Michael’s Olives prescribes nature’s best medicine

Michael’s Olives’ owner and namesake Michael Johnston was ‘satisfied and quite proud’ of his 2021 AIOA results, taking Gold and the trophies for both Champion Italian EVOO and Champion Robust EVOO for his Frantoio varietal.

Michael Johnston has spent his whole life dispensing medicine. As a pharmacist, that happened behind a chemist’s counter: when he later discovered EVOO, he knew he’d found nature’s best, prescription-free medicine.

And at the 2021 Australian International Olive Awards he proved that his is among the best of nature’s best, with the Michael’s Olives Jumble Frantoio winning Gold and the trophies for both Champion Italian EVOO and Champion Robust EVOO. It also earned a judges’ score of 92/100, putting it among the top 10 scoring oils of the 2021 competition.

Background

Johnston joined the industry a little later in life, near the end of a long career as a pharmacist. Working first in London’s Chelsea district, he returned to Australia and spent the next 20 years in Alice Springs, then had his own business in the Adelaide Hills.

It was, he says, “an absolutely wonderful and important time in my life, and I realised the great satisfaction of working in country areas.” Which was a good thing, given that he then purchased a 90-acre rural property.

“We were looking for country property that was coastal, with rolling hills and sheep. That wasn’t possible in SA, so we settled on the wind-swept Willunga Hill with a fantastic view of the sea, on the Fleurieu Peninsula,” he said.

“We thought that we must do something with the land but the property is hilly and steep, and water was a problem, so vines were not an option. Then out of nowhere came olives, suggested as an alternative by Sue Sweeney from PIRSA. At that time it was trendy, so I planted olives.”

Research and planning

Johnston planted the grove in 2000, having first undertaken a dedicated period of research and planning.

“It’s on the top of the range, facing north, and divided into two blocks: one has 140 trees, the other 160 trees, with a dam in between,” he said.

“I researched suitable varieties via Michael Burr, the olive guru, and chose varieties that would suit the conditions of wind and salty sea air: Koroneiki, as they are particularly suited to the Fleurieu area and produce good oil; also Correggiolo, Manzanillo and Frantoio, and a few Kalamata for pickling.

“At this time, Charles Sturt University had a one-year correspondence

“From the beginning I had decided to produce varietal oils, copying the winemakers.”

While Johnston has been in the olive game for a while now, he started out without any background in horticulture. We asked him what advice or tips he’d like to share with other producers starting out in the industry.

“Ask questions. Don’t be frightened to ask anyone and everyone who can help with information, and who has the experience.

“Knowledge shared among growers is a wonderful way to learn, so seek out established producers and ask for advice. And interaction at field days is invaluable.

“As President of Olives SA I get a lot of phone calls from new growers – “I just bought this grove and I’ve got to prune. Where do I find someone who can help me learn what to do?”. We’re all happy to do that because that’s what Olives SA is all about.

“So ask questions AND join your local association.

“Then make use of the answers and information that you get.”

With just 300 trees and an average production of 200-250L, Johnston’s operation is pretty much a one-man show.

course on oleo culture under the Applied Science faculty. The course included two trips to Wagga for practical teaching, chemical and soil analysis, and the effects of transpiration. We visited groves, experienced pruning, witnessed processing, and learned general care of groves. It was well worth the time and effort.

Critical learning

“In subsequent years, there was critical learning input from the Olives SA field days, and interaction with other members.

“I joined the Olives SA board in 2004, as the treasurer, so I was then talking to people like (former AOA CEO and Longridge Olives owner) Lisa Rowntree and all those early gurus. You could lean on them and get information, which was just invaluable.

“And then it was conferences, field days, whatever industry events were on, just picking up tips and experiences as I could.

“For the new chums, that’s a hell of a good way to get knowledge.”

Chemical assistance

Johnston was still working as a pharmacist when his trees reached sufficient fruit production, and he said “the chemistry helped somewhat” in deciding his future brand’s direction.

“From the beginning I had decided to produce varietal oils, copying the winemakers,” he said.

“So I have three labels - Koroneiki and Corregiolo varietals, and a blend of Frantoio and Manzanilla. It seems I did well with the decision on Koroneiki in particular: it’s very good in this area, and that’s the one which has won most of the medals.”

Other awards

Michael’s Olives EVOO has also made its mark in other competitions, consistently winning accolades over nearly 20 years of production.

“The very first year I entered my oil in a competition I got a Silver,” Johnston said.

“That was way back in 2004 and I’ve won medals most years since, including a lot of Golds. I’ve also won Best Small Producer at the Royal Adelaide.

“We certainly did exceptionally well in 2021, though. We ended up with two Golds and a Silver at the Royal Adelaide, and the Gold and two Champion trophies at the Australian International. That was a great result, and a real surprise, especially since I only put in one entry.

“My main aim was always to produce the best oil possible, even though I am such a small producer, and 2021 really made me feel like I’m getting there.”

Critical quality factors

Along with great fruit, Johnston puts the quality of his oil down to two main factors: timing and processing.

“Harvest timing is critical for producing the best oil – and by that, I mean carefully choosing when to pick,” he said.

“It’s an assessment you learn over time. There are a couple of standard styles of observation, where you pick 100 olives and sort them out - ripe, unripe, half-ripe - work out the ratio, and it tells you when to go. Or you get hold of olives and squeeze: some might still be green but when you’ve got this lovely oily pulp coming out, you’re ready to go. It’s a learning process but there are some indicators you can use.

“The other critical factor is processing. It is essential to have a processor who will quickly process your fruit to reduce spoilage.”

Job title: ‘Everything’

Like most very small-scale growers, Johnston does pretty much everything himself – but said he leaves the processing side of things to the experts.

“Conferences, field days, whatever industry events were on, just picking up tips and experiences as I could. For the new chums, that’s a hell of a good way to get knowledge.”

Johnston has been widely involved in the industry across all levels, including five years as the AOA Board’s South Australian Director and eight years as President of Olives SA, and is a willing worker at industry events - e.g. manning the AOA stand at the National Conference and volunteering at NOVA grove rejuvenation field days.

Rosie and Michael Johnston have celebrated AIOA success two years in a row, having also won Gold and the trophy for Best South Australian EVOO for their Michael's Olives Koroneiki at the 2020 competition.

The pros and cons of life as an EVOO producer Every job has elements we enjoy and others that we just do to, whether we want to or not. We asked Johnston what he loves best about his life in olives, and what he really doesn’t love doing. “Getting recognition with medals of any colour makes it worthwhile. It’s a thrill that I’ve been able to follow all the instincts and beliefs, and make a good oil. “I really don’t love pruning. I’m very lazy with pruning but I know that it has to be done.”

“I look after the grove, try to prune - when I can get motivated – and organise the harvesting. We’re in a wine region, so for the last 8-10 years we’ve used a viticulture harvester,” he said.

“Then I quickly take it down the hill to Diana Olive Oil’s processing plant, and there we are. I bottle and label it, and also do the selling.”

Small and specialist

The 2021 harvest was a great one for Johnston and he ended up with nearly four tonnes of fruit and 400 litres of oil, nearly double his usual production.

“Normally we’d get a couple of hundred litres, though - 250 litres in a decent year – partly because I break them up into varietals,” he said.

“Being such a small producer, I sell to friends and family, and small, specialist outlets. There are currently just three but because I’m so small they move most of my oil for the year.”

The value of competitions

Johnston said he learned the value of competitions when he won that first Silver medal in 2004.

“I am a great believer in both state and national competitions. They demonstrate where you stand in the industry and provide acclaim which is invaluable for marketing.

“Also, a competition win is an award for effort after all the pruning, mowing, harvesting and processing.

“Winning these two Champion awards at the Australian International means that I’ve tried to be as professional as possible and I’ve been awarded by the judges who are qualified to say so. It makes me feel not only satisfied but quite proud.

“And from a business perspective, a medal certainly makes a difference to the bottle. We’re still fighting cheaper olive oil coming in from overseas, so I think medals are an important tool for retail sales in highlighting quality. In consumers’ minds, if your peers think it’s really good, then it must be.

“It also identifies where it’s grown as a good growing region, makes people take a second look at the label and note the regionality. Which is a direction we really should be moving in, in terms of getting people to buy local and just to think more about where their food is coming from.”