OLIVE SPOTLIGHT Kapiti Olives, Grant and Diana Crosse

The couple grow, maintain, and contract the harvest of trees, as well as the bottling and labelling. All the oil is distributed to wholesale and retail clients and all associated administrations.

Before buying the olive grove 15 months ago, the pair were Sheep and Beef farmers in Weber, east of Dannevirke, for 35 years. Grant and Diana then decided they would try something else before they retired.

After some research, the pair found the olive grove and business for sale and decided it would suit them quite well. The olive grove keeps the pair connected to the land, with Diana continuing that olive oil was a great product.

The olive grove is eight hectares, and we grow 2200 trees. Kapiti Olives grow four varieties of Olives, Frantoio and Leccino (Tuscan), Koroneiki (Greek) and Picual (Spanish). They are grown in six-metre by five-metre grids for maximum light, airflow, and ease of harvest.

The trees in the grove farm are under the best practice sustainable system, with the

Crosse couple using a clay-based spray when required for fungicide control. This is due to Kapiti Olives' more temperate climate.

As a winter fruiting tree, olives are pruned to an open shape for maximum sun and air movement, and when the summer is dry, some irrigation is required.

Kapiti Olives also has free-draining stony soil as the grove is on the banks of the Otaki River. The river's flow minimises any frost, as does the grove's proximity to the sea.

"Olives do not like wet feet," said Diana.

As the owner-operators, Diana and Grant's day-to-day involves checking for orders, preparing them for the couriers and the associated office work. When stocks are low, the pair bottle and label to ensure they have stock.

The actual harvest of olives is contracted out, but the Crosse couple is always on hand in case of breakdown or for decisions affecting the harvest. Pruning after harvest is essential. This prevents any disease and keeps the trees at a manageable height for optimum fruiting and harvest. Olives can be pruned year-round, branches that become pendulous (olives will not shake from these) and water shoots.

Kapiti Olives deliver locally when it can, which can mean lunch out.

As new owners, the pair have just completed their second harvest. Last year the harvest was delayed for a month by heavy rain, shaking wet-laden trees with olives tends to break the branches. However, they did end up with a large quantity of oil.

This year, after having pruned heavily and then having had strong wind and rain at pollination, resulted in a 25 percent decrease in the crop. The summer and autumn were short of the long hot days the olives thrive on.

Diana explained that their extra virgin olive oil is obtained by processing the olives, within 24 hours of harvest, at under 24 degrees, so there's no change in the oil composition. Kapiti Olives' Olive Oil is sent to Australia for testing and certification, so it can carry the red olive mark that designates the oil as Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and a product of New Zealand.

The awards Kapiti Olives has gained affirm the high quality of their extra virgin olive oil. Samples are sent for judging by a panel of New Zealand and overseas judges. Previously, Kapiti Olives also gained gold and silver medals in international competitions.

The pandemic positively impacted business as the public shopping from home increased sales from Kapiti Olives website. They can browse, shop and get it delivered to the door. Many of our buyers have carried on with this trend.

Kapiti Olives' Extra Virgin Olive Oil is sold in New Zealand. Foodstuffs is a significant buyer of the oil, along with other wholesalers. It also goes into local cafes, shops, and gift boxes. The pair do not have a shop, and their physical presence is at selected markets such as the Kapiti Food Fair and the couple's local Saturday beach market in Paraparaumu. However, they also have an online shop through their website.

Educating the consumer is something Grant and Diana are passionate about.

Diana said that Extra Virgin Olive Oil's versatility was one of its strengths as it could be used to cook with, drizzle on familyfavourite foods, add to soups, salad dressings, and in baking.

Diana and Grant's favourite way to enjoy their oil is with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries drizzled with their Leccino oil. It also has great anti-inflammatory properties and is an excellent source of antioxidants.

She continued that the pair will continue producing high-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The plan moving forward is to keep pruning the trees to keep them rejuvenated and producing well should make this happen.

Koroneiki is the Crosse couple's favourite variety to grow. It is not as vigorous, keeps a good shape, and therefore only needs a little pruning. The Koroneiki oil is a favourite of the pair for dipping, drizzling, and cooking steak.

As a fresh New Zealand product, the pair stated that customers can 'taste the difference' with Kapiti Olive Oil. n

OLIVE SPOTLIGHT Dali, Ross Vintiner

Director, grove manager, olive oil maker and marker of Dali, Ross Vintiner established his first trial olive grove in the Wairarapa in the late 1980s, which he later sold to concentrate on his Wellington business.

Around a decade ago, Vintiner returned to the Wairarapa to rejuvenate an olive grove in Martinborough.

"I have always loved growing plants, especially trees, and I adore everything olives," said Vintiner.

Vintiner was a consultant in Wellington for many years. He then studied for a diploma in organic agriculture before purchasing his current grove, committing himself to evidence-based innovations and methods to grow great olives and oil.

Dali has 1100 trees using biodynamic and organic methods, consisting of Tuscan varieties Leccina, Frantoio, Pendolino, Greek varieties Koroneiki, Kalamata, and Spanish variety Picual.

Dali farms with a negative carbon footprint increasingly provide nutrients and other inputs from their diverse property. Vintiner said that principally he farms olives for their polyphenols, which he has coined nature's antioxidants, as these provide most of the health benefits in olives.

World-leading agronomists agree that living soil and fostering strong microbial interrelationships with plants are essential to thriving agriculture. Which Vintiner said was consistent with biodynamics and the best of organics.

"Our soil is alive, as all soil should be. We always apply microbes with any organic fertilisers, and we are lessening our use of fertilisers and increasing use of home-made fungal compost, vermicasts, sheep grazing."

Dali regularly measures the soil for microbes, nutrients, and plant sugars. Vintiner added that each grove was distinct and that Dali's growing methods were proven sustainable, economic, local, and prosperous and could be widely applied with a sensible transition plan.

The local terroir impacts Vintiner's grove, meaning hot and dry summers and cold winters, with moderately fertile soils, good sunshine hours, and lush growth. For the last 18 months, the region has had double the amount of its average rainfall, coupled with low sunshine hours. This has resulted in strong vegetative growth with variable fruit sets and crops.

Vintiner said the Tuscan varieties coped better than the Greek or Spanish varieties— these varieties, like the terroir, favour dryer, more stable conditions. Vinter's growing approach was explicitly designed to increase resilience to climate variability.

Day-to-day varies greatly for Vintiner, with the season having the most significant impact on variation.

Dali has just completed hand-harvesting. The trees and soil are now fed microbial food for winter.

"It's time to coppice, chip our Italian Alders, and make copious amounts of beautiful fungal-dominant compost. Then lambing and pruning."

Dali's best award was for being in the top 25 olive growers in the world for the production of top-quality olive oil and table olives. The global award, Best Luxury Olive Oils of the World, recognised Dali's growing method, innovation, fruit and soil quality, as well as its leadership in the polyphenol space and Dali's marketing.

Vintiner said that most olive awards focus on oil flavour. To Vintiner, this only partly defines quality.

"Olive oil is as much about health as it is about flavour."

He continued that the past two years had been highly challenging due to the weather. Copious rain and lack of sunshine hinder excellent olive oil, which is rich in antioxidants and flavour. Dali has persevered, Vintiner stating that its soil and trees are in great shape.

Dali grows Wairarapa's only commercial Kalamata table olives; the trees grow well in the region but do not always yield fruit, yet Dali has Kalamata olives each year. Vintiner said this was because the trees were planted with the benefit of added microbes, and comfrey grows underneath, providing a rich microbial environment with nutrients supplied. The grove also has a half-hectare indigenous wetland. He added that Dali has 100 Italian Alders planted within the grove, and there is a mixed sward of clovers, plantain, and other plants to support grove diversity.

Dali oils and olives are mainly sold in the Wellington region. However, they are also sold nationwide and supplied to the global wellness industry.

Vintiner stated that Dali was a leading innovator, pioneering a harvest timing method that measures plant sugars to determine harvest date and likely polyphenol level for each variety. Another important innovation was fermenting olive pressing 'waste' or pomace, producing a high nitrogen and potassium mix for olives. Dali has developed a successful fungal ground drench with biodynamic preparations, Italian Alder compost, and vermicasts.

Dali has several other innovations under trial currently also.

Vintiner's favourite variety is Kalamata, with it being the first to ripen and being hand-picked, which often is a family affair. n

OLIVE SPOTLIGHT Juno Olives, Andrew & Helen Liley

Andrew Liley co-owns Juno Olives with his wife, Helen Liley. Originally born in the UK, Liley qualified as a doctor in 1986 and trained as an anaesthetist for 20 years as a consultant at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and in New Zealand at Starship with an interest in paediatric cardiac anaesthesia and acute pain management.

Liley had wanted for a long time to be involved in the primary industry, and in 2020, he retired early from the health system and bought Juno Olives, which was a good fit for his background in medicine of being able to grow and produce a product that had been shown to have positive health benefits.

Liley aims to produce olives sustainably, minimising fertilisers by returning the solid waste from olive oil production to the grove, improving canopy management to minimise fungal spraying, and having olives harvested and pressed by local contractors.

He continued that Juno Olives agrumato oils are flavoured using local New Zealand produce, including rosemary and some blood oranges from Liley’s garden.

“Growing olives is a carbon sink which also minimises our carbon footprint,” said Liley.

Liley follows the guidance from a project undertaken by Olives New Zealand, which innovates canopy management to improve olive yields and try to minimise biannually what is a problem with many pip fruit.

“Whilst we have not yet got rid of the tendency for some of our olive varieties to have an on and off-season, we are slowly seeing an increase in the overall volume of olives taken off the grove, and some varieties are showing more consistent olive fruit production.”

He explained that olives do not like ‘wet feet’ and Juno Olive has been fortunate to have a well-draining soil type, which Liley said had been robustly tested this year.

The harvest of 2023 has been both Liley’s best and most challenging harvest; the heavy and large amounts of rain made keeping the fungal disease in the grove under control very difficult, and yet Liley has had the biggest harvest in his grove since it was established 20 years ago.

However, the oil yield has been meagre, meaning the high fruit volume had not translated into litres for Juno Olives.

Liley added that on top of the wet weather, olives also need cold periods over winter to stimulate fruit the following year. Therefore, general warming temperature threatens groves such as Juno Olives.

“If you look at the northern hemisphere, they have had several years of drought, and Spain has produced only half of their normal volume of olive oil.”

Juno Olives sells its oils through its online shop, the groves on-site shop, Farmers

Markets, Moore Wilsons, and the Welly Collective.

Having only been in the business for three years, Liley is just beginning to understand how different varieties produce very different-tasting olive oils; he added it was that any variety would produce a differenttasting oil each year, which he assumed was due to changing weather conditions, but also by when growers are forced to harvest.

“Last year, my favourite was our Picholine, and I am favouring our Frantoio this year.”

As a relative “newbie” to the olive growing and oil-producing scene, Liley wanted to thank the many people who had helped with advice and practical support along his three-year journey.

“They are too many to name individually, but I would like to thank them all.” n