California Olive Oil
News
A Publication of The Olive Oil Source  

Winter 2000 NASFT Fancy Food Show^®

San Francisco - At the annual Fancy food show in San Francisco this January many fancy food producers seemed eager to include olive oil as an  ingredient because of the perceived health benefits.  Organic was also a popular selling point as always.  Few of these products used California oils as taste is seldom a consideration when oils are mixed with spicy tapenades, infusions, salsas, etc.  There were several exciting announcements from California olive oil producers. 

Cindy Mekala of Santa Barbara Olive Company had one of the more interesting new products; a line of Herbal supplements with olive leaf extract containing the natural antioxidant oleuropein.  Health claims for olive leaf extract include everything from an immune booster to malaria cure.  Cindy related how her college student daughter and roommates vanquished the flu with a few doses of the vitamins.  Also bowing to popular demand, Santa Barbara has come out with bottled olive brine for the increasingly popular "dirty martini".
Kurt Frese of Private Harvest was debuting their new "Chef Bobby Flay" line of products with 45-50 separate items.  Their Tuscan Hills line of flavored dipping oils remain a good seller.  B.R.Cohn is now bottling oil from their extensive Mexico holdings and will be offering oil in refillable stainless fustis so resellers can refill customer's bottles in a retail or deli setting. Wild Things from Beverly Hills was displaying a line of aromatherapy dipping oils which were recently touted in Food and Wine.  The idea seems to be to relax while satisfying the taste buds.  Grape Vine Trading debuted a line of flavored Aioli under their California Harvest label: roasted garlic, zesty bell pepper and basil lemon.  Francois Bogrand was offering Olive Oil Potato Chips "as seen on Oprah".  He uses a special low temperature, high pressure cooking method to keep from oxidizing the oil.  O Olive Oil of San Rafael had an elegant booth with their signature infused oils.  Abernathy was showing beautiful herb infused California olive oils which were works of art.   McEvoy is now all organic and had an attractive presence.  Los Olivos was promoting a blended olive oil with California, Italian, Greek, and Spanish origins.  The olive varietals were Arbequina, Hoji Blanca, Pictual and Sevillano.  Calio Groves CEO Ken Stutz was offering tastes of Critelli, Stutz and Olio Santo.  Due to consumer confusion Calio Groves has discontinued bottle dating on their products.  Sciabica had a booth besieged with tasters.  Due to popular request, Susan Denni at Oil of Joy  has come out with a new economy half gallon container for their Mission oil which can be used to refill their attractive pyramidal bottles.  She was also showing a new quadra bottle and label.  

Sun Olive Oil, a new venture by Central Valley grower  Joe Harms and others was offering tastes of their family recipe olive tapenade and a line of 8 extra virgin olive oils.   They are planting Arbequina trees in conjunction with nurseryman Vito DeLeonardis  of D&V Nursery  who was on hand at the booth to assist with tasting.  Creagri/El Supremo gave the California Olive Oil News an update on their acquisition of the Sadeg property - 200 acres of olives which will have an organic certification. Golden Whisk was displaying a garlic infused oil made from California and imported oils. Harrison was promoting a line of deli mustards as well as their California and California-import blended oils.  Mazzetta was touting their Italian and Kalamata olive oils - can a California olive oil be coming soon?  Even Grey Poupon (Nabisco), jumping on the olive oil bandwagon, was displaying imported olive oils that they are selling to the U.S. market. 

Annual COOC Meeting at Jordan Winery

Healdsburg - The Annual membership meeting of the California Olive Oil Council was held at elegant Jordan Winery Saturday January 29.  A seated meal of appetizers, new oils and dessert was served while Roberta Zecca, incoming president, and others described current COOC programs and efforts.  Thanks went out to Lila Jaeger, retired after 10 years on the board and Ken Stutz after 2 1/2 years as President.  Tables were laid out in their barrel room with appetizers, new oils which had won the COOC seal and selected wines.  The seal program has increased from 12 oils in 1998 to 31 in 1999 approved to wear the COOC seal. Oils for tasting included Father  Bernie Bush's El Retiro label, Jordan winery, Santa Cruz Olive Tree, Stella Cadente, and Frantoio.  Ridgley Evers gave an overview of the current status of the Olive Oil Promotion Order which is an effort by olive oil importers to force a tax on all oil sold in the U.S. which would then be used to promote the use of olive oil.  99.3% of the olive oil consumed in the U.S. is imported.  Ridgley pointed out that the importers and California producers have different agendas: they are competing with traditional seed oils, California producers are competing with the foreign imports.  The importers who would be in control of the funds obtained through the order see olive oil as another fat in the diet whereas California producers see their product as a premium specialty condiment.  There has been an assumption that EVOO would be the segment promoted by the importers and that they would be reluctant to use IOOC guidelines.  The COOC negotiators worry that all oil imported as extra virgin may not be.  The COOC found the importers "startlingly unreceptive" to negotiations to change the order.  COOC member Lorenzo from Tehama Gold was at the support order meeting and gave a resounding NO vote to the plan.  In another bid to remove the troublesome CA producers, the import lobby has proposed raising the exception limit high enough that no U.S. producer would pay the tax, therefore assuring that they would also not be able to vote on the spending of the funds.  Albert Katz described the current COOC ad promoting California oils and other revenue sources and promotions such as the seal fees, t-shirt sales, and point of sale coupons.  Before a vote to expand and populate the board with 14 members, Bruce Golino gave an impassioned speech urging the COOC to become a more member oriented organization, to give advance notice of board and member meeting agendas, and to embrace its Southern California members.
 

Book Review
DISCOVERING OIL: Tales from an olive grove in Umbria.

Umbria -  a book by Brian and Lynne Chatterton describing their travails in restoring an Italian olive grove should be of interest to California growers struggling with a similar  grove of old Mission trees.   They bought a hill farm in Umbria in the heart of Italy in 1990. The stone farm house, built originally by monks from a nearby abbey, had been deserted for thirty years and the olive grove was being reclaimed by the surrounding forest. This is an account of their experiences in restoring their olive grove, planting more trees, and discovering the traditional and scientific methods of olive growing and oil pressing. Before moving to Italy, Brian and Lynne grew grapes, and farmed cereals and sheep in the Barossa Valley in South Australia as well as making red wine and a unique white port. Brian was Minister of Agriculture in the 1970's and Lynne was Rural Policy Adviser. Following  is their description of the book:  

"The book is about our experience of restoring and extending an olive grove in the hills of Umbria, how we discovered olive oil, and what we had to do to achieve a premium oil from our own trees. In writing about this we have done our best to keep a balance between the ever changing practical day to day operations of managing an olive grove and the more scientific prescriptions for fertilizer use, pest control and so on. The usual romantic image of olive growing in Central Italy is that of the sun always shining and friendly peasants toiling in the fields while the owner sips chilled white wine under the shade of the olives. Our part of Umbria has poor stony soil and we have frost, snow, drought and hail. We pick, prune and care for our olives ourselves. Even the best oils can be ruined by poor processing so some understanding of the operations of the press helps the grower ensure their good management is not put in peril at the mill. A part of the book is about the mill and bottling. The final section of the book is concerned with regulation and advertising, how this affects the marketing of oil and how to interpret marketing language to identify a good oil. Some ideas based on domestic Italian use of home grown oil are provided. We have not attempted to include a complete recipe book of Italian food but merely sketch in some indicator dishes that show how we and our Italian neighbors use olive oil not just as an alternative fat but as a vital flavor ingredient. "

The book has 115 pages, a soft cover, color front and back and four B & W photos. Available from Hunters Wine, P.O. Box 839 Blenheim. N.Z Email hunters@voyager.co.nz 

• For Sale: Olive Ranch w/B&B license. 14 acres in picturesque Anderson Valley(3 miles west of Boonville, Ca). Complete irrigated olive plantation of 1000 trees (includes: Frantoio, Leccino, Pendolino, Coratina, & Missio) plus an 80 tree University of California-Davis test plot) on 6 acres and professionally managed. Includes 30 gal./min. well; 11,000 gallon storage tanks; Gorgeous 2 Bdr/2Ba home recently re-modeled (1995) Features: saltillo tile flooring throughout living areas, hardwood oak flooring in master bedroom; redwood construction; ceiling fans, loft(2^nd bedroom); 1000 sq. ft. deck(w/hot tub) overlooking beautiful 1/3 acre herb gardens. Additionally, 3 out buildings/sheds. Property includes license for Inn(B&B) w/additional septic system installed. Also, zoned RL-160 for winery as well with highway 128 access.  A superb property in one of the most beautiful settings in all of California. Asking price: $875,000 Phone#: 650-712-7724 or 707-895-2848 Owner: Sue Ellery & Tom Hunter Email: stellacadente@pacific.net

• Used pneumatic olive pickers - Call The Olive Oil Source at 805-688-1014 

Questions and Comments from the Internet:

Bonnie asks:  I am very interested in the apparent benefits of olive oil and since I was told by my own doctor that my blood cholesterol levels were a bit over the average I have taken a keen interest in eating a very healthy diet as well as continuing the medication of one 10mg statin tablet per day, which has reduced my cholesterol to below the average for the part of Scotland I live in!  However, I am confused if eating a source of omega3 found in oily fish such as herring, mackeral, sardines etc marinated in olive oil is good or bad for you, as a recent article I read suggested that such a combination was in fact full of fat. Talk about being confused!!! 

Dr. Deane replies: The food we eat can be categorized as protein, carbohydrate or fat. All oils are fats. Olive oil and omega3 fatty acids are healthier types of fat than animal fats (which contain cholesterol) and the plant fats which are highly saturated (such as margarines and palm oil). Its best to reduce the total amount of fat in your diet and make sure that what fat you do eat is the healthy kind found in fish and olives.

An Olive Oil Primer Feb 115:30-7:00 p.m. Peirano Estate Vineyards Tasting Room  21831 N. Hwy 99, Acampo  (209) 367-1305  Seminar run by Stephanie Prima-Sarantopulos prima@inreach.com

Extra virgin olive oil tasting, Monday Feb. 28 7-9:30pm, , Los Angeles City College, 855 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029 Susan J. O'Connell has wide experience in teaching about olive oil and leading tastings. During the tasting participants will have the chance to note which flavors and fragrances are present and learn the common terms used for comparing oil. Bread, water and Italian cheese will be present to help cleanse the palate between "sips". (323) 669-1031. call to register by phone. $20 class fee, credit card accepted, and $8 material fee, cash only, to be paid in class. (total cost $28) 

How to Select and Enjoy California Olive Oil Feb 29 6:00-9:00 p.m. Foothill Junior College 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills (408) 864-8817 or (408) 864-8966 Seminar run by Stephanie Prima-Sarantopulos prima@inreach.com

Extra virgin olive oil tasting, Feb. 29, March 7th South Bay Adult School, 3401 Inglewood Ave., Redondo Beach, Ca 90278 Tuesday Feb. 29, 6:30-7:30pm (1 hour lecture and in person registration) Tuesday March 7th, 6:30-8;30pm tasting and seminar  Susan J. O'Connell has wide experience in teaching about olive oil and leading tastings. During the tasting participants will have the chance to note which flavors and fragrances are present and learn the common terms used for comparing oil. Bread, water and Italian cheese will be present to help cleanse the palate between "sips".