29 minute read
Patience the key to Arkwright Estate’s champion Kalamata
The Arkwright Estate team with their eye-catching mobile marketing tool, the Kalamata Kruiser: (from left) Andy Young, Brian Swanson, Amanda Arkwright and Richard Arkwright.
Arkwright Estate Master Pickler Brian Swanson has spent 37 years in the olive industry, many of them honing the craft of table olive production. Last year he ticked one of his big career boxes, winning the Champion Kalamata award at the Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA). In a change of format from our usual Olivegrower Profiles, Brian tells us his own olive story and what the AIOA win means to him and the Arkwright Estate business.
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Brian Swanson
Introduction to olives
I have been involved in the olive industry since around 1985, when I stumbled across an old olive grove in McLaren Vale SA while looking for seasonal work and was offered a job handpicking Kalamata olives.
I liked the carefree lifestyle of harvest work, having previously picked oranges in Israel, tobacco in Canada and grapes in Mildura, but working in an olive grove was something special. To be able to take a fruit which is totally inedible from a tree – it tastes terrible! – and be able to transform it into something incredibly delicious I found amazing.
And olive oil – you take a look at an olive the size of a pea and then look at a jug of fresh golden fragrant olive oil, and you’re tempted just to drink the lot. But how does it happen? The transformation …
Early industry days
I was fortunate enough to begin my olive journey in the last years of the ancient mat press technique. There were only two presses in the entire region, and there were not many olive growers. People and restaurants generally didn’t use olive oil then – they didn’t know how or why. They cooked with Sunday roast fat leftovers, margarine, butter and vegetable oil.
My fondest memories of that era is the smell of slightly warmed, freshly crushed olives spread on the woven mats (still cold pressed) to separate the oil from the pomace, then pressed and put through the centrifuge. Then magic: out comes the olive oil – the aroma, the warmth, the smell, the taste - and the smiles!
Opportunity to learn
That particular olive grove was established in McLaren Vale in the 1960s by a couple of Greek mates, Emmanuel and George. Emmanuel (Giakoumis) was managing it when I turned up but suddenly retired the next year.
The new owners appointed Aussie manager Norm - but who was going to make the oil and pickle the olives? I put up my hand and said “I think I can”.
So there was much to learn. The Australian industry was still in its infancy - or dormancy - at the time. Only the Mediterranean migrant families had a handle on it, and I learned so much from Emmanuel and them. They were always so willing to share their knowledge and their culture. Brian’s Olives …
I then opened up my own store, The Olive Shop (also known as Brian’s Olives), in the main street of McLaren Vale, which I operated for 14 years. During this time I sold olives and olive related products, offered free tastings of both olives and olive oil, and also ran education and appreciation sessions.
After 14 years of running the shop I closed it down and was doing smaller scale pickling from my shed at home, supplying a small number of local retailers and restaurants. I was looking down the barrel of retirement when a lifelong family friend and his wife approached me to lament about not being able to get a hold of my olives anymore.
… then Arkwright Estate
Those friends, Richard and Amanda Arkwright, talked me right back into it a few years ago and we joined forces.
They share my passion about continuing to supply our friends and customers with world class Kalamata olives of the highest standard - and here we are today, winning an AIOA Champion of Class award!
My official title is that of Master Pickler and in 2020, Andy Young came on board as our Sales and Account Manager (as well
as delivery driver) to continue our dream of taking our olives far and wide.
Grove ‘secrets’: care, climate and soil
Our grove is located at the corner of Main South Road and Flour Mill Rd at Aldinga, right at the big Aldinga roundabout. The grove itself is around 23 years old, the trees having been planted in 1999 by Jim Tsimiklis and named in honour of his village Koroni Bay in Greece. The trees themselves look quite similar to those of neighbouring groves which are much older, however, and have been lovingly looked after since establishment.
We have approximately 2500 trees on 15 hectares. Half are Koronieki for oil production and the remainder are Kalamata for table olive production.
We are blessed to be situated in the ideal climate for olives, often described as the closest climate in Australia to that of the Mediterranean. There are coastal sea breezes in summer and moderate winters with no frost or snow, and reasonably consistent falls of rain as required.
The soil is beautiful and fertile with underlying limestone. In the early postestablishment years of the grove many tonnes of chicken manure were applied to assist in development.
We undertake a heavy prune on the trees every two or three years. When visiting a grove in Greece once I was told that after pruning you should be able to "throw your hat straight through the tree"!
Ticking medal boxes
Winning back-to-back gold medals at the Australian International Olive Awards in 2020 and 2021, and in particular being awarded the title of Champion Kalamata in 2021, has just ticked every box for us and confirmed that we are on the right track.
We are truly humbled by these awards, as we feel that they reflect exactly who we are, what we have achieved and where we want to go from here - to be the best table olives produced in Australia.
What makes our olives the best?
To answer that I would have to say obviously the geographical climate, the soil and the farming practices. But number one would be our combined passion to produce and supply the tastiest and most loved Kalamata olives in the world!
There are, however, many factors that can disrupt a good season, not all climatic or geographical. Quality control is paramount but what makes a top-class Kalamata olive is first and foremost patience. It is a slow process to achieve the best: we use the slow ferment approach, which must be monitored in a timely manner, with critical notes taken of every step as well as regular tasting and monitoring of temperature. The best things come to those who are willing to wait!
Australian International Olive Awards - Arkwright Estate Traditional Kalamata
2021 Competition • 90 points: second highest scoring table olive • Gold medal • Champion Table Olives Class 14 –
Kalamata • 2020 Competition • 87 points: third highest scoring table olive • Gold medal 2021 AIOA judges’ comments “Rich dark purple in colour. Shape and size are attractively consistent with no blemishes. Active refreshing aromas that transfer to palate. Salt present with underlying flavour that lasts well into aftertaste. Balanced acidity and salt. Refreshing and inviting with a long lingering finish. Delicious.”
‘Kruising’ the market
Since Andy came on board with us to handle sales, we have grown from supplying
Supplying the Olive Industry
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Introducing Olivemite
While product quality is undoubtedly the most important element of brand success, the Arkwright Estate team know that in a competitive retail climate, you’ve also got to get your marketing right. And one of the best ways to do that is with a signature product providing a point of difference from the rest. For Arkwright that’s Olivemite, Brian’s ‘baby’ and their highest selling product. Sales manager Andy Young said Olivemite “doesn’t have anchovies and capers, so it’s not a tapenade”. “It’s an olive spread that is way more versatile than tapenade - you can use it on pizzas, as a dip or even spread it on toast in the morning,” he said. “It’s got the consistency and texture of a luscious jam and a little goes a long way - like Vegemite, you don’t slather it on thick. It’s also one of the healthiest spreads you can eat. “Brian’s been making it for years and it’s our biggest retail seller - we sell more Olivemite than olives. We also sell it in bulk to restaurants, as it’s got such diverse uses and they get the olive flavour without having to chop. “People are increasingly getting their local stores to stock it because they love it so much, so it’s a really important part of our marketing strategy as it opens the door to our olives. “It’s also a real point of difference in the retail market. There are a few olive spreads out there but there’s nothing like Olivemite.”
Brian ‘stumbled’ into olives in the 1980s as a picker and has watched, learned and practiced his way to Master Pickler status. Brian’s quality control is meticulous, with every olive checked before pickling begins.
a small number of customers to now almost 150. Andy is on the road all day every day driving around in the Kalamata Kruiser (often mistaken for the A-Team van) and delivering to a wide range of customers – everything from cellar doors and restaurants to fruit and vegetable outlets and continental delis, as well as butcher shops and bakeries.
In addition, our delicious olives are now served on the menus of some of the most loved and awarded restaurants in and around Adelaide and SA, with a number of well-known SA culinary identities choosing to serve Arkwright Estate olives on their menu over every other olive brand.
We have also recently been contacted by some very large and influential interstate food suppliers who are keen to discuss the potential of partnering with Arkwright Estate into the future: we’re really excited about the potential of that.
Local support
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have found that many Australians have made the decision to support Aussie producers in greater numbers - more so than perhaps they may have done in the past.
They are wanting to know more about the background of the products they are purchasing and when they learn about the history of Arkwright Estate and our olives, they’re even more keen to support us. Awards open doors
Winning the Champion Kalamata award at the 2021 AIOA has opened even more doors for us and since the announcement of the winners we have been receiving more and more contact from people wanting to try our olives, and to find out where they can be purchased in their own location.
Entering our olives into the awards in both 2020 and 2021 was one of the best choices we have made and we look forward to continuing this winning relationship moving forward - there’s one more box to tick: AIOA Best Table Olive of Show!
THE LATEST UPDATES ON R&D WITHIN THE OLIVE INDUSTRY | MARCH 2022
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.
Early detection key to olive lace bug control
OLB lives on the underside of leaves out of direct sunlight, and both adults and nymphs are sap-suckers. All images courtesy Dr Vera Sergeeva.
Many olive growing areas have seen substantial rain throughout spring and summer 2021-22. While that means full dams and plenty of water for trees and fruit, the accompanying mild and often humid conditions have reportedly also resulted in a greatly increased incidence of pests and disease.
One of the most significant issues is olive lace bug (OLB), which has caused substantial tree damage and crop losses in many affected groves. While on the increase across the country, OLB is not a new pest to olive growers and we do know how to control it. So here’s a timely reminder of the basics, and a heads-up on the industry resources available to help you get on top of the crop-destroying critters in the future.
OLIVE LACE BUG, Froggattia olivinia Size: adults 3mm
Biology: an Australian native species recorded in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, SA, WA and most recently Tasmania. Adults are mottled brown. There are two to four generations per year. Spiny nymphs occur in clusters on undersides of leaves; the first generation commonly emerge from leaves in spring. Damage: all stages attack leaves with piercing mouthparts, causing yellow spotting. Black tar spots occur on undersides of leaves. Leaf drop and twig dieback may occur in severe infestations.
Natural enemies: few have been recorded; green lacewings have been observed predating on lace bug nymphs, and spiders on adults. Birds may also be predators. The native green lacewing Mallada signata is commercially available, and some growers have released it in their groves.
Leaf damage may look like tip-burn but the necrotic areas are surrounded by living tissue.
OLB management Effective control of OLB relies on early detection and early, effective use of insecticide sprays. Grove management practices also play a part in controlling outbreaks and reducing damage: be methodical: monitor your grove regularly and count numbers.
Know when they’re increasing and treat the outbreak early; if treatment is required, lace bug can be targeted by judicious use of insecticides. Several, including pyrethrum, potassium soap and horticultural spray oils, may be organically acceptable inputs and are kinder to beneficial insects;
sprays need to be targeted at young nymphal stages, so monitoring for nymphal hatch - especially the first generation in spring - is important; horticultural spray oils and some other products depend on the spray fully “wetting” the instars and insects. As they live on the underside of olive leaves, the spray equipment must be set up carefully to saturate the undersides of the leaves right across the tree;
opening up tree canopies exposes nymphs to greater likelihood of dehydration, and also allows access of sprays targeted against them.
And remember that stressed trees are more susceptible to lace bug attack, so maintaining healthy trees assists in management of this - and other - pests.
Resources available
The AOA has compiled a wealth of resources to assist with pest and disease management, all of which are available for growers 24/7 via the OliveBiz website. Most are outputs from the olive levy-funded Integrated Pest & Disease Management (IPDM) project, led by horticultural expert Dr Robert Spooner-Hart of Western Sydney University. Whether you need a refresher, or are new to your grove and the industry, they provide a comprehensive reference library of industry-specific information and management recommendations on identification and control of common olive pests and diseases.
Here’s what’s available:
IPDM project Fact Sheets: 1-2 page summaries of information on nine specific topics: Black scale, Olive lace bug, Weevils, Anthracnose,
Peacock spot, Cercospora leaf mould, Wood rot and dieback,
Exotic pests and diseases, and
Olive chemical options for key pests and diseases; IPDM Online Tutorials: nine tutorials providing up to date information on IPDM, Monitoring and Biosecurity, as well as key pests and diseases: Black scale,
Olive lace bug, Apple weevil,
Anthracnose, Peacock spot and
Cercospora leaf spot;
Videos from the Roseworthy, SA
IPDM Field Day; Olive IPDM Best Practice Manual
Field Guide to Olive Pests,
Diseases and Disorders in
Australia.
The resources listed above are outputs from the R&D project An integrated pest and disease management extension program for the olive industry (OL17001), funded by Hort Innovation using the olive industry research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Additional support for the IPDM Field Days was provided by the Australian Olive Association.
You’ll find them all on the OliveBiz website – www.olivebiz.com.au – under the Projects dropdown. There’s also more invaluable information on biosecurity best practice and monitoring for pests and diseases on pages 47-48 of this edition.
The first clue that OLB is present is pin-head sized yellow spotting on the top of the leaves, which progresses to rusty blotches.
Found something scary in your grove? Or just not sure?
Loss = opportunity
AOA CEO and OliveCare® administrator Michael Southan said that, while the losses from OLB are disappointing, he hopes that they’ll spur some growers on to do long overdue rejuvenation work on their groves. “It’s never easy when it happens but there’s generally a silver lining to a pest or disease incursion,” he said. “In this case, those who have had crop losses can use the opportunity to prune heavily and open up their trees for light and air. It’ll help with control of the lace bugs, and also provide a boost to tree health and productivity in coming years. “And for those who are not confident about pruning, the coming Riverina Healthy Soils Field Day is ideally timed: the program includes a hands-on pruning demonstration, with the chance to learn exactly how it’s done.” For full details on the Field Day, and to register, go to www. olivebiz.com.au – Events – Calendar – 2022 Soil Field Days.
Michael Southan, CEO Australian Olive Association
For many Australian olive growers the 2021 harvest was a bumper one, and some had a record crop. On a wholeof-industry basis we certainly broke the previous industry production record this year. That means better cash flow (muchneeded after the last few lean years) and also means that the levy fees growers pay will also be proportionately higher. For some that might be quite substantial, so let’s refresh on what the olive levy does and why it’s good for the industry – and for you as a grower. Why have a levy? The national olive industry levy was introduced in May 2013 to support research and development (R&D) into olive production and olive oil processing. The overall aim of that R&D is to assist growers in being more profitable. The levy system for agricultural products in Australia uses legislation to mandate collection of levy funds from growers at a set rate to support R&D projects which otherwise wouldn’t be funded. The federal levy system is supported by the federal government and the Australian taxpayer through matching funds, thereby doubling the size of the investment pool and the opportunity for valuable industry R&D. And while growers may feel they’re being hit with yet another ‘tax’, those levy funds must be spent exclusively on R&D focused on increasing their productivity and sustainability.
How is it calculated?
Olives that are produced in Australia and sold by a producer, or used by the producer in the production of other goods, will attract a levy. The levy for olives is currently $3.10/ tonne. Of that, $3.00 is allocated for R&D under the management of Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation) and $0.10 is allocated to Plant Health Australia (PHA) for biosecurity.
Increased levy monies, increased investment
Having a price per tonne means that in large production years like 2021, and with the greater value of the total crop, the size of the levy fund will increase. This is good news for the industry because it means there’ll be increased investment in R&D to assist growers to maintain production growth, which in turn is important to grow the industry. Consumption of olive oil in Australia still well exceeds production, so it’s important that the industry keep investing in R&D to increase production.
What can I see for my levy $$ The industry levy is providing substantial benefits for producers of all sizes and levels of experience. Whether you’re a boutique grower who’s just entered the industry or a seasoned producer with a commercial brand, levy R&D projects are offering invaluable information and practice guidance which you can use to improve and grow your
The OliveCare® program, the industry IPDM project and ongoing minor use permit work are all levy-funded initiatives which help ensure best practice control of pests and diseases like Anthracnose.
business. Other projects are helping to increase the demand for Australian olive oil through education on its use and benefits.
Here are just some of the projects enabled by the national levy: the national tree mapping project is providing new technology to make it easier to collect information and make management decisions; ongoing field days and webinars have enabled us to access national and international experts for presentations on olive production, harvesting, processing and storage, exploring best practice methodologies from the grove to the press and the bottle;
a comprehensive Biosecurity Plan for the Olive Industry has been developed and instigated; the Plant Health Australia allocation assists in invaluable biosecurity work, and provides a resource for the industry to access should we need to respond urgently to a biosecurity incursion; National Conferences, integral for knowledge-sharing, are supported by the levy; the work of the Olive Wellness
Institute is taking the nutritional and health benefits of olive products out to health professionals, to spread the word; chefs with an outreach program designed to educate trainee chefs on the benefits and uses of
Australian extra virgin olive oil; the industry IPDM project increased knowledge of sustainable pest and disease management practices focusing on identification and early intervention, and provided a library of resources for ongoing reference;
the OliveCare® program provides a best practice management system to assist growers to be more profitable and sustainable, along with accreditation of
EVOO for increased consumer confidence;
minor use permits ensure access to the chemicals needed to produce viable olive crops;
the industry sensory training project, TasteBook®, increased industry knowledge of the organoleptic qualities of EVOO and table olives, and the practices which affect them. If we didn’t have a levy … So you can see we’re making some great gains from our investment and it’s benefiting the entire industry. The alternative, if we didn’t have a levy, is that growers would find it much more difficult to access the information they need to help them grow and improve. The industry also wouldn’t be anywhere near as advanced as it is now in terms of production and improvements in knowledge and technology.
Want to input on levy expenditure? The olive industry Strategic Investment Advisory Panel works with Hort Innovation to ensure the best expenditure of levy funds. If you would like to be involved directly with how your levy funds are spent, put your hand up when a vacancy becomes available on the panel. Alternatively, contact Hort Innovation Olive Industry Strategic Partner Dumisani Mhlanga at dumi.
The annual AOA Processing Workshop with international expert Pablo Canamasas has resulted in confidence and quality improvements for producers at all levels of experience.
mhlanga@horticulture.com.au to register your interest.
Photo Rodrigo Krugner, USDA.
Xylella update - global and local
Australia is keeping a close eye on the situation in Europe with the ongoing Xylella fastidiosa outbreak, and the research and lessons that are coming out of their experience. The outbreak itself remains fairly stable, although the Italian incursion continues to spread further northward. There is also good news there, however, with some growers in infected areas now being allowed to replant and, hopefully over time, return to production.
In other good news, a new incursion through a nursery supply chain in Spain was successfully contained and eradicated. Widespread surveillance and testing procedures led to efficient identification of infected plants, with quarantining protocols and ongoing vigilant surveillance ensuring no spread occurred.
Preparedness planning Australia’s Xylella preparedness co-ordinator, Craig Elliott, updated industry members at the (virtual) AOA National Olive Conference in October.
He reported that our national preparedness continues, however a planned exercise to test the olive industry’s readiness was unable to proceed due to the COVID situation preventing participants travelling to the event. Craig outlined the current situation, both overseas and locally, and emphasised the importance of all growers having a biosecurity plan. That plan should cover the steps to take now to be prepared for a worst case scenario, and to minimise the risk of your grove becoming caught up in a pest or disease outbreak.
Ongoing research Craig is tapped into a number of overseas research projects looking at various aspects of Xylella, and attended (remotely, despite the awkward timezone differences) the most recent EU Conference on Xylella fastidiosa, held late last year. “There is still a lot of significant work going into understanding the genetics of Xylella,” he said. “This will guide ongoing work to find possible treatments or cures for Xylella infection, and also increase understanding of the role which vectors of Xylella play in the infection/outbreak process.
Control critical
“The experience overseas is showing that the ability to control the insect vectors of Xylella is critical to containing an outbreak and key to minimising the impact on at-risk crops. “Our research into potential local insect vectors is therefore continuing and will form a key part of our response strategy if we have Xylella arrive in Australia.”
Craig confirmed that, while Australia is free of the two main insect vectors seen overseas, the Glassy winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) and the Meadow spittlebug (Philaenus spumarius), we do have a number of other spittlebug species and other xylem-feeding insects that may be able to vector Xylella.
Infection tolerance
Of particular interest to olive growers is the ongoing research into olive cultivars that may show tolerance to Xylella infection.
One project, Searching for olives displaying resistance traits to Xylella fastidiosa subsp. Pauca ST53: experimental evidence and challenges, was presented at last year’s EU Conference. Commenced in 2015, the project has examined the ability of over 100 different olive genotypes to resist the effects of Xylella infection. It included olive cultivars from 15 different olive-growing countries, and breeding selections, and utilised both field situations where there were significant levels of Xylella present and also the intentional infection
of olive cultivars in greenhouse experiments (GH). Field trees were tested once a year and inspected for symptoms twice a year. Potted plants in the greenhouse experiment were monitored periodically to assess symptoms and host bacterial colonization.
Results
Under field conditions, symptoms usually began on the susceptible cultivars during the third year. Colonization was detected from the first year (incidence of 4-20%) and then progressed rapidly, reaching values higher than 60% for most of the selections. For a few selections, including Leccino, infections were in the range of 20%-40%. After five years, shoot dieback/ desiccations were evident on trees belonging to all genotypes under testing, with scores ranging from 1 to 2.5 (on a scale 0-5) on most. Only a few showed scores <1, including Leccino .5, Maiatica .75 and Toscanina .9. Leccino has proven to be by far the most tolerant to Xf infection and was in fact used as the ‘resistant control’ in the research project. In the greenhouse tests, symptoms of desiccations could be observed within the three years of observations on the majority of the systemicallyinfected plants, with symptoms appearing at different times postinoculation. Infection rates for the majority of the selections ranged from 50% to 89%.
Conclusion
The researchers concluded that “Overall, even if in some genotypes lower incidence of infections and longer asymptomatic periods were recorded, none displayed clear phenotypic traits of resistance (low prevalence, symptoms and bacterial population) similar to that observed in the resistant control (Leccino). “The data collected from this large screening program showed that the occurrence of genetic traits conferring resistance to Xfp may be very limited in the olive germplasm, emphasizing the need to put in place all measures to restrain and limit its further spread in olive growing areas.”
Control research
Craig said he is also watching a number of projects looking at potential biocontrols and bacteriophages, which might make the future in regard to Xf look much more promising. “There are a couple of projects looking at biopesticides, targeting the insect vectors or the Xylella bacterium,” he said.
“These apply bacteriophages or an entomopathogenic fungus - essentially good bacteria or fungi that target or parasitise the Xylella bacteria - and metabolites to protect the plant. “They are still in their very early days but they certainly show promise. I’m following them as they progress and will keep the industry posted.”
Ongoing projects Craig’s role as Xylella Co-ordinator formally finished in January 2022 but, through an ongoing role with Wine Australia, he will continue to oversee a number of Xylella-related projects. These are co-funded with Hort Innovation, using the olive industry levy fund to continue vital work with governments and researchers to build Australia’s Xylella preparedness.
Your go-to-guide for Australian horticulture industry data is out now.
The 2020/21 edition of the Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook provides the most up-to-date production, international trade, processing volumes and fresh-market distribution insights available to help you plan for the future.
The Olive Wellness Institute (OWI) is making huge gains in educating health care and food service professionals about the benefits of EVOO and olive products. The latest in a series of evaluation surveys has shown that 92% of health care professionals (HCP) and food service professionals (FSP) engaged with the OWI now believe that EVOO is highly beneficial for general health, with 87% strongly agreeing that there is a role for EVOO in the healthy daily diet and 89% saying that they were very likely to recommend/promote EVOO to their clients/customers.
The results also show a strong increase in recognition of various individual health benefits of EVOO consumption, and of olive leaf extract, along with a better understanding of the difference between ‘EVOO’ and ‘olive oil’ (OO) in terms of healthiness. EVOO is highly beneficial for general health (83% HCP, 72%
FSP) – up 18% from benchmark (BM) 78%; 87% OWIE believe that EVOO is highly beneficial for heart health (80% HCP, 57% FSP) – up 13% from
BM 77%;
84% OWIE believe that EVOO is high in antioxidants (68% HCP, 60% FSP) – up 22% from BM 69%; 61% OWIE believe that EVOO is very suitable for cooking (52%
HCP, 52% FSP) – up 15% from BM 53%;
89% OWIE are very likely to recommend/promote EVOO (82%
HCP, 65% FSP) – up 11% from BM 80%;
50% OWIE are very likely to recommend/promote OLE (48%
HCP, 39% FSP) – up 28% from
BM 39%.
Discerning the difference … The results also show that HCPs in particular are increasingly understanding the difference in health benefits between EVOO and other oils.
Only 33% of OWIEs (31% HCP, 37% FSP) now believe that OO is highly beneficial for general health - down 21% from BM 42%, with 56% (36% HCP, 35% FSP - BM n/a) strongly agreeing that “OO is not the same as EVOO as it lacks certain components important for health”. It’s also great that only 18% OWIE (14% HCP, 32% FSP) now believe that coconut oil is highly beneficial for general health - down 28% from BM 25%.
And significantly, 46% OWIE (44% HCP, 28% FSP – BM n/a) strongly agree that “Australian grown and produced EVOO is fresher and healthier for you than imported EVOO”, while a heartening 43% (26% HCP, 37% FSP) say they now “know what to look for on a bottle of EVOO to ensure it meets the Australian Standards” – up 153% from BM 17%.
Reward and inspiration OWI Healthcare Professional Education Manager Sian Armstrong said the results are a reward for the OWI team, and great news for the Australian olive industry. “We are thrilled with the results of this report, which show the OWI’s work is resonating with health care professionals and helping to increase their understanding and promotion of olive products,” she said. “It’s great to see awareness of the Olive Wellness Institute increasing, and with it the increasing awareness by healthcare professionals of our key messages - the benefits of olive products on heart health, immunity, cognition and mental health. “These encouraging results are a great reminder of the importance of the OWI’s efforts, and that they are working. And with flaxseed oil emerging as a new ‘noisy’ player in the market – an oil with terrible stability and a very short lifespan - they inspire us to continue our work into the future.”
For additional information on the report, contact the OWI team at
The research
Conducted over five waves from May 2018 to August/September 2021, the surveys are part of the levy project Educating health professionals about Australian olive products (OL17002/ OL19001). The research enables ongoing monitoring and evaluation of awareness and understanding among HCPs about the health benefits of olive products, and measures the impact of launching the OWI on key metrics. Engagement with food service professionals has also seen them as an interest segment from 2020.
Key metrics The most recent survey involved a sample of 130 participants from across Australia, 100 HCPs (GPs, dietitians/nutritionists, naturopaths and food scientists/academics) and 30 FSPs (chefs, trainee chefs, cookery students/trainers).
Highlights of the findings include: 92% of OWI engaged professionals (OWIE) believe that info@olivewellness.org.
This Olive Wellness Institute is partially funded by Hort Innovation through the project Educating Health Professionals about Australian Olive Products OL19001, using the Olive Fund R&D levy and contributions from the Australian Government.
