that’s it! You’re ready to rock and ‘Reel’...

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 41

Olive business

®

Best Practice Series Peter McFarlane, AOA OliveCare® Administrator

The OliveCare® program is all about helping olive producers achieve quality. With that aim, the Best Practice Series of articles discusses how to increase the yield of premium EVOO through best practice management strategies from the grove to the consumer.

Labelling flavoured olive oil Despite much column space being devoted to this topic over several years, a scan of the 2021 AIOA exhibits reveals many producers of flavoured olive oils (both agrumato/co-processed method and infused olive oil), can’t get the terminology right. When it comes to labels, this creates potential confusion for consumers and compromises our industry’s strong ‘truth in labelling’ stance. Here’s a breakdown on ensuring your labels are compliant with industry practices and standards.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

By definition EVOO is the highest quality natural olive oil, obtained solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions, including thermal conditions, that do not lead to alterations in the oil, and which has not undergone any treatment other than washing, crushing, malaxing, decantation, pressing, centrifugation, and filtration.

Note: Apart from processing aids (talc and enzymes) absolutely nothing other than olives can be used in the process or added to the final product, including any flavourings.

Agrumato method olive oil

Traditional Italian agrumato/co-processed method olive oil is made by crushing fresh olives with citrus fruits or fresh herbs and/or vegetables such as basil, oregano, and garlic, onions and shallots.

These days the range of flavouring substances has been extended and now includes ingredients as varied as chilli, truffle, ginger, vanilla bean, Indian spices, lemon myrtle, rosemary and dill.

Note: Because substances other than olives are used, this process does NOT result in the production of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).

Labelling example: Lemon agrumato olive oil

Lemon agrumato olive oil is made by crushing fresh olives with fresh lemons.

Front label would read: ‘Lemon agrumato olive oil” or ‘Lemon pressed olive oil’ or ‘Lemon agrumato citrus press olive oil’ NOT: ‘Lemon agrumato extra virgin olive oil’ or ‘Lemon pressed extra virgin olive oil’ Back label - Ingredients: ‘100% Lemon agrumato olive oil’ or ‘Australian olives co-processed with Australian lemons’ NOT: ‘Olives and lemons’, or ‘Extra virgin olive oil + naturally infused lemons’ or ‘100% Australian extra virgin olive oil and cold pressed lemon oil’.

At right is an example of an OliveCare® compliant label for an agrumato product:

Flavour infused olive oils

Flavour infused olive oils are typically made by mixing EVOO and a flavouring essence.

Note: Because substances other than olives are used, this process does NOT result in a final product which is extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).

42 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

Labelling example: Flavour infused olive oils

‘Lemon infused olive oil’ is made by mixing a small amount (typically 1%) of lemon essence with a base olive oil, in Australia typically of EVOO classification.

Front label would read: ‘Lemon infused olive oil’ or ‘Lemon infused olive oil made with Australian EVOO’ NOT: ‘Australian extra virgin olive oil - lemon’ or ‘Lemon flavoured extra virgin olive oil’.

Olive business Back label - Ingredients: ‘99% Australian extra virgin olive oil, 1% lemon essence’.

NOT: ‘Olives and lemons’, or ‘100% extra virgin olive oil + lemons’.

The following is an example of an OliveCare® compliant label for an infused olive oil product:

Step-by-step labelling assistance

To help ensure Australian label integrity, the AOA has produced a comprehensive step-by-step guide to the labelling of flavoured olive oils.

The document is available as a downloadable pdf from the Members’ Lounge of the AOA website - www.australianolives.com.au under Labelling Information, where you’ll also find other information to assist olive producers and marketers in complying with government regulations and industry labelling requirements.

Further information on making and labelling flavoured olive oils can be found in the OliveCare® Members Area of the AOA website.

Not an AOA/OliveCare® member?

® Membership of the national industry body, the Australian Olive Association (AOA), and the OliveCare® Code of Best Practice program provide a wealth of benefits, including access to the information outlined above and more, covering a broad range of industry-relevant topics.

AOA members are entitled to discounted rates on event registrations and Australian International Olive Awards entries, while OliveCare® signatories can access assistance with queries on grove management, production, storage and other quality parameters.

Find out more and apply to join at the AOA website www.australianolives.com.au.

Beating biennial bearing: we need your input!

It’s one of the biggest issues our industry faces, so the AOA is taking an in-depth look at the effect of various practices and circumstances on biennial bearing.

One significant area of interest is the effect of fruit left on trees on the following year’s flowering, and therefore crop level.

We need to gather a picture of the level of flowering on trees across Australia this year compared to last year, and grower experience is undoubtedly the best place to

start, so we’re hoping all our Olivegrower readers will help and send us your information. We’re particularly keen to hear from those who didn’t harvest, or only removed part of their crop.

Please let us know: • Is flowering the same, better or worse than last year, or than you usually experience?

• Did you have a (comparatively) large, medium or small harvest in 2021?

• Was any fruit not harvested in your grove/s?

• What varieties do you have, and did the above factors differ between them for the 2021 harvest?

Please email your information to AOA Administration Manager Liz Bouzoudis at admin@australianolives.com.au.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 43

Olive business

50%

50%

50%

50%

Without an optimiser, a partially shaded panel brings down the output of all other panels

50%

100%

100%

100%

Optimisers reduce this issue and allow panels to act independently FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSE ONLY

The changing face of commercial solar If you’re a savvy olive grower looking to cut costs and better your bottom line, you will no doubt have looked into solar energy.

But like so many tech-driven, high demand industries, solar has continued to change and adapt at a record pace. So what you may have considered only five years ago may be a relic in comparison to the options you have today.

There are four key drivers allowing solar to be more viable for businesses than ever before: 1. A competitive market separates the good from the bad.

As a result of commercial solar energy’s growing popularity, we have seen more solar manufacturers come to the party, offering a range of budget to premium options.

But like all machinery and appliances, you get what you pay for. And while cheaper components are available, and may knock a few hundred dollars off your system, the past five years has proven where the real quality lies.

A commercial solar system is designed to last 20-25 years, making it a long game investment when it comes to saving significant money on your energy bills. So rather than see your low quality system failing within a few year, it’s worth ensuring you’re investing in the right brands for a

positive return on that investment.

According to the Sunny Side Up report from the Consumer Action Law Centre, close to 700 solar companies have gone out of business since 2011. This leaves around 650,000 Australians with no ongoing support, and no assistance or recourse if their systems fail.

2. Technology solutions for maximum output.

Like all fast-growing tech, solar panel output had some issues in the past, which have been resolved with clever and increasingly affordable options. One critical advancement is optimisers.

Optimisers allow your solar panel system to overcome previously common issues with underperforming cells or panels.

Once, a panel in a semi-shaded spot would compromise the output of the entire system, whereas now Panel Level Optimisers (PLO) effectively reduce this block. Solar panel optimisation means your new system can work harder and more effectively, pushing up output and potentially cutting your costs even further.

3. Government support is at hand.

Investing in green, clean solar energy has gained support from the government for some time, and recent initiatives have made solar even more affordable. Currently the

44 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

Australian government’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) offers two types of Technology Certificates, which act as a rebate on a solar system for an immediate discount.

With this is the Instant Asset Tax Write Off (IATWO) scheme, adding further affordability to solar not seen five years ago.

The IATWO allows businesses to write-off the full cost of a commercial solar system installed and operating by June 2022 (recently extended to June 2023).

4. Affordability in the face of rising electricity costs.

As solar prices have dropped, electricity costs have climbed - and at an alarming rate. Like most volatile markets, there are moments of relief - like the recent drop in the price of wholesale electricity during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic - but the trend is unrelentingly upwards.

In contrast, the cost of commercial solar has lowered dramatically in the last five years thanks to a more competitive market, technology updates and manufacturing innovation. When coupled with current government incentives, this is seeing businesses across Australia turning to solar as a feasible investment to dramatically decrease operating costs.

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Sa tur 15- day & 16 Oc Sund tob ay er

N AT I O N A L

OLIVE INDUSTRY conference & exhibition Combine your 2022 holiday with the annual industry conference

Paranaple Convention Centre, Devonport Tasmania

SAVE THE DATES Friday 14 October • •

Optional Full Day Field Tour Australian International Olive Awards Presentation Dinner

Saturday 15 October • •

Full Day - Plenary Sessions Conference Dinner

Sunday 16 October •

Full Day - Plenary Sessions

DELEGATE FEEDBACK “Your speakers were excellent overall, high calibre, articulate and willing to share. Impressive. The field tour was inspirational, great opportunity for networking and meeting like minded people & learning.”

“Lots of thought has gone into the program and venue and catering - well done to all involved.”

Program and full details TBC.

www.nationaloliveconference.com.au The 2022 National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition is facilitated by the Australian Olive Association, partially funded

by Hort Innovation using the olive R&D levy, with in-kind support from Australian Olive Association and funding from the Australian Government. The event is also supported by the Tasmanian Government and a range of industry sponsors and exhibitors.

Olive business

®

Best Practice Series Peter McFarlane, AOA OliveCare® Administrator

The OliveCare® program is all about helping olive producers achieve quality. With that aim, the Best Practice Series of articles discusses how to increase the yield of premium EVOO through best practice management strategies from the grove to the consumer.

ABC of nutrition information panels New season’s products mean new or updated labels, and the opportunity to ensure that yours have all the correct and appropriate information for consumers. Elements like variety, region and flavour intensity are useful; harvest and best before dates are necessary as proof of quality and freshness; and an accurate nutrition information panel (NIP) is a legal requirement for any packaged product. To help make sure you get yours right, here’s an overview of the Food Standards requirements and a step-by-step breakdown of how they relate to olive oil and table olives from (now-former) AOA OliveCare® Administrator Peter McFarlane.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand

Nutrition information panels Nutrition information panels (NIP) on food labels provide information on the average quantity of energy in kilojoules or in kilojoules and kilocalories, along with the following nutrient components: • protein • fat • saturated fat • carbohydrate • sugars • sodium A NIP must also include information about other nutrients if a claim is made. For example, if a food has a ‘good source of fibre’ claim then the amount of dietary fibre in the food must be shown in the NIP. The NIP must be presented in a standard format which shows the

46 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

average quantity per serving and per 100g, or 100mL if the product is a liquid.

Nearly all foods require a NIP, with the few exceptions including: • foods sold unpackaged • foods made and packaged at the point of sale, such as bread made and sold in a bakery • herbs, spices, packaged water, tea and coffee, as they have no significant nutritional value.

AOA OliveCare® Administrator Peter McFarlane

Olive oil product label NIPs It is customary to use per 100mL quantity for a liquid product such as olive oil, however all nutritional components will be measured g/100mL or g/serve.

The standard serving size for olive oil is 15ml, so for a 500ml package this would equate to approximately 33 serves (rounding permitted).

Editorial

FOOD LABELS

WHAT DO THEY MEAN?

1 12 11

10

2

Nutrition information panel This panel shows the average amount of energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars and sodium in a serve and in 100 g (or 100 ml) of the food. The amount of any other nutrient or substance about which a nutrition content or health claim is made must also be shown (e.g. the amount of calcium must be shown if a claim about calcium is made).

3

Nutrition and health claims Nutrition content claims are claims about the content of certain nutrients or substances in a food, (e.g. ‘contains calcium’). Health claims refer to a relationship between a food and health.

There are rules for when nutrition content or health claims are made on food labels.

Percentage labelling Food labels must show the percentage of the key or characterising ingredients or components in the food. This allows similar foods to be compared.

The characterising ingredient for this strawberry yoghurt is strawberry and the ingredient list states that it contains 7% strawberries.

Food identification To help identify a food, food labels must show: • the name of the food • the name and business address in Australia or New Zealand of the supplier of the food • the lot identification of the food.

The name or description of the food must reflect its true nature (e.g. strawberry yoghurt must contain strawberries). If the yoghurt contained strawberry flavouring rather than real fruit, then the name would need to indicate that it is strawberry-flavoured yoghurt.

Country of origin

7 6

Legibility requirements

9

Any labelling requirements must be in English, be legible and prominent so as to contrast distinctly with the background on the label.

5 6

5 Australia and New Zealand have different country of origin labelling requirements.

In Australia, the country of origin of packaged and some unpackaged foods must be stated on the label.

Read more about country of origin labelling on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website at www.accc.gov.au In New Zealand, country of origin labelling is required on wine only. Further information is available on the Ministry for Primary Industries website at www.mpi.govt.nz

4

9

8

Directions for use and storage

8

Where specific storage conditions are required for a food to keep until its best-before or use-by date, those conditions must be included on the label.

If the food must be used in accordance with certain directions for health or safety reasons, those directions must be included on the label.

Information for people with food allergies or intolerances Some food ingredients and substances can cause severe allergic reactions and must be declared when present in a food.

These ingredients are peanuts, tree nuts (e.g. cashews, almonds, and walnuts), crustacea, fish, milk, eggs, sesame, soybeans, wheat and lupin.

Sulphites (if added at 10 mg or more per kg of food) and cereals containing gluten (e.g. wheat, oats, barley, rye and spelt) also need to be declared.

Date marking Foods that should be eaten before a certain date for health or safety reasons must be labelled with a use–by date.

Otherwise a best–before date is required if the food has a shelf life of less than two years. Although it may be safe to eat a food after its best–before date, it may have lost quality and some nutritional value.

Ingredient list Ingredients must be listed in descending order (by ingoing weight).

So if an ingredient is listed near the start of the list, then the food contains more of this ingredient than others lower down the list.

Labels must tell the truth Under Australian and New Zealand consumer laws, labels must not be false, misleading or deceptive.

Suppliers must also label foods with accurate weights and measures information. The National Measurement Institute in Australia (www.measurement.gov.au) and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs in New Zealand (www.consumerprotection.govt.nz) ensure that correct weight and measurement information is used on food labels.

Food additives Food additives must be identified in the ingredient list, usually by their class name (e.g. ‘thickener’ or ‘colour’) followed by the food additive name or number. A thickener has been used in this yoghurt and it is labelled as ‘thickener (1442)’. A full list of food additive names and numbers is available from www.foodstandards.gov.au

For more information on food labelling visit www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodlabelling Or follow us on

www.facebook.com/Food.Standards

www.twitter.com/FSANZnews and

@foodstandardsanz

Disclaimer: This poster has been produced as a guide to consumers only. Industry and enforcement agencies should refer to the Food Standards Code.

© Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 47

Olive business

A typical EVOO product back label would read: Ingredients: 100% Australian extra virgin olive oil Nutrition information panel Servings per package: 33 Serving size: 15ml

Avg qty per 15ml

Avg qty per 100ml

Energy

517 kj

3,448 kj

Protein

0g

0g

Fat, total

13.7 g

91.5g

saturated

2.4 g

16.2 g

trans

0g

0g

polyunsaturated

1.8 g

12.1 g

monounsaturated

9.5 g

63.2 g

Cholesterol

0 mg

0 mg

Carbohydrate

0g

0g

sugars

0g

0g

Sodium

0 mg

0 mg

Storage instructions: Store in a cool place away from sources of heat or light, do not store in the refrigerator, use within 4 weeks of opening.

Notes: As you can see from the above chart, the fat content of olive oil is 91.5g/100ml.

It is a good idea to have your own NIP laboratory test results, as there are differences between olive oils in their fatty acid composition - for instance, mono-unsaturated fatty acids composition can range between 55g to 75g/100ml.

It is not permitted to use tablespoons as a measure of volume - the units must be g or ml.

Table olive product label NIPs It is customary to use per 100g quantity for a solid product such as table olives.

All nutritional components will be measured g/100g or g/serve.

The standard serving size for table olives is 15-20g.

For a 300g net weight package we also need to account for the brine, with the drained weight being, say, 210g. This would equate to 10 (20g) or 14 (15g) serves.

Note: one reason for using the 15g serving size is to take account of the high salt content of table olives.

More information: www.foodstandards.gov. au; AOA OliveCare® Code of Best Practice Administrator Michael Southan - olivecare@ australianolives.com.au.

A typical table olive product back label would read:

Ingredients: Australian Whole Kalamata Olives (70%), Water, Vinegar, Salt Nutrition information panel Servings per package: 14 Serving size: 15g Avg qty per 15g

Avg qty per 100g

Energy

47 kj

935 kj

Protein

0.1 g

2.0 g

Fat, total

0.8 g

16.7 g

saturated

0.1 g

1.9 g

Carbohydrate

0.35 g

7.0 g

sugars

<0.01 g

<0.1 g

Sodium

75 mg

1500 mg

Attention: Product may contain olive pits or pit fragments Storage instructions: Store in a cool dry place. Refrigerate after opening and use within 2 weeks.

48 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

Products and services

Boost natural soil ecosystem and plant growth processes Seasol Trilogy 631 is manufactured by combining three key natural extracts, each with ingredients for specific roles: • Seasol Liquid Seaweed extract for plant productivity and stress tolerance - providing an organically diverse and plant active composition; • Powerfish Liquid Fish extract for available organic nitrogen providing free amino acids; and • Liquid Organic Humate extract for available carbon - providing Humic acids and Fulvic acids.

• In combination with growing plants, Seasol Trilogy 631 supplements the soil ecosystem processes needed for plant productivity and enhanced soil fertility by: • enhancing plant and root growth - plants then pump additional root exudates (photosynthate carbon) into the soil and feed soil microbiology at the rhizosphere; • supplying the soil carbon and nitrogen cycle - with available organic nitrogen and accessible carbon; • supplying plants with amino acids - and peptides for enhanced plant growth; • enhancing Soil Organic Matter - from increased plant and microbe organic matter; • converting more sunlight - due to increased plant growth, plants produce more photosynthate, pump relatively more exudates into the soil and enhance the functioning of the overall soil ecosystem.

Re-synchronising cycles

Productive soils rely on soil ecosystem processes and the nitrogen and carbon cycles being synchronised. However, in depleted soils that are farmed intensely with limited crop diversity, the natural ecosystem processes become disconnected.

Similarly, a dependency upon inorganic fertilizer eventually results in fragmented biological, plant, soil and microbe ecosystems.

No matter what the state of your soil, Seasol Trilogy 631 can help to boost, connect and regenerate the soil processes for better agricultural productivity and longer-term soil fertility in your grove.

More information: www.seasol.com.au, or contact John Hocking on 0408 455 948 or johnhocking@seasol.com.au.

Issue 122 • December 2021 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 49

your calendar of olive events

2021 Dec

Oct

14 December AOA Office Xmas closure www.australianolives.com.au

2022

What’s on

8 October Olives NZ Conference and Awards Dinner – Wellington, NZ www.olivesnz.org.nz 14 October Field tour, 2022 AOA National Olive Conference & Exhibition – Devonport, Tasmania www.nationaloliveconference.com.au

Jan

27 January AOA Office re-opens www.australianolives.com.au

Feb

TBC February/March AOA Healthy Soils - Healthy and Productive Groves Regional Field Day Brucedale, NSW www.olivebiz.com.au

Apr

TBC April AOA Processing Workshop - Boort, Vic www.olivebiz.com.au

15-16 October 2022 AOA National Olive Conference & Exhibition – Devonport, Tasmania www.nationaloliveconference.com.au

Planning an event - virtual or physical? Let us help spread the word. Email your event details to Gerri at editor@olivegrower.com.au and we’ll add them to our industry calendar.

Advertiser index Client

Page

Client

Page

Ambello Bacteria Cultures Olive Oil Packaging Services Modern Olives Laboratory Sicma

1 5 7 10-11

Tornado Pumps & Sprayers NSW DPI Oil Testing Service

10-11 15

50

Choice Energy Australian Olive Association Braud Australia

Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2021 • Issue 122

39 45,51 52

enefit Member B

e $100 Conferenc 1.................. x n io t a r t 22 Regis ................ $ 1 x r e n in AIOA D 50 x1 .......... $1 e e F y r t n AIOA E

Membership it makes

Member $ discount

OG & P ....... $4 n x4 .......... io t ip r c s b Su .. $60 Olivebiz ....................

1 x s d e ifi s Clas

DOLLARS and SENSE!

$336 embership Annual m 5 er = $22 s 5 ha grow t discount n e v e g in o Plus ong

**El Cultivo Del Olivo Book on joining $165 RRP

So 1st year membership benefit = $494 Peak Industry Body – Advocacy and Representation – Your voice to Government ✓ Australian Standard

for Olive oil and olive pomace oil AS 5264-2011

✓ Australian

International Olive Awards

OliveCare

The

Olive Awards

®

www.internationaloliveawardsaustralia .com .au

✓ AOA National Awareness & Education Campaigns – Everyday, Fresher Tastes Better!

✓ Biosecurity

management

✓ Grower field days

✓ AOA Facebook page ✓ Tastebook program

✓ Industry AU STRAL IAN I N T E R N AT I O N A L

✓ Consumer

and reporting and seminars

✓ Code of Practice

®

✓ Market surveillance

Industry Conference & Exhibition

✓ Point of sale

marketing merchandise

✓ PHA Biosecurity Levy

communications – Olivegrower & Processor, Friday Olive Extracts, Olivebiz

✓ Registered pesticide minor use permits holder for industry

✓ Geographical AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND

& NATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE OLIVE INDUSTRY

Indication representation

✓ Codex representation ✓ Industry Risk and

Crisis Management

The Australian Olive Association is the prescribed industry body representing all olive growers, certified importers and service providers in Australia since 1995.

JOIN TODAY and take advantage of the many member benefits and services.

Email Liz at secretariat@australianolives.com.au

BRAUD 9090X OLIVE WORLD’S #1

Totally Australian Owned