Rochford Hall Champions Tasmanian quality

Rochford Hall owners Paul, Chris and Richard Lovell with their double Champion award-winning Koroneiki EVOO.

Rochford Hall owners Chris and Paul Lovell are rightly proud of the quality of Tasmanian produce, recognised as among the world’s best. Which is why they’re even more proud to have been awarded the trophy for Best Tasmanian Extra Virgin Olive Oil at the 2021 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA).

The trophy was one of two Champion awards for Rochford Hall’s Koroneiki, which also took the class trophy for Champion Medium Extra Virgin Olive Oil from a field of 84 medal-winners. The monovarietal received a judges’ score of 94/100, achieving the thirdhighest point score across all classes of the EVOO Competition.

Background

Like many boutique olive growers, the Lovells came to olives from very different backgrounds. Paul ran the family’s food wholesaling business, while Chris was a registered nurse specialising in perioperative and anaesthetic care. The business was sold and Paul now manages the Rochford Hall property along with other business commitments, while Chris still nurses on a casual basis.

Chris said they bought their six acre property at Kellevie, in southeastern Tasmania, in 2003 “as a hobby”. It was just land with a little cottage, so there were some big decisions to make as to its future.

“We had no idea what we were going to do with it but Tasmania is known for its wines, so we thought vines perhaps? We looked at a few options,” she said.

“Paul did some research and found an olive grove in the region which was really good, so we eventually decided to go with olives. It seemed like they’d do well and they’re good-looking trees, so we knew they’d lift the property visually. And we weren’t really olives and EVOO people but as we learned more about EVOO goodness, we knew it was a great idea.

“We were able to get the trees from the other grove owner, who advised on varieties which would suit the soil and for EVOO not table olives, and we planted the front grove of 240 trees in 2007. They’re mainly Koroneiki, plus some Frantoio and Arbequina as pollinators.

“Planting of the back grove followed in 2012, mainly Picual with Picholine and Arbequina pollinators, but the Picual grew too large and we eventually had to take every second tree of that grove out. So our original 500 trees is now a more manageable 325 trees.”

Early success

In 2013 the Lovells had the second “proper” harvest from their front grove, producing 48 litres of Koroneiki EVOO. They entered it into the Tasmanian Royal Agricultural Show (RAS) and won Gold - plus Champion Oil of Show. Pretty good for their first competition entry!

The 2015 harvest was another good one and they entered both of their oils into the RAS, gaining the competition’s top scores of 95 and 96 respectively. They also entered that year’s AOA-run national competition, where the Koroneiki won the trophies for Champion Delicate EVOO and Best Tasmania EVOO.

The biennial award run continued in 2017, this time with the Picual taking Champion Oil of the RAS Fine Food Awards, only faltering with the very low 2019 harvest when they “didn’t have enough to enter anything”.

2020 clean-up

The 2020 harvest was another disappointingly small yield, Chris said, prompting some big work in the grove.

“The winds wiped out pollination and we had very little rain, so there was hardly any fruit,” she said.

“So that June we removed every second tree in the back Picual grove, to allow sun in and clean up soot on the trunks. They’d just gotten too big and the lack of sunshine and airflow was affecting

the tree health. We’re getting better crops since we did that.

“Then we had so much winter rain, which cleaned the leaves and provided natural nitrogen. It was just what they needed and the 2021 crop was really good fruit.

“When we processed it you could tell it was really, really good oil too. We couldn’t believe the clarity, and knew this one had to go into the Australian International competition. Getting two champion trophies was still a fantastic surprise, though.”

Rain and regime

The Lovells believe the quality of their winning oil is partly down to nature and partly to nurture.

“The end of 2020 rains really cleaned the trees, allowing them to bud and flower well,” Chris said.

“And the timing of Paul’s natural sprays, Seasol and copper kept the trees really healthy. He measured that really well; knew when he had to do everything and did it. I’ve told him to do it all again this year!

“Other than the spray timing, it’s probably just luck - with the rain it is, obviously. But we do try and make sure the trees are clean, and the timing of the picking is also really important.”

Grove maintenance

As is ongoing grove maintenance, with a schedule created over years of practice and a grounding of good advice.

“We have a couple of retired friends who help us with work right across the property, including harvesting, pruning and generally looking after the trees,” Chris said.

“There’s a weekly schedule, including mowing once a week, and Paul sprays fertilisers at the appropriate times. We don’t do any weed spraying, though, just brush-cut under the trees. And pruning is a big job, especially with the Picual. They can get sooty so you have to make sure they’re very open - wine glass like – to keep them clean.

Purchased with only the original 1878 cottage, the Rochford Hall property now has two olive groves, Villa Rochford accommodation and a function barn.

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The good, the bad … and good advice

We asked the Lovells what they love best about being olive growers and EVOO producers, what they don’t like about it, and what advice they’d give ‘newbies’ to the industry?

“We love being able to provide a top quality, healthy product for consumers. Also that the trees are a very attractive part of our property. And at harvest we have family and friends all coming together, which is a lot of fun. “There’s nothing we don’t like about working with the olive trees. It’s not a money-making venture but the satisfaction of having a quality product far outweighs that. And being able to give our EVOO to the guests in the villa as part of their stay, that’s precious. “As for advice: from Tony and Carol, don’t plant the trees too close. Always get advice from existing growers and join your state or regional organisation. “Go to field days, look, listen and see what people do.”

“We really learned what to do through trial and error. When we started Paul did a lot of research and went to field days and Tasmanian Olive Council meetings, where he could talk to other growers.

“We also got a lot of information in the early days from Tony and Carol O’Neill – they were our mentors, and Paul would ring and ask when we had a query. They taught us a heap, and also processed our oil every year until they sold their business.

“We now get our fruit processed at Lentara Grove in Launceston. They’re really precise, clean and organised, and we wouldn’t go anywhere else.”

Value-adding

Since planting their first vines, the Lovells have added a string of value-adding elements to the Rochford Hall property, helping to support business viability in those low-season years.

“In 2016 we built the Villa Rochford accommodation. It’s natural and rustic in style, with lots of bespoke Tasmanian oak,” Chris said.

“We got enquiries about weddings, so we built a reception barn and The Scullery for caterers, and then we opened up the front olive grove and built a platform for wedding ceremonies.

“It was a big learning curve, as we had to learn how to do everything - from set up to running and handling staffing, etc - and except for during the COVID lockdowns, it’s kept us pretty busy.

“So now we do country rustic style weddings, manage the villa accommodation, I work casually – generally a lot or nothing – and look after three grandchildren, plus we look after the olive grove.”

Markets: quality not quantity

There’s also, of course, the job of selling their oil, although Chris says their very small production means this is less of an issue than for many producers.

“We’ve been marketing the two oils but with fewer trees and less fruit, this year it’s just the Koroneiki,” she said.

“Our production was 175L this year, in 2017 it was 214L and in 2016 we got our maximum of 257L. We won’t get back to that but we’d rather have less quantity and better quality.

“We do it in 250ml bottles and one litre tins, and sell quite a bit to a local restaurant, Van Bone, which focusses on regional produce. Also to a couple of local stores, but we don’t have enough product for the big IGAs.

“We also get sales by word of mouth and through our villa accommodation - guests get a small bottle as part of their booking and there is stock there for purchase. They like to be able to take something home to remind them of their holiday.” Winning formula

The Lovells said that being named Champion at the Australian International Olive Awards has given them faith in the way they run their grove and produce their oil.

“Being recognised as Champion in two categories is a big thing for a small EVOO producer,” Chris said.

“It makes us extremely proud of our little olive grove and what we’ve been able to achieve with the product; it tells us that hat we are doing is correct and we’ve perhaps got onto something that’s the right formula.

“We are also very proud to represent Tasmania and wave the flag at such an esteemed Australian/International quality competition.”

The value of competition

Chris said they also believe that quality competitions like the AIOA are vital to growers and the industry.

“I think it’s paramount because it makes you focus on what you have to do. If you got a score that’s not up to scratch, you know that perhaps you have to get a horticulturalist in to help you improve – or at least take a long, hard look at what you’re not doing well.

“I think the AOA is fantastic in the way they set the standards and the criteria for the competition. It’s an international award and it’s the benchmark for the states and all the producers.

“And the marketing benefits are absolutely amazing. At Van Bone they love being able to tell people about our awards and people are asking where they can buy the oil, so now they’re selling it as well.

“That’s why we never want to go big. It’s the smaller places where your story can be told and your product really means something, rather than just getting some random EVOO bottle off the shelf.

“Consumers hear about the awards and say ‘Oh my gosh, we’d better buy some’!”

At just three years old, granddaughter Chloe Olive Boon (with her Dad Chris Boon) is already a passionate helper in the grove.

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