Olivegrower & Processor

Big guns back labelling petition

2013 March

Climate forecast Harvest outlook Consumer labelling survey Bottling, labelling & packaging

Contents

In this issue...

Incorporating Australian Olive Industry Journal Published by Ryan Media Pty Ltd

March 2013 Issue 88

News WAOC Life Membership to Ian Rowe

4

Timbercorp settlement approved

4

Flood assistance for Queensland small businesses

6

General Manager Elizabeth Bouzoudis

ASOOP members attend international Panel Supervisor Course

7

Editorial Gerri Nelligan

Olive industry profile: Jayne Bentivoglio, Bentivoglio Olives

Publisher Hartley Higgins

State of the Climate 2012

8 10

Harvesting

Advertising Chas Barter sales@olivegrower.com.au

New South Wales

Production Sandra Noke

Western Australia

17

Developing mechanical harvesting for California black ripe table olives - Pt 2

19

Subscriptions A one-year subscription (four issues) is $38.00, and includes a copy of the 2013 Australian and New Zealand Olive Industry Directory. Subscriptions commencing July 1st 2013 will receive a copy of the 2014 Australian and New Zealand Olive Industry.

Please pay by cheque or credit card to Ryan Media.

Circulation subs@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 jpg files via email or should be high-quality prints or transparencies. Please indicate if articles and pictures are to be returned.

Printing Lane Print & Post Adelaide Ryan Media Pty Ltd ABN 85 085 551 980 630 Regency Road, Broadview South Australia 5083 PO Box 1006, Prospect East South Australia 5082

14

Queensland 16

Bottling, labelling & packaging Personalised packaging targets gift market

22

Labelling survey shows still more needed to educate consumers

23

MP petitions retailers to fully adopt Australian Standard

25

Push for new EU labelling regulations

26

Italians call for anti-refilling caps

27

Packaging logistics

28

New Zealand Promotional DVD to raise NZ EVOO profile

29

Vale Sir Paul Holmes

29

Surprised by disease … some reflections

30

Business Profile How Terra Creta makes and markets olive oil – Part 2

31

Olives & health Health round-up

34

What’s on/Advertiser index

37

Olive marketplace

38

Phone +618 8369 9555 Facsimile +618 8369 9501 Website www.olivebiz.com.au ISSN 1448-5486 Conditions Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the editor/publishers; information is published in good faith and we do not accept responsibility for damage which may arise from any possible inaccuracies. All rights reserved, none of the contents may be used in any other media without prior consent of the publishers.

Published by Ryan Media Pty Ltd.

Cover: Federal MP Amanda Rishworth and food celebrity Maggie Beer at the launch of the petition calling on retailers to adopt the Australian Standard for Olive and olive pomace oils for all their products.

Issue 88 • March• Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 3

News

Gerri Nelligan

Editor

All eyes are on the skies, it seems, for those of us in horticulture. 2013 is turning out to be another challenging one for our industry, with both rain and heatwaves affecting crops

across Australia. But while some have had it bad, unfortunately, it’s looking like another decent year in WA at least.

Our annual harvest outlook will tell you more, starting in this edition with Queensland, NSW and WA. We also look at what may be on the cards for the years ahead, with a breakdown of forecasting from the State of the Climate 2012 report.

And don’t miss part 2 of the great features on mechanical harvesting research and Terra Creta. Then there’s the first in our new series of industry profiles, featuring the background and opinions of a variety of industry participants.

We hope you enjoy the read – Editor Gerri Nelligan and the OG&P team.

WAOC Life Membership to Ian Rowe Pauline North

A highlight of the 2012 WA Olive Council AGM was the bestowing of Life Membership to respected industry member Ian Rowe. The presentation was made by Mike Baker, who reminded those present of the years dedication that Ian had given the West Australian and Australian olive industries.

Mike spoke of Ian’s early involvement in the industry, commencing at the first meeting of the Australian Olive Association (AOA) in Mildura in 1995. Ian later became president of the AOA, following on from the inaugural president, Les Parsons.

Ian joined the organising committee for the 1999 AOA annual conference held in Mandurah and has been the co-ordinator for the AOA’s R&D committee, which meets every year to help the RIRDC prioritise applications received from industries and tertiary institutions for funding of projects related to the olive industry. Ian worked closely with Richard Gawell to produce the latest five-year R&D Plan for the olive industry, convened the first meeting of the WAOC on 3 July 2001, and was the organisation’s first president from July 2001 to August 2003.

Ian initiated the Perth Royal Agricultural Society EVOO competition for 2001, and has had an ongoing involvement over a number of years, including the initiation of the WAOC stand

(From left) Mike Baker, Dick Taylor, Ian Rowe and John Wholley, following Ian’s Life Membership presentation at the 2012 WAOC AGM.

at the Perth Royal Show 2001 to showcase Australian olive oils.

Ian has also been involved with the husbandry of the olive trees at Bindoon Catholic Agricultural College for many years, and has continued his involvement right through to present times.

Ian and his wife Libby will be selling their home in Perth in the New Year and moving to Sydney to be closer to their family. He will be missed greatly by the industry in WA but we are sure that he will stay in touch and contribute whenever requested.

Timbercorp settlement approved The long drawn-out saga of the collapsed Timbercorp managed investment schemes has reached a conclusion, with investors to receive a total of nearly $10 million from the sale of the company’s assets. The settlement, approved by the Supreme Court of Victoria in December, returns the 18,500 investors a fraction of the $2 billion plus they put in – less than 5%, in fact – with two major banking creditors receiving the bulk of the proceeds.

The presiding Justice approved the settlement deal because, he said, it was the best return investors were likely to get, and a better outcome than that achieved if litigation had proceeded.

Olive schemes Timbercorp’s olive schemes were sold to investors over a number of years through to 2008 and were wound up after the company’s collapse in June 2009, when it went into voluntary liquidation owing more than $900 million. The agribusiness

company also ran managed investment schemes for almonds, citrus and timber production.

Timbercorp’s olive assets at Boort and Boundary Bend were sold to Boundary Bend Limited for approximately $59.5 million in January 2010.

The wash-up The collapse of Timbercorp and subsequently fellow MIS business Great Southern led to a Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services inquiry into aspects of agribusiness managed investment schemes, undertaken in 2009. In January 2012 the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) issued a Regulation Impact Statement entitled Agribusiness managed investment schemes: Improving disclosure for retail investors, aimed at improving the quality of disclosure available to retail investors about agribusiness schemes.

4 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

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News

Flood assistance for Queensland small businesses Queensland growers affected by flooding are encouraged to check if they are eligible for government small business financial assistance to help get their business back on track.

Low interest loans Minister Jann Stuckey said small businesses could be eligible for concessional loans of up to $250,000 under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).

“The government is doing all it can to help reduce the impacts on small businesses,” Ms Stuckey said.

“I encourage all small businesses in a disaster-declared local government area directly affected by water-inundation to see if they are eligible for assistance under NDRRA. “Some businesses have not long recovered from the last flooding event in 2010-11, and now are facing the same battle again.

“Queensland small businesses are strong and resilient, but even the most resilient sometimes need a helping hand to cope with circumstances outside their control.”

An NDRRA low interest loan of up to $250,000 can assist small businesses to re-establish by covering costs such as: • repairing or replacing damaged plant and equipment • repairing or replacing buildings • supplying stock for up to one month to replace lost stock and maintain liquidity of the business • meeting carry-on requirements, including restoring or re-establishing affected areas; sustenance; essential property operations; and paying rent and rates.

The loans incur no establishment, ongoing maintenance or

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early payout fees and are now available to 21 local government areas.

Special Disaster Assistance grants Grants are also available from QRAA to assist small businesses to pay for costs arising out of direct damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Oswald and Associated Rainfall and Flooding, 21-29 January 2013.

Grants of up to $25,000 are available to assist eligible small businesses, comprising an initial grant of up to $5,000 to assist with immediate recovery and a subsequent grant of up to $20,000 to recover costs paid to repair direct flood damage.

Assistance under this scheme is not intended to compensate for loss of income and is subject to future audit.

What it covers The assistance covers the costs associated with cleaning and restoration activities including: • purchasing, hiring or leasing plant, equipment or materials to clean-up or resume business activities • clearing or disposing of debris and damaged goods • repairing buildings or essential fittings in buildings other than houses • replacing lost or damaged stock essential to resuming trading • leasing temporary premises to resume operations • engaging a person to clean or to conduct a safety inspection of premises • paying additional wages to an employee to assist with the clean-up and restoration work.

Who is eligible to apply?

Businesses located in the following local government areas are eligible to apply: Bundaberg Regional Council, Fraser Coast Regional Council, Gladstone Regional Council, Gympie Regional Council, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, North Burnett Regional Council and Southern Downs Regional Council.

To be eligible for the grant you must: • own (sole owner, partnership or private company) a small business • have been engaged in your small business, in the prescribed Tropical Cyclone Oswald and Associated Rainfall and Flooding, 21 - 29 January 2013 disaster area and have suffered direct damage as a result of the event • intend to re-establish your small business enterprise • be responsible for meeting the costs you are claiming.

• have generated more than 50% of income from the business.

How to apply?

Special Disaster Assistance Scheme application forms are available at the QRAA website: www.qraa.qld.gov.au. **To assist with your claim, ensure you keep all evidence of direct damage (photographs, quotes and/or tax invoices etc), along with receipts and/or bank statements showing payment.

For further information on the flood assistance, call QRAA on 1800 623 946 or go to: www.business.qld.gov.au and Natural Disaster Assistance or www.qraa.qld.gov.au and Financial Programs.

6 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

News

ASOOP members attend international Panel Supervisor Course Jayne Bentivoglio

Australian Sensory Olive Oil Panel (ASOOP) leader Helen Taylor and panel member Jayne Bentivoglio, along with WA olive producer Isabella Okis, spent five days in Italy in late January completing the International Olive Oil Academy’s Panel Supervisor Course.

The course agenda was expansive, with topics including statistics, intensive sensory analysis, sensory measurement, panel accreditation and defect threshold methodology.

Presenters included Professor Wenseslao Moreda, Instituto De La Grasa, CSIC, Seville, Spain; Professor Nicola Simone, Pescara, Italy; Mauro Martelossi, CEO of the International Olive Oil Academy, Italy and Marco Antonucci, director of the International Olive Oil Academy, Italy.

Presenters and attendees at the International Olive Oil Academy’s Panel Supervisor’s Course in Italy shared industry knowledge, insight and concerns during the intensive five-day program.

Among them were (from left): International Olive Oil Academy CEO Mauro Martelossi, Australian Sensory Olive Oil Panel members Jayne Bentivoglio and Helen Taylor, WA producer Isabella Okis and Prof Wenseslao Moreda of CSIC, Seville, Spain.

Learning alongside other panel members from Europe was insightful, and it was a highly valuable experience hearing that the Europeans share the same concerns with producing high quality EVOO, olive production and olive oil processing as we do here in Australia.

We were fortunate to spend a day tasting on the Lazio Panel with panel supervisor Marco Antonucci. Marco’s training on this day was an open forum training session using oils from the USA, Middle East, Spain and different regions of Italy. All the oils we tasted had been accredited by an IOC Panel and our individual comparison results were in very close proximity to the IOC accreditation results, which is what we had hoped for.

We also learned very quickly that varietal EVOO certainly tastes very different between the different regions and Northern Hemisphere countries producing them.

I cannot be more positive than to say what a fantastic learning experience this course gave us. I would recommend this course to anyone in our industry who wishes to encourage and set up an olive oil tasting panel in their region.

For more information on International Olive Oil Academy courses go to www.oliveoilagency.org.

Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 7

News

State of the Climate 2012 State of the Climate 2012, released last March, was the second paper of its kind produced by CSIRO and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. It provides a summary of observations of Australia’s climate and analysis of the factors that influence it, along with forecasts for future climate trends and extreme weather events, which provide invaluable information for agricultural planning purposes.

The previous State of the Climate, released in March 2010, highlighted a multi-decadal warming trend over Australia’s land and oceans, an increase in record hot days and decrease in record cold days across the country, a decrease in rainfall in southwest and southeast Australia, an increase in global sea level, and increases in global greenhouse gas concentrations.

State of the Climate 2012 provides an updated summary of long-term climate trends. It notes that the long-term warming trend has not changed, with each decade having been warmer than the previous decade since the 1950s. The warming trends observed around Australia are consistent with global-scale warming that has been measured during recent decades, despite 2010 and 2011 being the coolest years recorded in Australia since 2001. Global-average surface temperatures were the warmest on record in 2010 (slightly higher than 2005 and 1998). 2011 was the world’s 11th warmest year and the warmest year on record during a La Niña event. The world’s 13 warmest years on record have all occurred in the past 15 years.

There has been a general trend towards increased spring and summer monsoonal rainfall across Australia’s north during recent decades, and decreased late autumn and winter rainfall across southern Australia. The summary shows that the very strong La Niña event in 2010 followed by another in 2011 brought

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State of the Climate 2012 also highlights the increase in global sea level and notes sea-level rise around Australia since 1993 is greater than, or equal to, the global average. Our observations show that sea-surface temperatures around Australia have increased faster than the global average. The concentrations of long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new high in 2011. Annual growth in global fossil-fuel CO2 emissions between 2009 and 2010 was 5.9%, reversing a small decline of 1.2% recorded between 2008 and 2009 during the global financial crisis.

Future Australian temperature, rainfall and extreme weather events Australian average temperatures are projected to rise by 0.6 to 1.5°C by 2030 when compared with the climate of 1980 to 1999. The warming is projected to be in the range of 1.0 to 5.0°C by 2070 if global greenhouse gas emissions are within the range of projected future emission scenarios considered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. These changes will be felt through an increase in the number of hot days and warm nights, and a decline in cool days and cold nights.

Climate models suggest long-term drying over southern areas during winter and over southern and eastern areas during spring.

This will be superimposed on large natural variability, so wet years are likely to become less frequent and dry years more frequent. Droughts are expected to become more frequent in southern Australia; however periods of heavy rainfall are still likely to occur.

Models generally indicate an increase in rainfall near the equator globally, but the direction of projected changes to average rainfall over northern Australia is unclear as there is a lack of consensus among the models.

For Australia as a whole, an increase in the number of dry days is expected, but it is also likely that rainfall will be heavier during wet periods.

Australian average temperatures over land Australian annual-average daily mean temperatures showed little change from 1910 to 1950 but have progressively warmed since, increasing by 0.9°C from 1910 to 2011.

The average temperature during the past 10 years has been more than 0.5°C warmer than the World Meteorological Organization’s standard 1961-1990 long-term average. This increase continues the trend since the 1950s of each decade being warmer than the previous.

8 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

News

Fast Facts • climate change is continuing • warming has been measured around Australia and globally during recent decades • 2010 global temperatures were the warmest on record (slightly higher than 2005 and 1998) • Australia experienced record rainfalls and the coolest temperatures since 2001 due to a very strong La Niña event in 2010 and 2011 • concentrations of long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new high in 2011 • Australian temperatures are projected to increase in coming decades • rising CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels has affected global temperature much more than natural climate variability during the past century.

The warming trend has occurred against a backdrop of natural, year-to-year climate variability. Most notably, El Niño and La Niña events during the past century have continued to produce the hot droughts and cooler wet periods for which Australia is well known. 2010 and 2011, for example, were the coolest years recorded since 2001 due to two consecutive La Niña events.

Australian annual-average daily maximum temperatures have increased by 0.75°C since 1910, with most of the warming trend occurring since 1970. There has been an increase in the frequency of warm weather and decrease in the frequency of cold weather.

Consecutive La Niña events in the past two years, however, have kept average maximum temperatures below the long-term average – by 0.24°C in 2010 and 2011. Very few extreme hot maxima were recorded during these two years, with the exception of three heat waves in 2011 in southeast Western Australia and central South Australia in January and February, southeast Australia in August, and in northwest Western Australia in December.

Australian annual-average overnight minimum temperatures have warmed more rapidly than daytime maximum temperatures.

Minimum temperatures have warmed by more than 1.1°C since 1910 – with more than 0.8°C of that warming occurring since 1960.

The number of climate reference stations recording warm (top 10%) night-time temperatures and the frequency with which this occurs have increased since the mid 1970s. The rate of very hot (greater than 40°C) daytime temperatures has been increasing since the 1990s. The frequency of extreme (record) hot days has been more than double the frequency of extreme cold days during the past 10 years.

Key points • Each decade has been warmer than the previous decade since the 1950s.

• Australian annual-average daily maximum temperatures have increased by 0.75°C since 1910.

• Australian annual-average daily mean temperatures have increased by 0.9°C since 1910.

• Australian annual-average overnight minimum temperatures have warmed by more than 1.1°C since 1910.

• 2010 and 2011 were Australia’s coolest years recorded since 2001 due to two consecutive La Niña events.

Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 9

In profile

Jayne Bentivoglio, Bentivoglio Olives Jayne Bentivoglio has been an active part of the Australian olive industry for the past 15 years, with roles ranging from grower and processor to industry devotee. She is currently on the executive for Olives NSW and has been a member of the Australian Sensory Olive Oil Panel since 2003.

OG&P: How long have you been involved in the olive industry and what is your involvement?

JB: I have been involved in the olive Industry since 1997, which is when we bought our land at Rylstone to plant our trees. I travelled on the first olive tour in 1997 with Andrew Burgess and the Olives Australia team. We planted our first trees in 1998, which were Barnea, Correggiola, Picual, and Manzanillo.

Then with Carol L’Heureux I ran the first two AOA stands at the Sydney Royal Show. I am a past executive member of the

Mudgee Olive Association, now disbanded, and a past AOA director. I have run my Rylstone Olive Harvest Workshops from 1999-2009 and will run another one this year in August.

We planted Frantoio, Leccino, Pendolino and Coratina in 2000 and purchased two Pieralisi continuous olive oil extraction plants, and have been processing our olives and other growers’ olives in NSW since then. We are a small grower in our industry with 8,000 trees, which struggled through the drought and hopefully now will grow and crop from strength to strength.

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OG&P: What are your major markets and why?

JB: Our markets are independent grocers and delis, gourmet food stores and restaurants throughout Australia.

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OG&P: How did you become involved in the olive industry?

JB: My husband Peter and I wanted to contribute to “reducing the world’s cholesterol problem”. I guess we have seen too many young people with stroke, high blood pressure and death from heart attacks, and that brought on this goal!

OG&P: How do you see the local industry positioned in the current global market, both in terms of its importance and comparative policies/standards?

JB: I am a small grower in the big scheme of world olive oil producers and I am passionate about producing Australia’s high quality extra virgin olive oil. Whether it is under our Australian Code of Practice or inside the IOC extra virgin olive oil standards, which we need to export with, I want to produce the highest quality EVOO I can. I want other likeminded Australian olive producers to do the same, and if I can participate in some local industry projects for the good of Australian extra virgin olive oil I will.

I want to see more chefs using Australian EVOO. OG&P: What do you see as the most significant issues facing the Australian and/or New Zealand olive industries at present?

JB: It is important to see Australian EVOO and virgin olive oils expanding further into the Australian markets.

OG&P: What are the best ways to tackle those issues?

JB: I believe in lifting the industry profile of extra virgin

10 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

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                                                            ∎ 

In profile

olive oil the way the Armonia Southern Hemisphere extra virgin olive oil competition contributed to supporting and marketing our high quality EVOO in 2012. This was held in Australia and a number of growers from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa entered. Our Olive Oil Sensory Panel at Wagga Wagga judged the oils.

This competition brought chefs and growers closer together.

There was not only an EVOO oil competition but a packaging competition, judged by graphic designers and architects.

Then there was the Young Chefs and Enthusiasts competition, judged by chefs from some of Sydney’s most prestigious restaurants like Peter Gilmore from Quay and Giovanni Pilu from Pilu’s, and also Gary Meighgan from Masterchef.

This was followed by the Inaugural Young Chef’s Showcase Dinner, held in December last year. This proved to be a winner for Australian EVOO, as the Australian Southern Hemisphere EVOO finalists were used by the Chefs and Enthusiasts in their dishes for this part of the competition.

I believe the 2013 Armonia Southern Cross International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition will be even better. Let’s hope many more growers will enter this competition and also encourage applicants from their regions for the Young Chefs and Enthusiasts competition sections.

… unless small growers sell all their oil quickly they will end up with defective oil, due to the low defect value of 2.5 and this may make it harder to sell. (on the Australian Standard) The associated ‘Inner Circle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Restaurants’ group also lifts the profile of the highest quality extra virgin olive oil being produced and used by the chefs in these prestigious restaurants, and is just the start of improving and lifting the profile of Australian EVOO with Australian consumers and Australia’s other great chefs.

Whether it is under our Australian Code of Practice or inside the IOC extra virgin olive oil standards, which we need to export with, I want to produce the highest quality EVOO I can.

OG&P: Are there any things you think we’re doing particularly well or badly?

JB: I was not happy that there were no financials available prior to or at the AOA AGM in 2012.

OG&P: What are your thoughts on the new Australian olive oil standard?

JB: I think that unless small growers sell all their oil quickly they will end up with defective oil, due to the low defect value of 2.5 and this may make it harder to sell.

OG&P: What are your hopes for the industry into the future?

JB: I hope that Australian olive growers can produce the world’s high quality extra virgin olive oil and table olives. It would be great if growers could understand that even though the price of EVOO is rising slightly, everyone should be able to afford to buy health-giving EVOO and we should keep that in mind. Restaurants will not buy any EVOO if we overprice it!

OG&P: And finally, what do you see as the realistic outcomes for the industry in the near future?

JB: Solving our pest management issues and therefore improving our olive crops, so we can make more EVOO and we can supply our home markets. Bringing like-minded olive growers together and moving forward with producing high quality EVOO and olive products. I hope we can sell more of our Australian EVOO in our own Australian markets, particularly as I am a small grower, and I want to see more � chefs using Australian EVOO. www.rylstoneolivepress.com.au.

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Harvest outlook

For our annual harvest outlook,in this edition we see how 2013 is looking in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. Given the extremes and crop variations of 2012, we’ve revisited the growers we spoke with then to compare the two consecutive seasons.

New South Wales Winjana, Tamworth 2012 wasn’t a good year in Neal Mereau’s Tamworth grove, despite a promising start.

They had good spring and summer rains, and good flowering, but only half the fruit set of the previous year.

Unfortunately, 2013 is even worse.

“At least we had some fruit last year; this year there’s hardly any,” Moreau said.

“We had flowers but didn’t get much fruit set. We had a lot of frost in winter and no rain, then hot weather at flower set and they just burnt off the trees. We haven’t got any Verdale, no Sevillano and only a few Manzanillo, Frantoio and Corregiolo.”

Mereau is most disappointed at the loss of the Sevillano crop, following a first prize at the Sydney show last year.

“We might get a small amount of Frantoio table fruit but no Sevillano. And we probably won’t get enough fruit to press oil,” she said.

And harvest timing could also prove more difficult this year – again, thanks to the weather.

“We normally start at the end March with the, but this year it will probably be the end of April or early May,” she said.

“We have to do it before the frosts and we’re hoping that it doesn’t keep raining.

From November to January it’s just been hot and dry, so it’s best if we don’t get much more.”

Tamworth Rylstone Razorback

Rylstone Olive Press, Rylstone For Rylstone Olive Press, 2012 saw the largest crop they’d had in years. Flowering and fruit set were reasonable and a cool summer eventually warmed enough to ripen the fruit, although harvest was a little later than usual.

Unfortunately, however, it was a bad season for the region in general, with most growers having less or no fruit.

This year Rylestone hasn’t been as lucky, with hot dry winds at November’s flower set resulting in a disappointing fruit set right across the region.

“Everybody in the district is the same.

It’s a small crop across the board, although there are pockets where it’s okay,” Rylstone’s Helen Johnston said.

“We’ve had plenty of rain but not enough fruit for it to work on - and it didn’t come until Christmas. By that time the hot weather had got to the flowers.”

On the upside, Johnson said there have been no significant problems with pests and diseases, and ripening was tending towards the usual April harvest.

“But it doesn’t matter what happens between now and harvest, there just won’t be a lot of fruit around this year.”

Razorback Olive Grove, Razorback Like most of the state’s growers, 2012 was a low-yielding harvest for Danny Fahri, who makes green table olives and oils. Again, the weather was the culprit, with rain at flowering affecting fruit set – but at least he was pleased with the percentage and quality obtained from the oil fruit he did get.

2013, luckily, has been “a lot better”.

“Fruit set was really good, but then I lost a lot to heat waves – otherwise it would be a record year,” Farhi said.

“I lost about half, but the rest are looking really good. The rain came late but then it’s rained all of February, on and off. That’s really improved it a lot, but I hope it stops now as I’ve started picking table olives.”

Fahri has also had no disease and “just a little olive fly”, controlled early with diligent grove management.

So with another month until he harvests his oil fruit, he’s feeling confident 2013’s crop will be a very good one.

“So far so good,” he said, “and if the rain stops the quality will be excellent – in fact, both quality and volume. The Nevadillo Blanco, Frantoio and Corregiola will be the standout varietals, and we’ll make oil and table olives this year.”

“We’re just hoping for no more rain, and another month of sunshine and warmth.” }

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Harvest outlook

Queensland Edina Olives, Gin Gin Neville Smith didn’t have a commercial crop in 2012, thanks to a combination of drying north-westerlies at flower set and a wet season way above normal. It was his third year without a crop, although the last had been a good one. Most growers in the district were in the same boat and those who did have a crop harvested at the end of February-early March, very early for the region.

This year, unfortunately, is no different.

“We’ve got none – absolutely zero.

Everything’s been washed out,” Smith said.

“We’ve had our annual rainfall plus 200mm in five weeks, so it’s been too wet right from the start. There was no flower set, no nothing. We’ve even lost 50 trees in the gully where it was just too wet.”

And again, that’s the story across the region. Kolan Olive Growers Association President John Danahay has lost much of his crop to bad weather and says he doesn’t know anyone in the area with much on their trees.

“It’s all very poor,” he said.

“We had a good crop until the heavy rain storm in January when Bundaberg was flooded. We had 7” of rain in one night and a hell of a wind, and lost about 80% of our crop. And we’d had good flower and fruit set before that.

“We’ll get some but not as much as we’d like. It was too much of a shock for the trees after the long drought and they

Gin Gin Palm Tree Darlington

just dropped. We’ll harvest and make table olives but won’t bother unwrapping the machine this year; there won’t be enough to make pressing worthwhile.

“We’ll make our tapenade and table olives, so we’ll get by, but just won’t have any oil this year.”

Worendo, Darlington Rob and Sue Overell had the same experience in 2012, with no crop whatsoever thanks to an October storm.

It took all the flowers and emerging fruit – although they did count five olives one day. They were philosophical about it, as they have had good crops “from time to time”, and instead channeled their energies into the Arts in the Olives festival, a community event held annually in their grove.

They’ve been luckier this year and, while they’ve again been bullied by the weather, they do have a crop.

“It’s a little bit better than last year,” Rob said.

“Flower and fruit set were much better than last year but we’ve now lost a lot of fruit. We’ve had three weeks of rain, about 500mm, and the grove is absolutely sodden. And we were desperate for rain before that.

“The rain brought a lot of it down, and a lot of the olives left are colouring now and just dropping – there’s just too much water. So we’ll probably do a small harvest at Easter for oil, but certainly not a big one again.”

Overall said they’ve realised the summer storms and rain make the region “not great olive growing country” but that they’re happy to be looking at a “modest harvest”, if the weather does the right thing for the next month. And as that’s no given, he said they have no idea about quality at this stage.

The rain will, however, make the grove lush and green for this year’s Arts in the Olives festival – if it dries out enough to get in!

Rash Valley Olives, Palm Tree In contrast, Roger Harrison got a very good crop on his Palm Tree grove in 2012. Summer rainfall was significantly lower than the previous year, when the olives didn’t ripen at all and oil extraction was difficult. He was looking at reaping 10-tonnes of “beautifully healthy fruit”, following good flowering and fruit set, and a month of warm, dry and sunny days leading up to harvest.

This year, however, Harrison has experienced similar conditions to most

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16 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

W

Harvest outlook

other Queensland growers, with 34" of rain between late January and early March.

“And for olives you need a dry summer,” he said. “But you just put up with it and hope you get a good crop anyway.”

And it’s not looking too bad after all.

“We had good flowering and good fruit set. Just after flowering and fruit set every year, you have a look and think you haven’t had a really successful fruit set this year … but every year as they ripen and become more visible it looks not too bad after all. That’s exactly the same this year,” he said.

“It’s smaller – I reckon three-quarters of what we got last year – but that’s still good. And the quality is looking good.

I’ve seen no evidence of disease this year at all really – which is just as well, as with all thise wet I can’t get out there to spray.

“It’s proof that pruning to keep the trees nice and open is one of the most beneficial things you can do to keep disease out, rather than deal with it once you’ve got it. You stop them becoming humid little nests for fungus to grow in.”

Harrison predicted they’d start harvesting at the beginning of April, or maybe last week in March, and was hoping they’d have no more rain until then.

“A couple of ripe ones have already fallen off but we wait until we get quite a few like that before we start,“ he said.

“Until then we need fine weather so it can dry out – although the small fruit we have – Frantoio and Corregiola - tend to be a little less susceptible to water-logging.

So all up, I’d say we’re quite content.”

Western Australia Ian Wildy, Third Pillar Like the majority of Western Australian growers, Third Pillar’s Ian Wildy didn’t have it quite as hard in 2012.

Conditions in his Mumballup grove, south-west of Donnybrook, were pretty much as usual – a hot, dry summer. He had good flowering, fruit set and an averagesized crop, with lighter and heavier crops on the various varietals balancing out overall, although unseasonal heavy rain at flowering affected some other growers in the region.

In 2013, his crop is also “looking pretty good”, as is the overall forecast for the region.

“There were a couple of big hail storms around December which affected some smaller growers but generally people are expecting to have quite good crops,” Wildy said.

“Flowering and fruit set were pretty normal and pretty good, and the fruit is healthy. The weather’s been more even than last year: just hot and dry, whereas last year we did have heavy rain in January. That’s a good thing, as lower humidity means less potential disease.

We haven’t had any significant scale for quite a few years and pest-wise, only a few weavils – we just live with them and they’re not too much of a problem.”

Timing is also looking pretty much as usual.

“We don’t have any colour in the fruit yet. That will happen in the next few

Geraldton Donnybrook Mumballup

weeks probably, which is fairly normal,” Wildy said.

“The other indicator I use is when the stone goes hard, and that’s also pretty normal this year. So I’d expect to be harvesting late May-early June, give or take a week – again, pretty normal.”

And until then, Wildy wants “a bit more rain, then fine from the middle of May to early June”.

“So a normal season. What we don’t want is an early winter break,” he said.

As for quality, Wildy believes that’s more about good practices.

“Quality is more down to picking time and getting it processed quickly – fruit should be capable of producing a good oil each year,” he said.

Preston Valley Grove, Donnybrook Like most growers in the state’s south west, Mick Ryan had a pretty good 2012 crop in his Preston Valley Grove. Weather throughout the season was a little drier }

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www.pellenc.com.au Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 17

Harvest outlook

and hotter than usual, but rain through late spring and early summer meant many growers didn’t need to irrigate.

There were no major issues from pests and diseases either, and both quality and quantity were generally good across the region.

Ryan says his 2013 crop looks “pretty good, and pretty similar to last year” – but without the big storm which dropped 5-6 tonnes of fruit onto the ground.

“It’s been hot and dry, a little hotter than usual, but we had some late spring rain which helped – normally we don’t get that.

And we’ve had no big storms this year,” he said.

“Around the area it’s mixed, though.

Some say they’ve got hardly any, others have had a good to very good year – and no one can explain it. But generally it’s looking likes this will be a good year in the south-west.”

Quality is also looking good and, while there have been some reports of olive lace bug in the region, Ryan said it “widespread but seems very patchy and not a huge outbreak - mainly the odd tree or two”.

Timing is set to be mid-to-late April, which Ryan – who is also a contract harvester - says is normal for the region.

“I’ve had a couple of people gearing up

and making bookings recently, which is pretty much the same timeframe as usual.

It’s been the same for the last six or seven years – the peak might move a week but that’s it,” he said.

In the lead-up, Ryan’s hoping for an early break in the weather.

“It’s nice to get a good drop of rain in March and then time to dry out again. It’s good for the fruit, and we have a lot less problem with harvesting the trees from that.”

Chapman River Olives, Geraldton Harvest at Russell Lewis’s Chapman River Olives property, in the south-west of the state, was more than a month earlier than usual in 2012, the early ripening brought on by hotter weather from January through March. Flowering and fruit set were good, although the yield was sporadic throughout the grove – even among the branches of individual trees – and open pruning kept the local scourge of black scale away.

2013, Lewis said, is “pretty much the same again – a real mixed bag”, particularly in terms of ripening.

“We could have some ready soon,” he said.

18 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

“The odd tree with a really light load is nearly ready now – although not enough for a processing batch. By the time you’ve got 2-5 tonnes that might be a month away. So there’ll be some very early ones which will just drop on the ground.

“And it’s quite handy when you’ve got your own shaker. We can shake over 5-6 months and leave the heaviest trees until July-August.”

Flowering and fruit set this year were “not too bad” and things are generally looking good, even with the sporadic crop.

“It’s hot and windy here, so we have to hammer on the water but get by on disease better,” he said.

“And I’d much rather have a tree that’s half loaded than heavily loaded. On a lightly-loaded tree the fruit can be four times the volume compared to a heavy load, so you get more kilos per tree and better efficiency for picking and processing.”

As for quality, Lewis hopes that’s also the same as last year, when he won at both the Perth and Sydney shows.

“But we might just have got lucky,” he said.

If that’s so, we hope he is again this � year!

Mechanical harvesting

Developing mechanical harvesting for California black ripe table olives - Pt 2 Louise Ferguson, Extension Specialist, Department of Plant Sciences; and John Miles and Uriel Rosa, Professor Emeritus Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis; Sergio Castro Garcia, Asst Professor, Department of Rural Engineering, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; W.H. Krueger, E. J. Ficthner, N. O’Connell and P.M. Vossen, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisors, Glenn, Tulare and Sonoma Counties.

With Australian production increasingly moving from oil to table olives, this research provides valuable information for growers keen to ensure both a quality product and financial viability. Part 2 of this article covers the evaluation of canopy contact harvesting, and adapting and developing groves for mechanical harvesting. Our thanks go to head researcher Louise Ferguson, who shared this updated report on the seven-year project with Olivegrower readers.

Experimental evaluation of canopy contact harvester in moderate-density hedgerow Manzanillo olives: 2012 Introduction This experimental orchard was planted on 7/8/2001 with a N-S orientation at 12 x 18ft (3.7 x 5.5m), 202 trees to the acre, with a centre solid Sevillano pollinator row. The original design compared four different training methods: conventional, freetrained espalier, espalier woven between a three-wire trellis, and an espalier tied to the trellis wires. After 10 years, through 2010, there were no significant differences in yield, quality or fruit value among the training treatments. In 2011 it was converted to what we think will be the most functional canopy shape for canopy contact harvesters; a 12 x 6ft (3.7 x 1.8m) canopy skirted 3ft (.9m) from the ground. However, how to best

produce and maintain this canopy, with hand or mechanical pruning, was not known. Therefore this plot was converted to a mature maintenance pruning trial with the objective of determining the effects of hand vs mechanical on yield, fruit value, alternate bearing and harvester efficiency.

Materials and methods This two-acre plot of 12 rows was blocked into three 30-tree row replications. These rows/replications were divided into north and south halves and a hand or mechanical pruning treatment randomly assigned to each half. The control half was hand-pruned in both 2011 and 2012, while the mechanically- }

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Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 19

Mechanical harvesting

pruned half was topped at 10ft (3m) and hedged east 2ft (.6m) from trunk in 2011, and tipped at 11ft (3.3m) in 2012.

Both treatments were harvested with a prototype canopy contact harvester followed by a hand gleaning to determine final harvester efficiency; the percentage of the tree’s fruit removed by the harvester. A hand harvest control for fruit quality was simultaneously taken. Results are given below.

Results and discussion Table 1. Effects of hand pruning vs mechanical pruning on yield, adjusted price/ton and final harvester efficiency: 2011-2012.

Pruning treatment

Yield

2011 & 2012 cumulative yield

Adj price/ton

Final harvester efficiency

Tons/ acre

$/ton

%

0.8

1121

*

Hand pruned 2011 2011 value / acre 2012

($897/acre) 5.09

2-year total & (2012 value/ acre)

1004 5.89

70*

($5110/acre)

Mechanically Pruned 2011

0.4

1189

2011 value/ acre 2012

*

($476/acre) 6.65

2-year total & (2012 value/ acre)

982 7.05

77**

($6503/acre)

*Yield was so low in 2011 the harvester efficiency and mechanical harvester hand gleaning evaluations were invalid. * *Not statistically analysed: average of two replications only.

As can be seen in Table 1, the industry-wide crop failure of 2011 resulted in statistically insignificant differences between hand and mechanically-pruned trees on all parameters: yield, crop value and harvester efficiency. However, the 2012 data had one important statistically significant difference. The mechanicallypruned trees had significantly higher yields. The mechanicallypruned trees produced 1.56 more tons/acre than the hand-pruned trees. There was no statistically significant difference in the adjusted prices/ton between the hand and mechanically-pruned trees. Olives from mechanically-pruned trees were valued at $982/ton vs $1004/ton for fruit from the hand-pruned trees.

When average total tonnage is multiplied by average price/ton the mechanically-pruned trees produced higher values per acre: $6,503/acre for the mechanically-pruned trees vs $5,110/acre for the hand-pruned trees.

There is also another important difference but it is not statistically significant because there are only two replications of one pruning treatment. The canopy contact harvester averaged from 75-83% final harvest efficiency and removed an average of 77% of the olives from the mechanically-pruned trees but only 70% from the hand-pruned trees. The hand-pruned trees damaged the harvester by breaking harvesting rods so badly that the mechanical harvesting trial was halted on the hand-pruned trees; one 15-tree set broke 26 harvester rods. The adjusted value per ton of mechanically-harvested fruit, from both hand and mechanically-pruned trees, was insignificantly different from the adjusted values per ton for the hand-harvested control olives (data not shown).

The canopy contact harvester required about 1-1.5 minutes on each side of the tree or 2-3 minutes total per tree if the harvester had to work both sides of a row sequentially. If used in pairs the harvest time per tree could be reduced, with practice, to 1-2 minutes per tree. Eventually we envision two separate heads and catch frames operating simultaneously, with the operators on both sides directing the canopy contact heads and frames remotely with controllers.

Year

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Cumulative

Average annual yield

Yield

Tons/acre

Tons/ acre

Tons/ acre

Tons/acre

Tons/ acre

Tons/acre

Tons/ acre

Harvest method Mechanicallypruned

1.3

0.1

9.5b

7.9a

0.4c (H+T) 1.5b (H)

19.2 20.3

3.8 4.1

Hand-pruned control

1.5

0.2

12.4a

2.8b

2.3a

19.2

3.8

Pruning treatment

Hedged west: 6’

Hedged east: 6’

Hedged west: 6’

Hedged east 4’.

ND +1.1

ND +0.03

Topped: 12’

Topped: 12’

NSD

NSD

Significance

Topped 12’ P<0.05

P<0.05

P<0.05

0.03 NSD

NSD

Table 2: The effect of mechanical topping and hedging over a five-year period on annual yields, total cumulative yield and average annual yield. While total crop failures in 2008 and 2009 render the data from these years invalid, it is clear that the 2008 and 2009 pruning treatments had a strong effect on the return crops in 2010 and 2011. The mechanically-pruned and hand-pruned trees had no significant differences in cumulative or average annual yields over the five-year period. In 2012 half the mechanically-pruned trees rows were topped at 12ft (3.7m) and hedged on the east side 4ft (1.2m) from the trunk and half the mechanically-pruned rows were only hedged on the east side 4ft (1.2m) from the trunk. Unfortunately, due to low yield this orchard was not mechanically harvested in 2012.

20 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

Conclusions for canopy contact harvesters in hand and mechanically pruned hedgerow orchards Results thus far demonstrated mechanical topping and hedging significantly increased the efficiency of canopy contact harvesters versus hand pruned hedgerow trees.

Adapting current orchards for mechanical harvesting When developing mechanical harvesting for an established tree crop industry two kinds of orchard must be considered: the orchards the industry currently has and the orchards better suited for the harvesters being developed. Most mechanical harvesting development programs, including ours, start by attempting to develop harvesting for orchards currently planted and eventually segue into adapting current orchards and developing new orchards better suited to the developing harvesting technology. Initially we experimented

Mechanical harvesting

Figure 5: Traditional 26 x 26ft (7.9 x 7.9m) orchard converted to a hedgerow by interplanting to 13 x 26ft (3.9 x 7.9m), 139 trees/acre, and topping at 12ft (3.7m) and hedging 6ft (1.8m) from the trunk on alternate years.

When compared to hand-pruned rows the mechanically-pruned rows had slightly higher but statistically insignificant average annual yields over a four-year period 2008-2011. In 2010 the mechanicallypruned rows were harvested, with an earlier, larger version of our canopy contact harvester, with a statistically-significant 7% higher final harvester efficiency..

with big harvesters for big trees. Gradually we transitioned to a smaller experimental harvester and simultaneously began to mechanically-prune traditional orchards, decreasing the height and width and developing a more tightly spaced, hedgerow orchard.

Figure 5 shows a traditional orchard, originally spaced at 26 x 26ft (7.9 x 7.9m), interplanted to 13 x 26 (3.9 x 7.9m) at 139 trees/acre. Since 2008 we have been mechanically topping and hedging this orchard at 12ft (3.7m) and hedging alternate sides 6ft (1.8m) from the trunk. Table 2 shows the effect of this topping and hedging on annual, total cumulative and average annual yield. While the total crop failures in 2008 and 2009 render the data from these two years of suspect value, it can be clearly seen that the 2008 and 2009 pruning treatments had a strong effect on the return crops in both 2010 and 2011. The most notable point is that the mechanically-pruned and hand-pruned trees produced essentially equal cumulative and average annual yields over the five-year period. On 5 June 2012 this orchard was topped at 12ft (3.7m) and hedged on the east side 4ft (1.2m) from the trunk. In 2011 an earlier, larger iteration of the canopy contact harvester harvested the mechanically-pruned rows with a statistically 7% higher final harvester efficiency than in the hand-pruned control rows.

Developing new olive orchards for mechanical harvesting Figure 6 is the hedgerow orchard developed at Nickles Soils Laboratory by Bill Krueger, Farm Advisor Emeritus, Glenn County. This 12 x 18ft (3.7m x 5.5m), 202 trees/acre orchard, was developed in 2002 to compare yields among traditionally-trained trees and three different training methods: a traditional control, espalier, espalier woven between three wires and espalier tied to the wires. Through maturity in 2010 at eight years there were no significant differences in yield or value among the training treatments. The orchard has now been converted to two treatments, the hand vs mechanically-pruned control orchard seen in figure 6. The effects of these two pruning treatments on mechanical harvesting efficiency is given in Table 1.

Conclusions •

The past six years of olive mechanical harvesting research has successfully completed the first two steps of developing mechanical harvesting: identifying effective harvesting technologies and eliminating the limiting factors of fruit and tree damage. We have also made good progress on the final step, achieving economically efficient mechanical harvesting. By simultaneously focusing on increasing harvester efficiency through

Figure 6: Hedgerow orchard spaced at 12 x 18ft (3.7m x 5.5m), 202 trees per acre. The objective was to produce a tree that was 12ft (3.7m) tall, 6ft (1.8m) wide and skirted up to 3ft (.9m). With these dimensions and this shape it can be harvested by either a canopy contact head or trunkshaking harvester.

•

engineering modification and orchard adaptation, we have achieved an average of 77% harvester efficiency for both the trunk-shaking and canopy contact harvesters.

The trunk-shaking harvester is now a fully-commercial harvester. The canopy contact harvester technology should now be taken to the commercial industry for development of a mobile platform with a catch frame.

Summary of significant results 2006-2012: •

• • •

•

•

•

Both trunk-shaking and improved canopy contact harvesting technologies now deliver mechanicallyharvested olives that receive total adjusted prices per ton and canning percentages, and sensory and consumer evaluations of the processed fruit, equal to those of hand harvested fruit.

Canopy damage produced by the canopy contact harvester is less than 2% and less severe than that produced by hand harvesting.

Trunk damage from trunk-shakers has been mitigated but the interaction with tree water status needs to be better characterized.

Topping and hedging in a 13 x 26ft (3.9 x 7.9m) orchard, 139 trees per acre, increased average annual yields/acre by an insignificant 0.03 tons/acre from 2008 through 2012, and may decrease alternate bearing.

Hedgerow tree training at 12 x 18ft (3.7m x 5.5m), 202 trees per acre, in a newly-developed hedgerow orchard does not decrease tree yield or fruit quality relative to traditional tree training at the same spacing.

Mechanically hedging and topping significantly increased canopy contact harvester efficiency by 7% in a traditional orchard adapted to a hedgerow with mechanical topping and hedging.

Both trunk-shaking and canopy contact harvesters now � average 77% final efficiency in prepared orchards.

Project updates and more complete reports can be viewed at: http://ucanr.org/sites/mecholive and at the California Olive Committee website: http://calolive.org/category/industry/ research/.

Acknowledgements: These results and continuing trials could not have been produced without the sustained support of the California Olive Committee, the generous cooperation of Bell Carter Foods Inc, Musco Family Olive Company, Rocky Hill Ranch, Burreson Orchards, Nickles soils Labouratory, Erick Nielsen Enterprises Inc, Gold Country Hydraulics & Hose Inc and our international co-operators in Spain, Argentina and Portugal.

Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 21

Bottling, labelling & packaging

Personalised packaging targets gift market We all want to be different, right. And when it comes to gift giving, it seems differentiation is opening up a whole new market for olive oil products.

US business The Olive Oil Source has taken it all the way with its online sales boutique, offering extra virgin and flavoured olive oils in packaging individually personalised for and by each customer.

The site takes boutique customers through a simple, fivestep interactive process to create unique packaging for their favourite olive oils, which are then bottled and labelled to these specifications and shipped via mail order.

Once the product is chosen from a range of EVOOs and flavoured oils, the customer chooses the bottle it will be packaged in. Options range from 60-500ml in size, with screw or bar top and in clear or dark glass. They then choose a colour for the tamper-proof shrinkwrap seal which is placed on each bottle.

From there it gets really creative, with more than 30 label templates to choose from. Each design can be customised with a personalised message and some also have capacity for photos to be added; the customer simply uploads their image to the site.

It’s a completely flexible process, and orders can be as small as a single bottle. No wonder it’s proving a hit with consumers, providing them with the opportunity to create individualised gifts at just the touch of a button – and at little more than the cost of the average brand packaged product.

Ideal for everything from corporate gifts and Christmas lists to imaginative wedding ‘bonboniere’, the create-your-own

packaging has provided The Olive Oil Source with a massive opportunity for new and increased sales.

It’s a marketing concept that really is ‘thinking out of the square’, yet is incredibly simple and practical. And in an overcrowded marketplace like olive oil retail, it’s showing the way forward for those who want to succeed.

The Olive Oil Source produces its own oils from an organic olive orchard in the Santa Ynez valley of California, and provides information, services and olive-related products to producers, retailers and consumers via its website and boutique at: www.oliveoilsource.com.

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22 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

Bottling, labelling & packaging

Labelling survey shows still more needed to educate consumers I had no idea, so hit the supermarket aisles recently and Australia and New Zealand produce great quality olive oil, surveyed consumers directly about their practices and and have increasingly good production methods, but many preferences in regard to olive oil labelling. Here’s what I discovered: producers still can’t sell all they make or obtain high enough prices to make production viable.

Extra virgin has a fuller flavour and is darker It’s not surprising then that marketing is an increasing focus for many producers, and indeed colour than light. for the industry bodies in both countries through their respective consumer campaigns.

I have regular discussions with producers about the best way The survey to market and promote their oils, often about what to put on their I asked consumers nine questions, four requiring ‘yes’ or ‘no’ labels. Heath messages? Family company history? Technical answers only, the others individual responses. and/or chemical information? There’s only so much space Q1. Do you buy olive oil regularly? and it’s hard to know what consumers really want to read. In A pleasing outcome from this one, as 90% of participants Australia we also now have labelling regulations, which work answered yes. to ensure that labels provide information to assist consumers in Q2. Do you always buy the same brand? their choice of oils by truly knowing what they’re buying.

Only 20% answered yes (including one who has used only It’s all part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the integrity Cobram Estate for a number of years). and transparency of olive oil labelling. The recent global overQ3. Why? supply has made the situation increasingly difficult, with the The reasons were many and varied but with two recurring market flooded by an influx of poorly or fraudulently labelled themes: price and variety. On special or best value were imported oils - many at highly-subsidised, uncompetitive important, as long as they were Australian-grown and produced. prices which make them more attractive to consumers.

Many also enjoyed trying oils from different producers and We know, however, that if we stick to our principles we’ll regions, and tasting and purchasing at farmers markets was a get there eventually. We just need to keep producing our common preference – although several commented that the oils high-quality oils and label them with the information that at farmers markets were comparatively expensive. consumers need to make the right purchasing choices – that Q4. Do you read the labels on olive oil bottles? is, locally-grown EVOO. And that information, we’ve worked This was an interesting one for me, with answers almost out, is about the quality of the oil, where it was grown and/or evenly split between yes (40%), no (30%) and sometimes produced, and how long it will retain the qualities which make (30%). And the reasons given were also interesting: those who it health-promoting, flavoursome EVOO. did, or sometimes did, predominantly only checked where it So is it working? Does the information that we as an industry was from and/or that it was extra virgin. One said they only believe is important to and for consumers actually impact on read the label after purchase “for interest” and another that they their purchasing choices? “don’t read olive oil labels because it’s all olive oil”.

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Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 23

Bottling, labelling & packaging Q5. What in particular do you look for on an olive oil label?

Again, origin was the primary response here, with 80% looking for Australian or locally-produced. “Extra virgin” was important to 50% of participants, and “cold pressed” to 30%.

Only one stated specifically that it “doesn’t matter whether it’s extra virgin or whatever”.

Q6. How important is the label information in choosing your oil?

The responses here correlate, I guess, with those to Q4, with 40% saying label information was important and 60% not important. The main reason given for the latter, however, was significant: the participants said they simply didn’t know enough about olive oil to know what they should be looking for.

Q7. Is there any other information you’d like to see on olive oil labels?

Here responses were split 50:50, with half the respondents not looking for any additional information. The others were interested in knowing the origin (particularly of the fruit), flavour characteristics, health benefits and whether the product was organic. Only one was interested in information about the producer.

Key responses

% Yes

% No

Buy olive oil regularly

90

10

Buy the one brand

20

80

Read olive oil labels

40

30

Is origin important

-100

% Sometimes

30

meant. Only one mentioned age and said “it’s younger”, and none mentioned that it should be certified as such.

“Light” was believed by 30% of respondents to be lower in fat or calories, and by 30% to be lighter in flavour. Others thought it related to the colour or that it was “lightly pressed”, or simply didn’t know.

The overall response to “pure” was that the term meant very little – in fact, one believed it was “a load of nob”. A number of the participants believed, however, that the oil was less processed and/or had no additives.

The results I found the survey results fascinating, and some elements quite disturbing. Overall, I was surprised at the low level of consumer interest in olive oil label I know that light doesn’t mean it’s lighter in fat, information - I read all food labels and thought everyone did. I also found it disappointing but I’m not sure what it does actually mean. that, despite all our efforts, the participants said they simply didn’t know enough about Q8. In particular, is the origin of the oil important to you? olive oil to know what they should be looking for.

The lack of knowledge of the difference between extra virgin This was a very positive one, with 100% of respondents wanting to know the origin of the oil – and specifically that it was and cold pressed was another surprising element for me. To Australian and/or locally grown. One in particular said that they many the terms are synonymous, yet “cold pressed” is not a term I’ve seen that much in my role here at Olivegrower. Perhaps I’ve “wouldn’t buy oil from Thailand”.

Q9. What do you understand the terms “extra virgin”, just not been looking for it?

On the upside, it’s great to see that Australian and/or locally “light” and “pure” to mean in terms of olive oil?

This was truly an eye-opener. None of the participants was grown really is important to consumers. Also that many are keen confident in any of their answers, but particularly in relation to to explore oils from different producers and regions, and will the term “extra virgin”. A number said it meant first-pressed, hopefully learn more about Australian olive oils that way.

And while the results may not be ideal, they may provide cold pressed or pressed only once, others that was the least processed or more full flavoured. Several said it was better valuable information as to the direction we look to in our efforts for you and some said they simply didn’t know what the term to attract a loyal consumer following.

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24 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

Bottling, labelling & packaging

MP petitions retailers to fully adopt Australian Standard Federal Member for Kingston (SA) Amanda Rishworth MP has launched a petition calling on retailers to adopt the Australian Standard for Olive and olive pomace oils for all their products.

Rishworth was joined at the petition launch by stakeholders from Olives South Australia, local award-winning olive oil producer Coriole Vineyards and iconic Australian cook and food producer Maggie Beer.

Rishworth said a string of investigations had now proven that some olive oil products on Australian supermarket shelves are not always what their labels claim they are.

“More Australians are choosing to cook with extra virgin olive oil, not only for its taste but also for its health benefits.

However, investigations have revealed that shoppers are too often forking out money for inferior products that are inaccurately labelled ‘extra virgin’,” Rishworth said.

“Many imported and some local extra virgin olive oils have been found to be inaccurately labelled or chemically altered, and shocking practices like cutting olive oils with other lower quality oils like canola appear to be rife.

“This exposes consumers not only to the risk of being ripped-off and paying more for a lower quality product, but also to adverse health consequences because some products that are labelled so as to appear healthier have actually been manipulated and refined, leading to reductions in levels of antioxidants and the creation of trans-fatty acids.

“Stakeholders fought hard for the Australian Standard for Olive and olive pomace oils that has now been introduced.

This standard clearly outlines the criteria that olive oil products should meet in order to use terms like ‘extra virgin’ on bottle labels. But we need Australian retailers to do their bit, and apply the standard so that only compliant products are stocked on their shelves.

MP Amanda Rishworth (left) grabbed a few pointers on olive oil tasting from food guru and olive oil producer Maggie Beer at the petition launch.

“Australian consumers are at risk of being duped by misleading tags used by shonky olive oil importers and producers, and those local olive oil producers that are doing the right thing are struggling to compete with misleadingly labelled products.

“Coles and Woolworths have indicated that they will work towards ensuring their own branded olive oil will comply with the national standard, but we need them to ensure that ALL olive oil products on their shelves - not just their own branded products – comply.”

For more information, and to sign this petition, go to: www.rishworth.com.au.

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Bottling, labelling & packaging

Push for new EU labelling regulations While the Australian industry is still working hard towards the mandating of the Australian olive oil Standard and the labelling requirements contained within, Europe is pushing forward with new legislation for olive oil labelling and presentation.

Aiming to protect and inform consumers, and to stem fraudulent practices occurring across the European Union (EU), draft amendments to EU regulation 29/2012 on marketing standards for olive oil have been put before the European Commission (EC).

The amendments include new labelling requirements for both the information provided and the format in which it is presented. Elements covered include origin, harvest date and storage advice, with regulations as to the placement and size of lettering to ensure easy reading by consumers when shopping for olive oil.

AOA CEO Lisa Rowntree said the proposed new legislation measures are “definitely a good start” but don’t tackle all the issues.

“We would applaud any endeavours by any group to protect authentic EVOO,” she said.

“Our bigger concern with European oils, however, is not so much the designation but the use of terminology like ‘pure’ and ‘extra light’. This terminology is not allowed on refined olive oil, and the majority of what is labelled ‘Pure Olive Oil’ and ‘Extra Light Olive Oil’ is refined olive oil. The percentages of composites should be declared on packaging, such as ‘93% refined oil and 7% virgin olive oil’ – that’s much more important in ensuring that refined oil can’t be passed off as EVOO. “That said, where it came from is also important. Countries buying in oil and labelling it as their own is a practice which needs to be stopped. Not only is the consumer buying a product which is not what they believe it to be but the countries where the oil is being purchased from are losing their identity as producers.”

Harvest vs best before Rowntree also questioned the benefits of including a harvest date on labelling.

“You can harvest a really bad oil, and bad oil has a shorter shelf life. On testing it might have only a six-month shelf life, so a harvest date doesn’t guarantee the consumer that the product is any good,” she said.

“But by putting a best before date, you’re saying ‘We’ve tested our oil, it complies and up until this date it will be EVOO’ – and if you don’t have that on your bottle, you’re telling the consumer your oil is good forever, which it clearly isn’t.

“So in my opinion a best before date is far more relevant to a consumer than a harvest date. It gives a much better indication of the freshness of that oil and is a more accurate guide for the consumer as to the date the oil is going to be good until.

Consumers are also used to looking for the ‘best before’ date on many other products.

“In developing the Australian Standard we looked long and hard at the options and decided it should be compulsory to have a best before date. And that’s what the EU should be doing.”

If passed, the new regulations will come into force across the EU from 1 January 2014, with a transition period allowing existing stocks to be sold with their original labels. EU member states will be required to carry out checks and audits, and to impose appropriate penalties for those found in breach.

Re-usable bottles in restaurants The proposed EC regulation amendments also cover the usage of reusable olive oil cruets in restaurants and cafes, commonplace in European eateries. These would be banned across the EU from 2014 and replaced with non-refillable containers carrying labels to the new content and format specifications.

Rowntree says this is also a positive move, and one which the AOA would support being introduced locally.

26 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

Bottling, labelling & packaging

“You don’t see it that often here but it is certainly an issue for our industry: restaurants buy a good brand bottle of EVOO and refill it with a cheap oil,” she said.

“It is not only falsely representing the producer of the original product but, if the oil is particularly old or poor quality, it can be highly detrimental to the producer’s brand and reputation.

“It’s one of the areas that has been unregulated to date, so to have rules in place to ensure it can’t happen would be a very good move. And if the EU finds it works well we could certainly try and do the same thing here.”

The Portugese experience The banning of refillable olive oil cruets in restaurants is not a new idea. Portugal did it in 2005 and the country’s olive oil industry couldn’t be happier with the outcome, citing improved product image and brand awareness among consumers.

Many producers have introduced a branded cruet to their range, and while there has been opposition from some food service establishments, restaurants keen to promote their use

of local or high-quality ingredients have embraced the concept as a point of difference. The introduction of olive oil ‘menus’, with a range of varietal olive oils from different regions, have also created a new offering in some venues.

And it must be working, as both Italy and Spain have announced plans to introduce similar regulations.

The process from here The amendments were discussed at a meeting of the EC Management Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets in Brussels in early February this year, and were supported by an indicative vote. If they receive a positive reception from the World Trade Organisation’s Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade, the amendments will go back to the EC Management Committee for a formal vote.

More detail on these measures can be found on the Olive Oil Times website: www.oliveoiltimes.com.

Italians call for anti-refilling caps The issue of olive oil bottle re-filling in restaurants is gaining such importance that a meeting focusing on the problem was held in Rome last year. In Tappo Veritas (“in cap there is truth”) also saw the launch of the guide Oli d’Italia 2012, in which special mention is given to products with anti-refilling caps.

Attendees included the general director of the Italian ministry of agricultural, food and forestry policies, also responsible for

the anti-fraud office; and the presidents of olive oil producer organisations Unaprol and Uliveti del Lazio.

Discussions included the Unaprol campaign for promoting the awareness of extra virgin quality, storage and presentation among chefs, restaurateurs and retailers, and led to a call to legislate the mandatory use of anti-refilling caps.

Source: www.oliveoiltimes.com.

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Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 27

Talking points - bottling, labelling & packaging

Packaging logistics Amanda Bailey

The Olive Centre

Our industry utilises a wide variety of packaging, from various shaped bottles and stainless cans to bag-in-box and refill-style sachets, in numerous package sizes. The packaging you choose today can greatly affect the outcome of your product, and also have hidden costs. This relates not only to what you put your product in but also to labels, closures, capsules etc.

Here are some scenarios which demonstrate the difference your choices can make: Problem #1 “I have a square bottle with wraparound labels. I have an immediate order to fill and need the equipment to do so by next week.”

The labels on this bottle wrap around three sides of the square bottle, a job which necessitates a rotary labeller. A small volume or semi-automated machine is not able to be used in this circumstance. So instead of a budget figure of under

$10,000, the equipment investment turns into many times that for the rotary labeller needed.

Lesson learned: think about labelling when you choose your packaging product.

Problem #2 “I bought bottles from China and we have noticed some problems with them when applying labels.”

In this circumstance, when the labels were applied to the bottle there were air bubbles forming underneath the label. The problem was thought to be the labeller, however on assessing the bottles it was found that the surface of the glass was not flat, causing air pockets to accumulate underneath the label.

There was no solution and the bottles were not able to be used, resulting in addition cost for new bottles and a frustrating time delay in getting the product out into the marketplace.

Lesson learned: be careful with your source of bottles and/ or other packaging.

The value of expert advice There are many other similar stories I have heard from clients which I could share but, in the interests of space and time, let’s cut to the moral of the story: just because the packaging looks good doesn’t mean to say it’s practical.

Your choices regarding all elements of your packaging can cause undue time, effort and expense. They may not work together, or may not work for the type of labelling or presentation you’re aiming for – and, as with scenario #2 above, they just may not work fullstop. Think carefully about the end result you want and look into whether each element of your packaging will work in achieving that.

And as with most aspects of business, contacting an expert before you commit to the packaging you like will help to minimise any potential problems, and ensure you get the best result for the best price.

(Above): Think about labelling when choosing your packaging product: changing to a square bottle with wraparound labels, for example, could incur a large additional cost for the rotary labeller required to do the job.

28 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

New Zealand

A cooking demonstration by Craggy Range head chef Leyton Ashleigh of Craggy Range was one of the segments filmed for the Olives New Zealand promotional DVD by Nancy Turney of NTV Productions.

Promotional DVD to raise NZ EVOO profile Olives New Zealand has been ramping up its marketing program over the past year, working on a number of great initiatives aimed at raising the profile of its members’ high quality home-grown extra virgin olive oils.

One of the projects undertaken recently is a DVD promoting New Zealand EVOO and the OliveMark, and featuring members’ OliveMark certified oils.

The DVD will be available for use at markets, food shows, retail outlets, grove shops, etc, and will also be a valuable tool for political and regulatory lobbying purposes. The DVD may also be used for television advertising into the future.

A variety of video footage has been filmed, including olive groves, cooking demonstrations by chefs, retail displays and farmers markets. This was then be compiled with other existing video footage of processing, harvesting, etc into the final product. The DVD is a high-quality production undertaken

by NTV Productions, with an excellent script and professional narrator, along with relevant specialist interviews.

Olives NZ executive officer Gayle Sheridan said the organisation had been precluded in the past from developing such a significant promotional tool because of funding constraints.

“Through the generosity of our production company and sponsorship, however, together with accumulated funds in the OliveMark account, we have finally been able to bring this project to fruition for 2013,” Sheridan said.

“Our thanks go to all who have assisted with this project, which will benefit both our members and the NZ olive industry as a whole.”

The promotional DVD was launched at the 2013 Olives New Zealand Conference on March 16-17 and is now available to members.

For more information, or to obtain a copy of the DVD, contact ONZ executive officer Gayle Sheridan on 06 8771447 or email admin@olivesnz.org.nz.

Vale Sir Paul Holmes New Zealand industry members will have heard the sad news of the passing away in February of Sir Paul Holmes.

Sir Paul was a great supporter of the New Zealand olive industry, having established his own grove at Mana Lodge in the Hawke’s Bay in 2000. He planted some 3,700 trees, Leccino and Frantoio, and the resulting oil was marketed under the Paul Holmes brand. His international celebrity status no doubt helped increase awareness of the region’s olive oil production, and the New Zealand olive and oil industry in general.

Sir Paul wrote an excellent article for The New Zealand Herald in 2012 as a consequence of the Fair Go expose on imported olive oils, providing further consumer awareness of the quality of locally-produced New Zealand EVOOs, and the benefits of choosing them over imported brands.

Sir Paul’s article on EVOO is available online at www. nzherald.co.nz.

Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 29

New Zealand

Surprised by disease … some reflections David Walshaw

Kapiti Olives, Te Horo, New Zealand

Olives NZ members met at Kapiti Olives’ grove for a field day event after the AGM. Prior to the members arriving, our visitors from Spain, Juan Vilar and Javier Hidalgo, ONZ president Andrew Taylor and I had a walk around to familiarise them with the grove and its current state. As you might imagine this was rather un-nerving – as an ex-townie turned grower my learning curve has been steep.

Background: grove management Before I tell you what we found, perhaps it would be helpful if I described my grove management ‘style and aims’.

Planting was done in December 2004 and I have 2070 trees comprising Frantoio, Picual, Koroneiki, and Leccino with pollinating Pendolino. Between rows I have a mowing strip of orchard grass and mostly weed-free dirt under the trees. There are six metres between rows and five metres between trees.

Pruning has been continual, with wine glass shape being the norm. Soil tests have been done every couple of years and fertiliser applied where necessary to correct deficiencies. Leaf analysis has just been done for the first time.

My philosophy has been to have the grove as sustainable as can sensibly be done. Organic growing was considered but I felt it was extreme and enormously hard work. Striving to be sustainable I have not, until now, used any chemicals except Glyphosate for weed control a few times a year.

Pests and disease And now to the main issue. My approach until recently, seven years in, seems to have worked, with visiting consultants and others commenting that the trees and grove seemed to be in fine order. There was some evidence of Peacock Spot and some leaf fall but it did not seem to be much, and certainly not of epidemic proportion.

But over the last 12 months the prevalence of Peacock Spot and leaf fall seemed to be spreading and I did not really know why and what had changed. I still don’t really.

So in come my visitors, who looked closely at the leaves of some trees and discover Cercospora and quite an amount of Peacock Spot. I did not even know about Cercospora. How do you recognise it? Turn the leaf over and look for a grey/sooty line along the middle of the leaf. It really is quite obvious when you know to look there!

Oh dear … so what do we do about this? Spray, I am told, as though this is normal. I can tell you that this was not good news when you have avoided it in favour of an almost entirely natural method of grove management.

David Walshaw’s Kapiti Olives grove features a mowing strip of orchard grass and mostly weed-free dirt under the trees.

Walshaw’s Spanish visitors discovered both Peacock Spot and Cercospora in his grove, yet he hadn’t even known about the latter.

I have been tree-spraying a liquid seaweed-based fertiliser and have had good results, I think, growth-wise but not in terms of disease-control. I find I can mix this with a product called Dodine – which I am advised is a cure and also a protectant so I have sprayed this product mix twice, 15 days apart. The maximum number of sprays recommended would be three.

Results to date The good news is that these applications seemed to have worked very well, as any incidence of disease is minimal again.

The next trick is to keep it that way. In addition I was advised to spray Manzate regularly, particularly when it is likely to be moist and humid. We haven’t really had prolonged periods like that so I have not yet sprayed this product. I am still into avoidance it seems! However, I will do so during autumn and up to 28 days before harvest.

So far so good, but the lesson for me is to be very vigilant because these diseases can get away from us really quickly.

David Walshaw, with his wife Helen, owns and runs Kapiti Olives at Te Horo on New Zealand’s Kapiti Coast. More information: www.kapitiolives.com.

30 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

Business profile

Terra Creta aims to remain traditional in cultivation and harvesting.

How Terra Creta makes and markets olive oil – Part 2 While the majority of olive oil producers are struggling with low prices and an overcrowded market, Cretan producer Terra Creta has seen sales grow by an average of 13% a year for the last five years. Here’s part 2 of their story, which provides useful insight into the importance of both tradition and innovation in industry success.

New products: olives in olive oil, gift sets, table olives and olive paste An extra virgin olive oil with real olives inside the bottle has flown off the shelves in launch market Brazil and will soon be sold elsewhere, including the US. “It’s our bestt seller in Brazil, which was a big surprise for us” Sousalis said.

“Having a few olives inside the bottle has a strong visual impact but it’s more for the fruitier taste. The Brazilians put it on pizza after it’s cooked.”

The company is also moving into table olive and olive paste sales on an outsourced basis next year, and plans a range of corporate gift sets.

High altitude olive oil: Tsounati Terra Creta’s production has so far come from the Koroneiki olive, which is abundant in Greece, but it has a longer term plan to offer an EVOO from the Tsounati variety, mainly found above 350m in Hania.

Crete’s ancient olive tree of Vouves – estimated to be 3,000 years old – is of this variety, which Sousalis said makes for an olive oil that’s “rich yet not spicy, so ideal for those who love mild olive oil”.

“But we need a special way of harvesting. Because of the slopes, the farmers lay nets and wait for the olives to drop. But they can’t check every day and so many end up rotting and only produce virgin or lampante oil,” he said.

Pruning will again be key, gradually reducing tree heights so harvesting is easier, and staggering ripening so more extra virgin can be made. }

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Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 31

Business profile

The main innovation is that we segregate the olives at the start, based on their acidity, peroxide level and olive oil content

With Crete’s 35 million olive trees the financial backbone of many communities, Terra Creta says its main focus is to sell as much olive oil as it can for its growers.

EVOO as a functional food and energy shot Terra Creta sees a big future in marketing EVOO as a functional food.

In the same way milk is enriched – such as with vitamin D for pregnant women – it envisions olive oil combined with other health-promoting, natural ingredients to target certain groups, such as those with cholesterol problems.

A product combining EVOO with powder from the ancient Hippophaes plant, said to have helped heal Alexander the Great’s injured horses, is under review.

Sousalis said the Hippophaes product would be like an energy shot but with natural ingredients. “We’re not extracting something and adding it.”

Oh!live Extra Virgin Olive Oil spray is one of Terra Creta’s new product range, created to meet market demand for higher quality and easier to use packaging.

Domestic sales Sales from duty-free shops in Greece not only account for a fifth of Terra Creta’s turnover, the tourists who buy the EVOO – primarily Russian and Scandinavian – often look for it once home.

Terra Creta is seizing on this trend with an ad in English on the back of five million boarding passes for flights out of Greece – with the tag “Your Greek memories in a bottle” – and plans for placement of its olive oil in duty-free shops abroad.

32 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

Though olive oil consumption is said to now be about 22kg per person a year in Greece and 36kg in Crete – the world’s highest – Sousalis said there’s no point trying to expand with domestic sales because everyone already has somewhere they get their oil.

Export market Providing 23% of Terra Creta’s total sales, Belgium is its biggest foreign market and the US, accounting for 15%, “the most difficult.”

Terra Creta has experienced 100% annual growth in China and 25% in Russia. Those markets now form 7% and 12% respectively of its sales, Brazil about 10% and Canada about 8%.

Company finances Sousalis said turnover of €5 million was expected for 2012 and to grow to €8 million in 2014.

“The (extraction and bottling) plant was a big investment for us that started before the crisis but ended after it,” he said.

“That was a big problem for us because the bank started cutting our loans. We had a credit line which suddenly they cut in half. That was our working capital so it was a very difficult stage but now we’ve got the new team which will help us build the company.”

Business profile

Labour costs and oil prices Emmanouil Karpadakis said last year labourers earned about €35 ($46) a day during harvest but the rate would probably go down this season because the financial crisis had increased the labour supply.

“In previous years not many (local) people wanted to work in the fields but now because there’s no jobs there are many looking for work.”

As for what farmers earn, Karpadakis said the price for this harvest would not be published until its start on November 1 but last year they netted €1.90-2-30 per kilo of olive oil.

Ecological but not elitist Terra Creta follows integrated farming practices and, with nearly a fifth of its production already organic, it aims to become Crete’s biggest organic producer.

Sousalis said the company also wants its olive oil to be mainstream.

“We don’t want to be an executive olive oil that only sells a couple of bottles a month in a boutique store,” he said.

“We want to cover the top level of supermarkets: that’s why we sell in Colruyt, that’s why we sell in Spar, that’s why we are in Whole Foods and HEB. We don’t want to become rich or famous with an olive oil sold for a crazy price at Harrods in London.

“In Crete we have 35 million trees, so our main focus is to sell as much olive oil as we can for our farmers. That way we will help their lives and add value to their product.

“The main problem is that 50% of Greece’s production is exported in bulk to Italy and used in blends to improve the lower quality olive oil from Spain or Tunisia.”

Bottling locally has not only added value, it has created work for labelling, freight and other companies.

“This is really what Greece needs,” Sousalis said.

“If we want to move beyond the crisis we need to be inventive and to prove to other countries, to corporations, that Greece can do a lot of things at a business level. It’s not just about a problematic corporate sector and a corrupt political leadership, there are companies that perform at a very high level.”

“We do many things in-house but with a lot of passion and effort. Sometimes you just need good ideas instead of an awful lot of money.”

This article was reproduced with permission from the Olive Oil Times - www.oliveoiltimes.com.

Terra Creta’s goal is “to offer quality so good that even the untrained consumer can recognise it”. That starts at the first stage of processing, where samples of each farmer’s delivery are collected and analysed, then sorted into three settling silos based on their quality profile.

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Retail pricing and positioning In Germany, the recommended retail price of a 500ml bottle of Terra Creta’s estate EVOO is €4.99, the Kolymvari PDO oil €5.99 and organic €6.99.

“When it comes to premium products I think we are much better priced, because we want to be the best olive oil on supermarkets shelves,” Sousalis said.

“Our goal is to offer quality so good that even the untrained consumer can recognise it.”

“People are becoming more and more aware of what is happening in the olive oil industry … and they are starting to understand the difference between a single origin product and a multinational blend. The Kolymvari PDO is becoming more and more famous.”

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Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 33

Olives and health

Health round-up Continuing our regular round-up of the latest relevant health research from around the world, to keep you up to date and in the know…

Eat olive oil and cut your risk of dying According to a new long-term study, recently published in published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition consuming olive oil can cut the risk of dying prematurely by more than a quarter.

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Spain) studied the diets of more than 40,000 participants, aged from 29 to 69, over 13 years. The research project aimed to identify any dietary factors which reduce the risk of dying prematurely from cancer, cardiovascular disease or other causes.

The results were astounding: those with the highest consumption of olive oil had a 26% reduced risk of dying and a 44% decreased risk of dying from heart disease, compared to

people who did not consume olive oil.

Researchers discovered that the benefits also increase with the rate of olive oil consumption, with a 7% decrease in risk of dying for every 10 grams of olive oil consumed and a 13% decreased risk of dying from heart disease.

While no direct correlation was found between death from cancer and olive oil consumption, it’s still pretty reasonable to say that when it comes to dietary choices for health and longevity, you can’t have too much olive oil – as the more olive oil you consumed, the lower your chance of dying prematurely.

Source: www.care2.com.

Olive oil may affect how genes work A new Spanish study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry shows that olive oil consumption may affect gene function involved with cardiovascular risk.

Oleic acid and polyphenols are thought to raise ‘good’ high density cholesterol (HDL) levels through the direction of cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver.

This research explored whether olive oil polyphenols could affect the response of genes in relation to HDL, in particular in relation to cholesterol efflux - the efficiency by which HDL removes cholesterol from cells on the artery walls.

The trial involved 13 pre/hypertensive patients, assigned to one of two groups. The first group received 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of high polyphenol olive oil and the second group the same quantity of moderate polyphenol olive oil. Repeated

analysis found a significant increase in the response of certain genes involved in cholesterol efflux from HDL in those consuming the polyphenol rich olive oil.

They therefore concluded that the consumption of polyphenol rich olive oil may have a positive effect on the genes involved in reducing circulating cholesterol and thus reduce cardiovascular risk.

These results back up previous research showing that polyphenol rich olive oil and the Mediterranean diet reduced the response of genes promoting the build-up of plaque in the arteries.

Source: www.oliveoiltimes.com.

Olive oil compound may reduce intestinal damage from ischemia Olive oil compounds may help prevent intestinal ischemia (restriction in blood supply) and associated organ damage, according to research published recently in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.

The study found that the olive polyphenol oleuropein aglycone can significantly reduce the damage caused by intestinal ischemia, where narrowing or blockage of blood vessels to the digestive system restricts blood supply to the organs. Not only painful, in the long term the condition can result in malnutrition, severe weight loss and/or permanent intestinal damage. The resulting reperfusion, where the blood supply is returned to the organ, can also cause substantial tissue damage.

For the research, intestinal ischemia was surgically induced

in groups of mice and one group was then treated with oleuropein aglycone. These mice subsequently displayed lower levels of intestinal injury and inflammation than those who did not receive the treatment.

Researchers say the result suggests that oleuropein aglycone assists in preventing the secondary organ injury caused by intestinal ischemia. It also shows promise for the compound in the use of treating inflammation-associated disease such as spinal cord injury and arthritis, particularly given the known potent anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and antioxidant effects of oleocanthal, another phenolic compound found in extra virgin olive oil.

Source: www.oliveoiltimes.com

34 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

Olives and health

Consuming EVOO may assist with colitis A recent study by researchers from the University of Seville observed a positive effect of dietary extra virgin olive oil on colitis. Colitis involves inflammation of the large intestine, causing many and often painful gastrointestinal symptoms.

Ulcerative colitis is a specific form affecting the lining of the large intestine and its presence increases the risk of colon cancer.

For this study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, researchers induced laboratory animals with colitis which progressed to severe chronic colitis. They then tested the effects of both extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin olive oil further enriched with olive oil polyphenols.

The researchers measured symptoms via the Disease Activity Index (DAI), and also determined inflammation of the intestine

by histological (microscopic examination) and biochemical analysis.

The results showed that both the EVOO and EVOO+ EVOO polyphenol extracts had a significant positive effect on several proteins involved in the disease, with less histological signs of damage compared to a standard diet. There was also a much higher reduction of iNOS, an enzyme expressed during inflammatory reactions, with the EVOO further enriched with polyphenol extracts.

The researchers concluded that extra virgin olive oil and its polyphenol extracts could improve chronic colitis, and could be used as a functional food for this disease.

Source: www.oliveoiltimes.com.

EVOO protects liver from oxidative damage in rats In our increasingly polluted world, it’s an important finding: extra virgin olive oil can protect the liver from oxidative stress.

Research published in the BioMed Central open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism has found that rats fed a diet containing EVOO were partially protected from liver damage resulting from exposure to a moderately toxic herbicide. The chemical is known to deplete antioxidants and cause oxidative stress.

The research involved a total of 80 rats, divided into a control group, an olive oil group, and six groups that were exposed to the herbicide 4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, with or without either whole olive oil, or one of two oil extracts - the hydrophilic fraction or the lipophilic fraction. All rats given

the herbicide showed signs of significant liver damage, however those with the extra virgin olive oil and hydrophilic fraction intake displayed a significant increase in antioxidant enzyme activity and a decrease in markers of liver damage.

The researchers said the results suggest that “The hydrophilic fraction of olive oil seems to be the effective one in reducing toxin-induced oxidative stress, indicating that hydrophilic extract may exert a direct antioxidant effect on hepatic (liver) cells. However, more detailed studies about the effect of antioxidant compounds separately and/or their interactions are necessary to substantiate these observations.”

Source: www.sciencedaily.com.

Olive oil beats drug gel for osteoarthritis of the knee Researchers in Iran have completed a fascinating study, which found that a daily rub with EVOO is more beneficial for sufferers of osteoarthritis of the knee than a commonly used medical treatment gel containing the drug Piroxicam.

The double-blind study involved 200 women aged 40-85 with osteoarthritis of the knee, randomly divided into two groups of 100. One group was provided with Piroxicam gel and the other with Iranian-produced virgin olive oil, with 1g of each product to be applied three times in a day on the affected knee. The Piroxicam gel and olive oil were repackaged in anonymous tubes, only recognisable to the researchers via codes.

Researchers measured the change from baseline to final

assessment of the four-week study knee in variables of pain and physical function, and also change in stiffness. Evaluations were made weekly by means of WOMAC and PG standard questionnaires.

At the end of the four-week study the women in the olive oil treatment group reported less pain and greater physical function than those using Piroxicam, and a greater benefit was seen within just two weeks of application.

Cheap, easy ... and delicious. You can’t ask for more in a medical treatment - Ed. Sources: www.clinicaltrials.gov; www.timeforwellness.org.

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Issue 88 • March 2013 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 35

World perspective

A Cretan experience Dr Vera Sergeeva is one of our industry’s top experts, particularly in the field of olive pests and diseases. Her experience with olive trees and production includes regular conference attendances and study trips overseas, including the ‘old world’ producing countries of Europe. A regular contributor to Olivegrower & Processor, Dr Sergeeva shared one of her more interesting experiences studying the ancient olive trees of Crete.

While in Greece for a conference presentation, Dr Sergeeva visited the Samaria Gorge on Crete. The gorge is now a major tourist attraction in the White Mountains National Park, and provides protection to some of the country’s oldest olive trees.

“In the village at the park entrance ancient olive trees still grow, along with more recently planted trees, while the gorge itself is also home to magnificent old olive trees. The original village of Samaria lies just inside the gorge but was abandoned by the last remaining inhabitants in 1962 to make way for the park,” she said.

“The village and the gorge take their names from the village’s ancient church, Óssia María (Saint Mary). Some houses have been restored and are used as the guards’ post and doctor’s office, while the information kiosk is housed in the old olive press.”

Vera also visited the famed Monumental Olive Tree of Vouves in the Cretan village of Ano Vouves, said to be the oldest olive tree in the world - tree ring analysis has proven the tree to be at least 2000 years old, while University of Crete scientists have estimated it to be 4000 years old. It’s certainly majestic, with a trunk perimeter of 12.5m and a diameter of 4.6m, hence its designation as a natural monument.

“An incredible example of the resilience of the olive, the tree is of the Tsounati variety and is still productive today,” Sergeeva said.

36 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

your calendar of olive events

Sep

Mar

March 28-1 April Auckland Easter Show http://www.eastershow.co.nz

Apr

April 7-9 International High-end Edible Oil & Olive Oil Expo – Beijing, China www.oilexpo.com.cn April 16-18 New York International Olive Oil Competition - New York www.nyoliveoil.com

May

May 19-22 TUTTOFOOD – Milano World Food Exhibition – Milan Italy

September 16-20 oils+fats 2013 – Munich, Germany www.oils-and-fats.com September 24-26 Yorke Peninsula Field Days – Paskeville, SA www.ypfielddays.com.au

Oct

October 7-8 2013 National Olive Industry Conference & Trade Exhibition – Hobart, Tasmania www.australianolives.com.au October 20-22 International High-end Edible Oil & Olive Oil Expo – Shanghai, China www.oilexpo.com.cn

April 19-20 East Gippsland Field Days – Bairnsdale, Victoria www.egfielddays.com April 30-May 2 SIAL Canada & Olive d’Or Competition Toronto www.sialcanada.com

What’s on

October 27-30 Euro Fed Lipid Congress – Antalya, Turkey http://www.eurofedlipid.org

Nov

November dates TBC SITEVI – Montpellier, France http://www.sitevi.com/

Dec

December 6 WA Olive Council AGM – Perth, WA www.oliveswa.com.au

To subscribe and for more information visit www.olivegrower.com.au

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Hunter Bottling Company............................................................. 28 Irwin & Sheehan............................................................................19 Kingsford Machinery Sales & Service..........................................15 Lorac Australia Pty Ltd..................................................................31 Multipac Systems......................................................................... 22 Novozymes Australia ..................................................................... 5 Olive Oil Packaging Service......................................................... 26 Pellenc Australia....................................................................... 16,17 Pieralisi MAIP Spa ........................................................................13 Sicma SRL...................................................................................... 2 Silverlock Packaging.....................................................................24 Sumitomo Chemical Australia Pty Ltd........................................... 6 The Olive Centre...................................................................... insert Wine Industry Services Pty Ltd.................................................... 27

Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

37

Olive Marketplace SICMA SPEEDY OLIVE HARVESTER

STAINLESS STEEL SPECIALISTS Olive Oil Storage Tanks Fittings & Pipe Work Repairs & Restorations PH: (08) 8285 6881 PH: (08) 8285 6881 FAX: (08) 8285 6880

FAX:(08) 8285 6880 www.creekwoodprojects.com.au

• Five and Seven Metre Umbrellas • Air Conditioned CAB

• HID Lighting • Many other extras • Machine in excellent condition

Phone Graeme 0407 744 296

Olive Trees for Sale

Olive Nursery

Arbequina I-18, Arbosana I-43, Koroneiki I-38

To advertise in the marketplace, call Chas Barter on (08) 8369 9513 or email sales@olivegrower.com.au

AgromillorA AustrAliA pty ltd Waikerie S.A. Ph (08) 8541 3600 Fax (08) 8541 3285 Mob (08) 0429 413 600 E agromillora1@riverland.net.au

www.olivebiz.com.au

FOR SALE

For Sale

To subscribe and for more information visit

Editorial

www.agromilloraaustralia.com or www.olint.com

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To subscribe and for more information visit www.olivebiz.com.au 38 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2013 • Issue 88

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