December 2022 Australia & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor

Soaring scores for 2022 AIOA

2022 December

Awards results, Aust & NZ 2022 AOA Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition Bushfire recovery tool Managing flooded groves

Contents

Incorporating Australian Olive Industry Journal Published by the Australian Olive Association Ltd Publisher Australian Olive Association Ltd Executive Editor Michael Southan ceo@australianolives.com.au Managing Editor Gerri Nelligan editor@olivegrower.com.au Advertising Gerri Nelligan editor@olivegrower.com.au Production Sandra Noke production@olivegrower.com.au Subscriptions A one-year subscription (four issues) is: Aust $44 (AOA member discount rate $40), NZ $56 (ONZ member discount rate $52) and international $100. Visit www. olivebiz.com.au to subscribe.

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Contents

December 2022 Issue 126

News IOC launches Australian marketing campaign

4

Australian labs achieve ongoing accreditation for chemical testing

5

News - awards Low yields, high scores mark 2022 Australian International Olive Awards

6

2022 Australian International Olive Awards - Major Awards

12

Fedra named Hunter Show Best and Most Successful

13

Strathbogie Flavours takes AGOA Best

16

Old groves earn New Norcia top WA EVOO awards

18

Kyneton champions at Tas Fine Food Awards

20

Arkstone Olives: from “fun challenge” to AIOA Best of Show

21

R&D Insights - Hort Innovation

23

2022 National Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition National Conference delivers on information and inspiration

31

2022 Conference Sponsors & Exhibitors

36

New Zealand Southern north island dominates 2022 NZ EVOO Awards

38

Goodbye and thank you, Gayle Sheridan

41

2022 Grove Census Harvest Data Report

42

Olive business How to achieve a viable, award-winning table olive business from 76 trees

44

Five things to know about online advertising

47

Grove management Management of flooded groves

48

New resource provides tools for post-bushfire wellbeing

49

What’s on/Advertiser index

50

ISSN 1448-5486 Conditions The opinions expressed in Olivegrower & Processor are not necessarily the opinions of or endorsed by the editor or publisher unless otherwise stated. All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher.

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No part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, the publisher will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

Cover: The 2022 AIOA results say it all in terms of product quality, with an increase on the average entry score to 82.5/100 and the bulk of medals awarded being Gold or Silver.

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 3

News

IOC launches Australian marketing campaign The International Olive Council (IOC) has commenced a threeyear marketing campaign in Australia, promoting the consumption of olive oil while also raising awareness of the Council and its work.

The OLIVE OIL: TASTE - LIVE - SHARE - BETTER campaign was launched at a cocktail event in Sydney on 19 October, kicking off the Australian leg of a worldwide incentive which “aims to promote the benefits and positive perception of olive oil while increasing loyalty and consumption”.

The event was attended by around 40 invited guests, including industry members, stakeholders and journalists. IOC executive director Jaime Lillo introduced the IOC mission, before campaign spokesperson Marion Chazel presented the campaign program and introduced the Chef Ambassador, Mark Olive. Nutritionist Lyndi Cohen also spoke on the health benefits of olive oil in a daily diet.

Guests were served olive oil-based canapés throughout the evening, while tasting stations featured “internationally renowned olive oils”.

Planned promotion

The initiative was announced in March as a $1.2m campaign to market olive oil to Australian consumers, with documents for the tender process stating that it would promote the different varieties, distinct features and health benefits. Also that both imported olive oil and Australian-made products would be promoted.

At the time the Australian Olive Oil Association praised the initiative as an opportunity to increase demand, while Australian Olive Association CEO Michael Southan said he would have preferred a local focus, and that he hoped the emphasis of the promotion would be on extra virgin olive oil.

"I can understand why they are promoting both because there's still a lot of olive oil being imported, produced by IOC member countries," Southan said.

"But over recent years our industry has really geared up and we've gone from almost nothing two decades ago, to now producing enough olive oil to supply more than half of Australia’s demand. IOC figures in fact show that in the six months from October 2021-June 2022, imports to Australia fell by 18%.

“We’re also now seeing some of the best quality extra virgin olive oil produced here in Australia - in fact, extra virgin quality is all the Australian industry aims to produce - so we’d definitely like to see a campaign based around “extra virgin”.

"It's what the health benefits of olive oil are associated with, and it's also what Australian consumers have become accustomed to through our high quality local products."

According to Chazel, the IOC doesn’t want to promote any specific olive oil but rather “good quality olive oil and processes”.

Staged roll-out

The initial focus of the campaign is industry, with the consumer element to follow later.

“Next year the campaign will be about some workshops, where we’ll talk about the IOC’s quality standards,” she said.

“It’s about introducing the IOC to the local producers, to create this circle where people could network and ask questions. The IOC has never really communicated in Australia, so we want to raise awareness of the IOC, what they do and what Australia could benefit from through the IOC. We want to engage with the industry and

4 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

Campaign key messages

TASTE - “Enhance the flavours” Produced with passion and from simple processes, Olive oil is blessed by exceptional natural aromas which enhance any food it is paired with.

LIVE - “The Healthy Choice” Loaded with unsaturated fat, olive oil consumption lowers the risk of a multitude of diseases (Diabetes, Alzheimer, Cardiovascular diseases).

SHARE - “Sharing is caring” Olive oil is a versatile product that offers endless possibility.

For creative pairings with any cuisine, Olive oil should be an essential of the Australian pantry. promote the olive oil industry as a whole.

“Then moving forward it will be more towards the consumers education targeting consumers about olive oil quality, and also the health component.”

Campaign ambassador

Also known as the ‘Black Olive’, celebrity chef and Bundjalung man Mark Olive was chosen as the campaign’s Chef Ambassador, creating “an innovative bridge between international olive oils and the indigenous Australian culinary scene”.

“Specialising in aligning the flavours of olive oil and olive infusions to create world renowned recipes that pay homage to the cultural and soulful culinary techniques of first nations people, Mark Olive represents the Aboriginal community and is the best to represent olive oil as well, due to his name,” Chazel said.

“He is an iconic ambassador for indigenous food and hospitality, and will be the face of the IOC in Australia.”

Chazel said that Olive “uses olive oil in a clever and unexpected way, demonstrated by the olive oil-based canapés created for the launch” and that he will be developing simple recipes specifically for the campaign targeted at home cooks.

“There will also be advertorials where he’ll also be answering basic questions like cooking with olive oil, to promote usage,” she said.

News

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Australian labs achieve ongoing accreditation for chemical testing The international accreditation status of both of Australia’s olive oil chemical testing services has been confirmed for another year.

In early December the International Olive Council released the list of physico-chemical testing laboratories recognised for the period from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023. The list covers laboratories across the globe, and both NSW DPI AgEnviro Labs and Modern Olives Laboratory were included among the successful facilities.

IOC recognition is awarded across various testing categories to applicant olive oil testing laboratories which have been accredited by a national accreditation body.

Physico-chemical accreditation requires proof of proficiency in applying the testing methods recommended in the IOC trade standard for olive oil and olive-pomace oil via participation in a practical check test organised by the IOC Executive Secretariat.

NSW DPI AgEnviro Labs received accreditation under the public laboratories category for Recognition type A - Basic testing; Modern Olives’ accreditation is in the Private laboratories category for Advanced Recognition type B - Advanced testing. Both provide for the usual range of tests required for the analysis of olive oil and classification as extra virgin status.

Sensory accreditation

The IOC list of laboratories recognised to undertake the sensory analysis of virgin olive oils was also released. Accreditation in this category is dependent on the laboratory obtaining a satisfactory evaluation in periodic tests organised by the IOC to check the competence of panels undertaking the tasting of virgin olive oils.

The Australian Olive Oil Sensory Panel, also part of the NSW DPI, achieved accreditation for the activity year from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023.

Additional accreditations

Both Australian laboratories are also accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA) and the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS). Modern Olives has an additional Therapeutic Good Authority (TGA) license for chemical, physical, microbiological and sensory testing.

Quality assurance

AOA CEO Michael Southan said the continuing international accreditations confirm the calibre of the testing services available to local producers.

“It’s great that our Australian labs have been able to retain their accreditation as per last year, with both being re-accredited for chemical testing and NSW DPI being re-accredited for sensory testing,” he said.

“The key thing for most olive producers in Australia and New Zealand is the knowledge that both labs are accredited by NATA. This is the highest level of certification for oil testing, and provides assurance to producers that world’s best practice testing standards are being upheld.

“The IOC accreditations are great news for people wanting to export their olive oils and table olives overseas to countries that require an IOC test report. Added to their respective NATA accreditations, it means that all producers have full testing options for meeting the needs of their domestic and overseas customers.”

More information: DPI AgEnviro Labs: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/labs.

Modern Olives Laboratory: www.modernolives.com.au

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Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 5

News-Awards

Best of Show (and many more) winners Gillian and Guy Ward of Arkstone Olives.

®

Low yields, high scores mark 2022 Australian International Olive Awards A lower-yielding 2022 harvest for many producers has proven that when it comes to olive production and quality, bigger is not necessarily better. The average judges’ score for 2022 Australian International Olive Awards entries rose to an impressive 82.5/100, and Silver and Gold medals dominated the results.

Major winners - EVOO

Arkstone Olives’ Italian 22 Extra Virgin Olive Oil topped the overall judges’ scores with an outstanding 95/100, taking Gold and a clean sweep across all eligible trophy categories. With a grove of just 400 trees, the New South Wales producer took out the major award for Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Show (Boutique Volume), along with the trophies for Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Southern Hemisphere, Best New South Wales Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Champion Italian

6 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil. And these were just for the Italian 22. Arkstone was awarded another three Gold medals, and point scores of 90, 92 and 89 respectively, for its Spanish 22 blend, and Correggiola and Manzanillo varietals EVOOs. Larger in production and alongside in the quality ratings was Diana Olive Oil’s Novello, awarded an equally impressive score of 94 by the judges. The Gold-medal winning Novello was named Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Show (Commercial Volume) and earned the Fleurieu Peninsula producer the trophies for Best South Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Champion Medium Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Flavoured Olive Oil

Also taking major oil awards were New South Wales producer

News-Awards Silver medal winners

Fedra Olive Grove, which won Gold, Champion Flavoured/Infused Olive Oil and Best Flavoured Olive Oil of Show (Boutique Volume) for its 92-pointed Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil Lemon Myrtle Garlic & Thyme; and Victoria’s Kyneton Olive Oil, awarded 94, Gold and the trophies for Champion Agrumato Olive Oil and Best Flavoured Olive Oil of Show (Commercial Volume) for its Basil Infused Olive Oil. That was just one of Fedra’s six medals - five Gold and one Silver in this year’s competition, with others earned for its Extra Virgin First Cold Press Olive Oil (91, Gold), Jeff’s Blend (89, Gold), Infused EVOO Garlic Thyme, Lemon and Oregano (88, Gold), Infused EVOO Blood Orange and Tarragon (87, Gold) and Infused EVOO Chilli and Lemon (78, Silver).

Kyneton also further stamped its mark on the medal-winners list, awarded a total of four Gold and two Silver medals across both the

EVOO and flavoured oil classes. The additional medals went to the Kyneton Chill Infused Olive Oil (89, Gold), Family Blend EVOO (87, Gold), Gourmet blend EVOO (86, Gold); Lemon Agrumato (78, Silver) and Garlic Infused Olive Oil (76, Silver).

Table Olives

In the Table Olive Competition, New South Wales producer Adina Vineyard and Olive Grove’s Hunter Providore Chilli & Garlic Olives took the judges’ top score of 92, along with Gold and the trophies for Champion Specialty Olive and Best Table Olive of Show (Boutique Volume). Adina also took home Bronze medals for its Hunter Providore Salad Blend and Hunter Providore Kalamata table olives.

South Australia’s Arkwright Estate led the field of larger table olive

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 7

News-Awards

Best Table Olive of Show - Commercial: Andy Young, Arkwright Estate.

Best Flavoured Oil of Show: Mick Labozzetta, Kyneton Olive Oil.

producers, awarded 90 points, Gold and the trophy for Best Table Olive of Show (Commercial) for its Traditional Kalamata. The win made it two top production years in a row for Arkwright’s Traditional Kalamata, which also took the trophy for Champion Kalamata Olives at the 2021 Australian International Olive Awards.

International winners

Italian producer Monini S.P.A. led the field among international entrants in 2022, taking the trophy for Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Northern Hemisphere for its Monini Monocultivar Coratina Organic EVOO - 100% Italian. The Coratina was awarded 88 points and Gold by the judges, along with additional medals for Monini’s Organic EVOO - 100% Italian (86, Gold), Granfruttato EVOO 100% Italian (70, Bronze) and it’s L’Oliva Leccino - 100% Italian table olives (74, Bronze).

Greek producer G-Team once again took the trophy for Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Highest Phenolic Content for its Hypereleon Ultra Gold (86, Gold), making it two out of two since the award’s inception. A new award introduced for the 2021 competition, this category reflects the increasing recognitional of olive polyphenols for preventative health and treatment, and of EVOO as a functional food.

Global olive competition expertise

Australia’s premier olive competition, the Australian International Olive Awards is run annually by the Australian Olive Association (AOA) and opened to international entries in 2017.

The competition is fast becoming one of the most prestigious events on the global olive oil stage and in recent years judging has also gone international, with 2022 entries judged by expert panels in Spain, Italy, New Zealand, China and across Australia.

Event Convenor and Chief Steward Trudie Michels said that, when selecting judges for each competition, she places a strong focus on ensuring broad-ranging judging expertise and experience.

“In 2022, twelve panels of well-credentialed olive experts from both the new and old-world olive producing regions were assembled.

Together they formed an overall judging group of the highest calibre, offering a wealth of global olive competition experience and knowledge,” she said.

8 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

“This reinforces objectivity in the judging panels, with these diverse panels ensuring a thoughtful, non-biased judging process based purely on merit.”

Remote judging

While panels were able to meet this year, the ongoing COVID-19 situation around the globe saw the previous remote judging format utilised again for the 2022 competition.

“Formal kits designed for off-site judging were couriered to panel leaders in each of the locations and judging was done face-to-face at appropriate venues,” Michels said.

“Judging then took place over a three-week period in September, with results collated and communicated to producers as soon as possible to maximise their opportunity for promotion.”

International impression

Michels said feedback from this year’s international panels was very complimentary on the 2022 oils.

“The judges were extremely impressed by the quality of this year’s oils and if your olive products received a gold medal, you know they are really very, very good,” she said.

“Opinions shared were that many of the top gold medals would compete successfully if they were compared to other international oils of the same season.”

Commitment to quality

Michels said this year’s competition reflects the commitment to quality across the Australian industry.

“Considering the lower-yielding crop for so many producers, it was pleasing to receive 207 entries this year. The 2022 season was a very challenging one, and entry numbers in all Australian olive oil competitions have been down compared to previous years, however this was a solid follow-up to the record 269 entries we received from the bumper 2021 season,” she said.

“And the results speak for themselves in terms of product quality, with an increase on the average entry score to 82.5 - up from both 2021 (78.21) and 2020 (81.7). This equates to a high Silver and is a very promising result for such a difficult year. It’s also notable that the bulk of medals awarded were Silver or Gold, accounting for 119 of the total 140.”

News-Awards

Best Table Olive of Show - Boutique (and many more): AOA President Mike Thomsett and Scott Clifford, Adina Vineyard and Olive Grove.

2022 AIOA EVOO entry fast facts

Champion Green Olives + Olive Medley: Margie Carter, Parafield Olives.

156 entries, including 11 from international exhibitors 140 medals awarded: 63 Gold, 56 Silver, 21 Bronze Medals to 89% of entries Average score 82.5/very high silver Decrease in mild and medium oils, increase in robust Made from one or more of 34 varieties (41 in 2021): monovarietals 63% (52%), two-cultivar blends 20% (23%), three cultivar blends 8% (16%), four+ cultivar blends 9% (9%) 68% of gold medal oils single cultivar (60% in 2021) Average free fatty acid percentage: 0.247 (0.207 in 2021) Average peroxide level: 5.331mEq O2/kg (5.811 in 2021) Average polyphenol count: 287.43mg/kg (260.74 in 2021) Polyphenol range: 39ppm Arbequina to 1062ppm Tunisian Chetoui (50ppm Leccino to 1155ppm Greek Olympia in 2021)

Medal tally

In this year’s extra virgin olive oil competition there were 140 medals awarded to the 207 entries, including 63 Gold medals (66 awarded in 2021), 56 Silver medals (74 in 2021) and 21 Bronze medals (44 in 2021). This saw 89% of entries awarded a medal, a slight increase on last year’s 88%.

The flavoured oil competition had an even higher success rate, with 100% of entries receiving a medal (89% in 2021). Of the 29 oils entered (down from 37 in 2021), 15 were awarded Gold medals (14 in 2021), 13 Silver (15 in 2021) and one Bronze (four in 2021).

It is notable that no entries were received this year for the Citrus Flavoured/Infused Oils class, while 14 were received for the Citrus Agrumato Oils class, showing a definitive trend towards the agrumato method of flavoured oil production.

And while entries in the table olive competition remained comparatively low for the second year running, with 22 from 10 exhibitors (24 entries in 2021 and 46 in 2020), 91% of entries were awarded a medal (88% in 2021). The total of 20 medals - nine Gold,

Multi-medal winner, table olives: John Fielke, Ag-IQ Australia Olive 1 More.

six Silver and 5 Bronze - also saw a move from Silver and Bronze towards Gold medals, with judges noting that entries in the Specialty Olives class were particularly good.

Best practice focus paying off

AOA CEO Michael Southan said that this year’s competition is further proof of the increasing production skills of Australian olive producers, and the industry’s dedication to ongoing quality improvement.

“Our producers keep pushing the quality of their products further up the scale, with an industry-wide focus on best practice from grove to consumer,” he said.

“Feedback from this year’s judges reflects that focus: that quality

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 9

News-Awards Bronze medal winners

overall continues to lift, that the best oils were superb and that the superb oils were many.

“That’s a win-win for Australian consumers, who can access high-quality, world-class extra virgin olive oils, flavoured oils and table olives, produced locally and sustainably. Combined with the growing recognition of both the versatility and health benefits of olive products, we’re expecting that to translate into even stronger demand and sales, and a growing market share for Australian olive producers.”

Presentation dinner

Reserve Champion Robust & Flavoured/Infused: Yiannis and Angie Karteras, Agronio.

The winners were announced at the Australian International Olive Awards Gala Virtual Presentation, held in Devonport, Tasmania on 14 October in conjunction with the AOA National Olive Conference.

Medal-winning AIOA entrants and supporters alike went to remarkable lengths to be there for the award presentations, and a fabulous time was had by all - including AOA CEO Michael Southan, who joined the industry during the ‘COVID virtual era’ of the event.

“It was my first live AIOA presentation, and it was a great night,” he said.

“Kent Hallett is a brilliant MC and it all ran really smoothly. I particularly liked that all of the award winners were recognized - every

Res Champion Greek Varietal & Spanish Varietal: Felipe Rivera, Andrew Burgess and Cameron Barr, Cobram Estate.

10 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

News-Awards

Reserve Champion Medley + Specialty Olives: Owen and Dianne Carington Smith, Bruny Island Olives.

Champion WA EVOO: AOA President Mike Thomsett and Ian Smith, New Norcia Olive Oil.

medal winner - with the main winners announced at the end of the night.

“It obviously really meant a lot to producers to be there, and be celebrated for all their hard work and the high quality products they create. It’s not just a quick car trip to get to Devonport - especially when half of Tasmania was in flood - and people went out of their way to attend. They got really dressed up too, which showed just how special it was to receive an AIOA accolade in front of their peers.

“We had a lot of fun, and it was terrific to see people get so excited to see their product becoming a national - and international - award winner.”

Full results

The full results listings, along with more detailed competition information and statistics, are available by downloading the official 2022 AIOA Results Book from the competition website: www.internationaloliveawardsaustralia.com.au.

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Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 11

News-Awards

2022 Australian International Olive Awards - Major Awards Best of Show Awards

Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Show, Boutique Volume - Arkstone Olives Italian 22 (NSW) Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Show, Commercial Volume - Diana Olive Oil, Diana Novello (SA) Best Flavoured Olive Oil of Show, Boutique Volume - Fedra Olive Grove Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil Lemon Myrtle Garlic & Thyme (NSW) Best Flavoured Olive Oil of Show, Commercial Volume - Kyneton Olive Oil Basil Infused (VIC) Best Table Olive of Show, Boutique Volume Adina Vineyard & Olive Grove Hunter Providore Chilli & Garlic (NSW) Best Table Olive of Show, Commercial Volume - Arkwright Estate Traditional Kalamata (SA)

Champion Awards - Class

The

AU STRAL IAN I N T E R N AT I O N A L Olive Awards

®

www.internationaloliveawardsaustralia .com .au

Best of Show Awards - Region

Best Table Olive Southern Hemisphere - Adina Vineyard & Olive Grove Hunter Providore Chilli & Garlic (NSW) Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Southern Hemisphere - Arkstone Olives Italian 22 (NSW) Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Northern Hemisphere - Monini S.P.A. Monini Monocultivar Coratina Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 100% Italian (ITALY) Best Table Olive Northern Hemisphere - Not Awarded

Champion Awards - Region

Champion Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Arkstone Olives Italian 22 (NSW) Champion Australian Table Olive - Adina Vineyard and Olive Grove Hunter Providore Chilli & Garlic (NSW) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil ACT - Fedra Olive Grove Fedra Extra Virgin First Cold Press Olive Oil (NSW) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil New South Wales - Arkstone Olives Italian 22 (NSW) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil South Australia - Diana Olive Oil, Diana Novello (SA) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasmania - Flinders Island Olives Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (TAS) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil Victoria - Devon Siding Olives Frantoio (VIC) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil Western Australia - New Norcia Olive Oil WA Mission (WA) Champion Extra Virgin Olive Oil Highest Phenolic Content G-Team Hypereleon Ultra Gold (GREECE)

Champion Class 1, Mild Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Kallewanda Pastoral Co W²Olives Extra Virgin Olive Oil (NSW) Champion Class 2, Medium Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Diana Olive Oil, Diana Novello (SA) Champion Class 3, Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Mount Bernard Olives Picual (VIC) Champion Class 4, Non-Packaged (Bulk) Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Nasmin FS-17 (SA) Champion Class 5A, Spanish Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Arkstone Olives Spanish 22 (NSW) Champion Class 5B, Italian Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Arkstone Olives Italian 22 (NSW) Champion Class 5C, Greek Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil - The House On The Hill K1

Koroneiki (VIC) Champion Class 5D, Other Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Cape Schanck Olive Estate Picholine (VIC) Champion Class 6, Flavoured and or Infused Olive Oil - Fedra Olive Grove Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil Lemon Myrtle Garlic & Thyme (NSW) Champion Class 7, Agrumato Olive Oil - Kyneton Olive Oil Basil Infused (VIC) Champion Class 11, Green Olives - Parafield Organic Table Olives Wallis (NSW) Champion Class 12, Medley of Olives - Parafield Organic Table Olives Medley (NSW) Champion Class 13, Olives Turning Colour & Black Olives - Not awarded Champion Class 14, Kalamata Olives - Gooramadda Olives Kalamata (VIC) Champion Class 15, Wild Olives - Bruny Island Olives Rose (TAS) Champion Class 16, Dried Olives - Saluté Oliva Semi Dried Olives (VIC) Champion Class 17, Pitted and or Stuffed Olives - Not awarded Champion Class 18, Specialty Olives - Adina Vineyard & Olive Grove Hunter Providore Chilli & Garlic (NSW) Full results: www.internationaloliveawardsaustralia.com.au

Competition sponsors

Platinum Show Sponsor NSW DPI

Gold Sponsor, Best EVOO of Show Boutique Quantity Modern Olives

Silver Sponsor, Champion Australian EVOO Australian Frost Fans

12 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

Bronze Sponsor, Champion Italian EVOO SICMA

Bronze Sponsor, Champion South Australian EVOO Olive Oil Packaging Services

Foundation Sponsor AOA

News-Awards

Best EVOO of Show, Most Successful Exhibitor and Best Infused Oil from NSW & ACT were just three of the accolades presented to Fedra Olive Grove’s Jeff Konstantinou by HOA Chief Steward Steve Mitchell.

Marie Kearns of Olives from Broke accepted the trophy for Best Table Olive from Hunter Valley Fruit from sponsor Martin Meade of Farmland Co - one of three major awards she took home from the celebrations.

Fedra named Hunter Show Best and Most Successful Fedra’s Frantoio also took home Gold, Best Medium EVOO and the trophy for Best EVOO from NSW/ACT excl the Hunter Valley, while Fedra’s Infused Garlic Oil, Thyme and Lemon with Oregano was awarded Gold, Best Infused Oil Other Flavours, and the trophy for Best Infused Oil from NSW & ACT excl Hunter Valley Fruit.

Both oils were awarded 17.5/20, the judges’ second highest score.

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Rich Glen Olive Oil were also big winners this year, their Orange Citrus Zest Infusion taking Gold, Best in Class Infused Olive Oil Citrus Flavours, and the trophies for Best Infused Oil from Victorian Fruit and Best Infused Oil of Show - along with the judges’ top score of 18.

Other top oil winners included Strathbogie Flavours, whose Manzanillo took Gold and Best EVOO from Victorian Fruit, with an

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In a tough competition between highquality producers, Fedra Olive Grove took the two top accolades at this year’s Hunter Olive Show. The presentation event on 6 October saw Fedra’s Frantoio varietal named 2022 Best EVOO of Show, with its total medal and trophy haul earning the New South Wales producer the award for Most Successful Exhibitor.

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Mobile: Kent 0428 829 024 Mobile: Michelle 0448 965 349 PO Box 114 Riverton SA 5412 Email: oops@aussiebroadband.com.au Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 13

News-Awards

The trophy for the Best Infused Oil from Victorian Fruit was accepted

by Alan Smith from Steve Mitchell on behalf of winners Rich Glen Olives - a more relaxing job for the two hard-working competition organisers and joint Chief Stewards!

additional Gold and Best in Class Robust for their Picual varietal.

Olives from Broke was the stand-out winner in the table olive classes, taking three of the five available trophies - Best Table Olive of Show and Best Table Olive from Hunter Valley Fruit for its Kalamata, and Best Flavoured Table Olive from Hunter Valley Fruit for its Picholine with Fennel -

Mike Wilson of Belarna Grove accepted the Best in Class Green Table Olives award from Chief Steward Steve Mitchell.

along with the class awards for Best Black Olives and Best Spiced or Flavoured Green Olives, and a run of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

Poor crops, pleasing entries

Chief stewards and show organisers Steve Mitchell and Alan Smith said that support for the competition was once again strong

this year, despite poor crop outcomes in many areas of NSW, and especially in the Hunter Valley.

“It is pleasing that overall entries totalled 66, down on our record of 88 in 2021 but nevertheless quite respectable, considering the last five years have seen entry numbers between 52 and 88,” they said.

“Most notable was that the mild, medium

2022 Hunter Olive Show Major Trophies Hunter Bottling Company Trophy for Most Successful Exhibitor of Show - Fedra Olive Grove Australian Olive Association Trophy for Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Show - Fedra Olive Grove Frantoio Modern Olives Trophy for Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Show from Victorian Fruit - Strathbogie Flavours Manzanillo Hunter Bottling Company Trophy for Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil from NSW & ACT excl Hunter Valley Fruit - Fedra Olive Grove Frantoio Farmland Co Trophy for Best Infused Oil of Show - Rich Glen Olive Oil Orange Citrus Zest Infusion Olivegrower & Processor Trophy for Best Infused Oil from Hunter Valley Fruit - Hunter Valley Olive Growers & Sellers Smoked Garlic Olive Centre Trophy for Best Infused Oil from Victorian Fruit Rich Glen Olive Oil Orange Citrus Zest Infusion Adina Vineyard & Olive Grove Trophy for Best Infused Oil from NSW & ACT excl Hunter Valley Fruit - Fedra Olive Grove Infused Garlic Oil, Thyme and Lemon with Oregano Olive Centre Trophy for Best Table Olive of Show - Olives from Broke Kalamata Farmland Co Trophy for Best Table Olive from Hunter Valley Fruit - Olives from Broke Kalamata 14 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

Adina Vineyard & Olive Grove Trophy for the Best Flavoured Table Olive - Adina Vineyard & Olive Grove Rosemary Kalamata Farmland Co Trophy for Best Flavoured Table Olive from Hunter Valley Fruit - Olives from Broke Picholine with Fennel Plasdene Glass-Pak Trophy for Best Tapenade or Olive Spread of Show - Gooramadda Olives Tapenade Best in Class Awards Best Mild EVOO - Paringa Ridge Picual Best Medium EVOO - Fedra Olive Grove Frantoio Best Robust EVOO - Strathbogie Flavours Picual Best Infused Olive Oil, Citrus Flavours - Rich Glen Olive Oil Orange Citrus Zest Infusion Best Infused Olive Oil, Other Flavours - Fedra olive Grove Infused Garlic Oil, Thyme and Lemon with Oregano Best Green Olives - Belarna Grove Natural UC Best Black Olives - Olives from Broke Kalamata Best Spiced or Flavoured Green Olives - Olives from Broke Picholine with Fennel Best Spiced or Flavoured Black Olives- Adina Vineyard & Olive Grove Rosemary Kalamata Best Olive Specials - Gooramadda Olives Mixed Best Olive Tapenade or Spread - Gooramadda Olives Tapenade

News-Awards

Hunter Valley Olives Growers & Sellers’ Ian Anderson took home a bundle of medals, along with the HOA Trophy for the Best Infused Oil from Hunter Valley Fruit for their Smoked Garlic olive oil.

and robust EVOO classes had only 14 entries between them, versus 51 the prior year, which fortunately was balanced by a record number of flavoured oils.

“This was similar in the table olives classes, where the flavoured entries more than balanced the reduction in the pure green and black table olive entries.”

The statistics

There were 37 EVOO entries in total, awarded eight Gold medals, 19 Silver

The Adina Vineyard and Olive Grove crew (from left) Kate Fagan, Sue Turner and Scott Clifford were thrilled with their award haul at this year’s Hunter competition.

medals and nine Bronze medals.

The flavoured oil classes received 23 entries, all of which received medals. Of particular note was the quality of entries in Class 4, Citrus Infused Oils, described by the judges as “a true reflection of everything citrus, from lemon, lime, orange to lemon myrtle and blood orange … delicious to taste and savour”.

This year’s competition saw an increase in the number of table olive and tapenade entries, at 23 and six respectively. The

judges were particularly impressed by the Best of Show Kalamata olive, describing it as “a great example of the variety, well presented and excellent eating”, and with the quality of spreads and tapenades entered.

Full results are available on the Hunter Olive Association website - www. hunterolives.asn.au - under the Annual Olive Show drop-down.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

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The Sensory Panel Secretary is a crucial posiion, and together with the Sensory Panel Leader is responsible for seleccng, training, and monitoring tasters and results of the sensory analysis panel.

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Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 15

News-Awards

Strathbogie Flavours takes AGOA Best

Strathbogie Flavours’ Dijana Cane was this year’s Australian Golden Olive Awards Best of Show winner, and was also awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze medals and the trophy for Best in Class - Small Volume.

An active retirement move to Mansfield, Victoria set the path to olive industry success for Strathbogie Flavours owner Dijana Cane, who took the coveted Best in Show Award at this year’s Australian Golden Olive Awards (AGOA).

Still relatively new in her role as owner of the Marraweeny Olives organic grove at Strathbogie, Dijana is obviously a natural at olive growing and processing: the judges awarded AGOA Gold, Silver and Bronze medals respectively for her varietal Manzanillo, Frantoio and Picual EVOOs, with the Manzanillo then also taking the trophies for Best in Class - Small Volume and Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Show.

The stand-out entry of the flavoured olive oil classes was South Australian producer Rio Vista Olives’ Chilli Oil, awarded Gold, Best in Class - Agrumato and Best Agrumato Olive Oil in Show.

2022 Australian Golden Olive Awards Major Winners

The statistics

Best in Show Strathbogie Flavours Manzanillo Best Agrumato in Show Rio Vista Olives Chilli Oil

Best in Class Class 1 - Micro Volume: Not Awarded Class 2 - Small Volume: Strathbogie Flavours Manzanillo Class 3 - Large Volume: Fedra Grove Fedra Frantoio Class 5 - Agrumato: Rio Vista Olives Chilli

The winners were announced at the AGOA presentation dinner on 2 September, where competition organisers Rob and Melanie Whyte of Gooramadda Olives gave an overview of this year’s event.

“The wet weather certainly made it a challenging year, particularly for many groves in NSW, so we were really pleased to see as many entries as we did,” they said.

Won an award but couldn’t make the presentation?

Send us a photo!

We love to celebrate the competition success of our hard-working producers in the pages of Olivegrower & Processor, and happy, smiling faces are the ideal way.

But not everyone is able to attend award events, so if that’s you, we’d love you to take your own winner’s photo and send it to us, so we can share your win with your industry peers.

Pictures like the ones on these pages are ideal (medals, trophies and smiling faces in the grove). Then just send the original, full-sized image + names and award details to editor@olivegrower.com.au.

Thanks in advance - we look forward to receiving your photos!

16 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

News-Awards

“All up there were 79 entries, with only two judged as no medal or withdrawn. A total of 75 medals were awarded - 16 Gold, 39 Silver and 20 Bronze - and the judges’ highest score of 90/100 went to New South Wales producer Fedra Olive Grove’s Frantoio EVOO. “The two most successful exhibitors were Rio Vista Olives, awarded five Gold, seven Silver and three Bronze medals, Best in Class - Agrumato and Best Agrumato in Show; and Fedra Olive Grove, awarded one Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals, along with Best in Class - Large Volume. Interestingly, both had success with a combination of EVOO and flavoured olive oil entries.

“The two oils withdrawn were due to being over the free fatty acid parameter for extra virgin olive oil. We have reached out to those people to discuss possible causes, as it is a devastating thing to find your oil does not meet standard.

“Nevertheless, this is why we encourage entries: entering the competition is a chance to get your oil assessed for compliance as well as getting an idea of how you compare.”

More information

The Australian Golden Olive Awards are a low-cost competition run annually by the regional organisation Olive Producers North East Victoria (OPNEV). Find out more at www.australianoliveawards.com.au.

Rio Vista Olives’ Chilli Pressed Olive Oil was one of 2022’s ‘hottest’ entries, awarded Gold, Best in Class - Agrumato and Best Agrumato Olive Oil in Show at the AGOA, and Gold and Reserve Champion Agrumato Olive Oil at the Australian International Olive Awards.

The Board and Staff of the AUSTRALIAN OLIVE ASSOCIATION would like to thank our members for their ongoing support We wish you all a SAFE & MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

2022

Please note the AOA office will be closed from Friday, 16 December 2022 to Friday, 27 January 2023 inclusive, re-opening on Monday, 30 January.

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 17

News-Awards

Presenting the Best Oil of Show trophy and Steve Milton Award for Best WA Oil to New Norcia Olive Oil were, from left: Janine Milton, New Norcia’s Jim Longbottom, Graeme Edwards, Greg Taylor and Ian Smith, Brad Thompson of sponsor Nutrien Ag Solutions and Olives WA President Rick De San Miguel.

Old groves earn New Norcia top WA EVOO awards

Best Boutique winners Shelley Verran (left) and Patrick Cullen of Long Gully Grove, with Olives WA President; Rick De San Miguel (centre).

2022 WA Olive Awards Major Award Winners

Best Oil of Show - New Norcia Olive Oil Best Boutique Oil of Show - Long Gully Grove Coratina/Picual Best Flavoured Oil of Show - Guinea Grove Farm Lime Pressed Steve Milton Award for Best WA Oil - New Norcia Olive Oil Best in Class Boutique Volume - Long Gully Grove Coratina Picual Best in Class Commercial Volume 200-4999L - New Norcia Olive Oil WA Mission Best in Class Commercial Volume >5000L - Koorian Golden Fresh Best in Class Commercial Volume, Multi-grove - Jeff's Blend Extra Virgin First Cold Press Olive Oil Best in Class Flavoured Oil - Grove Farm Lime Pressed 18 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

The Benedictine Community of New Norcia had its quality prayers answered this year, with its WA Mission varietal EVOO taking top honours at the 2022 WA Olive Awards. Awarded the judges’ highest score of 94 and Premium Gold, the New Norcia Olive Oil WA Mission was named Best in Class, Commercial Volume 200-4999L, before taking the inaugural Steve Milton Award for Best WA Oil and the trophy for Best Oil of Show.

Best Boutique Oil of Show was awarded to Nannup producer Long Gully Grove for its Coratina/Picual blend, which also received Gold and the Best in Class, Boutique Volume award for its 89-pointed EVOO. Long Gully added to its competition success with Silver for its Mission varietal, and Bronze medals for its Picual/Pendolino and Frantoio/ Leccino blends.

The Best Flavoured Oil of Show award went to Guinea Grove Farm in Gingin, its Lime Pressed olive oil also receiving 88 points, Gold and the award for Best in Class, Flavoured Oil. Guinea Gold was one of this year’s most prolific medal winners, in both flavoured oil and extra virgin classes,

News-Awards

David Evans (left) and David Reed (right) of Blackwood River Cottages, with Olives WA President Rick De San Miguel, took home three Gold and two Bronze medals for their five entries.

In honour of former WAOC President Steve Milton, the Best WA Oil of Show trophy was this year renamed the Steve Milton Award.

awarded additional Gold medals for its Lemon Pressed and Classic Frantoio, Silver medals for its Chilli Crushed and Pendolino, and Bronze for its Fruity Leccino.

Fewer entries, “amazing” oils

Organised and run by the West Australian Olive Council (WAOC), this year’s competition saw a drop in entry numbers consistent with other olive shows across Australia.

“After the record levels of olive oil production last year, this year has certainly seen a comparative downturn across most of the country, with some producers not harvesting due to their small yield. Floods in the eastern states, and a long, hot and dry WA summer, also didn’t help,” Chief Steward Ellen Slobe said.

“But while we had a smaller number of entries this year, there were some amazing oils among the entries. Quality was once again extremely high, with more than 90% of entries receiving an award and 13 awarded a Gold or Premium Gold medal.”

Andrew and Megan Aitken of Wild Olive Farm took Gold for their first time entry in the WA Olive Awards.

Valuable feedback

Chief Judge Isabelle Okis said that, while quality was generally high, the competition once again provides valuable feedback for improvement for some producers.

“We had five entries withdrawn due to the laboratory test results for EVOO, due to high free fatty acid (FFA) or peroxide values. This could be due to high temperatures during the processing of the fruit, the harvested fruit lying too long before being crushed, or exposure to excessive light and/or heat during storage of EVOO. “Most processing plants in WA are operated at reasonably low temperatures, so the most likely culprit for excessive peroxide

Regans Ridge Olives’ Catherine and Ellen Lee were proud Silver medal winners.

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 19

News-Awards

Numbers may have been down this year but the judging panel was thrilled with the quality of entries.

and FFA values is that the olive fruit was left fermenting for too long before being crushed.

“This is an important reminder that for freshness of oil and a good shelf life, processing of the olives needs to be carried out as soon as possible after harvesting.”

The statistics

Sponsor of the ongoing judges’ training program, AOA CEO Michael Southan attended the awards presentation and visited WA producers while he was in the state.

A total of 70 entries were received this year, from 35 entrants. This was substantially lower than the 99 entries received from last year’s bumper harvest but 10 more than 2020 entries.

Entries were comprised of 61 extra virgin olive oils (85 in 2021) and nine flavoured oils (14 in 2021).

The WA competition uses the 100 point judging system and includes a Premium Gold medal category, awarded to entries with scores of 90 or more. Gold medals are

awarded for 86-89 point scores, Silver for 76-85 points and Bronze for 65-75 points. A score of 55-64 receives No medal.

The 61 entries in the EVOO competition received two Premium Gold medals (2.8% of entries; 6.1% in 2021), 11 Gold medals (15.7%; 11.1%), 24 Silver medals (40.0%; 51.5%), 23 Bronze medals (32.8%; 19.2%) and two No medals. In all, 91.3% of 2022 entries received a medal, compared with 87.9% in 2021.

The flavoured oil entries resulted in four Gold medals, four Silver medals and one No medal, providing further proof of the increasingly high skills level of Australian flavoured oil producers.

For more detail on the competition, including the full list of results, download the 2022 WA Olive Awards Results Book from the Olives WA website - www.oliveswa.com. au/events.

Kyneton champions at Tas Fine Food Awards It’s been a very successful year for Kyneton Olive Oil, which took top honours at this year’s Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards (RTFFA). Adding to a cache of awards from the 2022 harvest, the Victorian producer was awarded the RTFFA trophy for Champion Olive Product Trophy for its Family Selection Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Kyneton was also the most awarded producer in the competition, taking a total of six medals - two Gold, two Silver and two Bronze across both EVOO and Flavoured Oil classes.

Other big winners were Lauriston Grove, awarded Gold, two Silver and Bronze for their single estate grown robust varietal EVOOs; and Village Olive Grove, which earned Gold and two Bronze medals in the small commercial robust class. Both are Tasmanian producers.

Like many other competitions, entries in the table olive classes were down this year. Retailer Coles was the only awarded entrant, receiving two Gold, Silver and three Bronze medals and the plaque for Reserve Champion Olive Product.

Medalled entries in this year’s competition came from Tasmanian (16) and Victorian (15) entrants, along with a single entry from New South Wales. Three of the Coles entries were labelled as Australian, the others appear to be re-packaged imported products.

For more information, download the Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards Medal Winners Catalogue at www.hobartshowground.com.au.

The statistics

A total of 32 medals were awarded across the olive oil classes: six Gold, 14 Silver and six Bronze. Four of the Gold medals were for extra virgin olive oils, two for flavoured olive oils.

20 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

2022 Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards Olive Oil Major Winners Champion Olive Product Kyneton Olive Oil Family Selection EVOO Gold medals Loaves and Fishes Tasmania Forth Valley Olive Oil Village Olive Grove EVOO Lauriston Grove Frantoio Classico Kyneton Olive Oil Family Selection EVOO Kyneton Olive Oil Chilli Infused Olive Oil Agrumato Style Tamar Valley Truffles, Truffled Oil

Olivegrower Profile - AIOA Best of Show

The varietal difference is obvious in the Arkstone grove trees - Correggiola in the top seven rows and Manzanillo the bottom eight.

Arkstone Olives: from “fun challenge” to AIOA Best of Show Wool production to screen printing to olive growing is a circuitous route but for Arkstone Olives owner Guy Ward, it’s proven the path to international success as an extra virgin olive oil producer.

The star of this year’s Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA), Arkstone Olives’ Italian 22 EVOO topped the overall judges’ scores with an outstanding 95/100, taking Gold and a clean sweep across all eligible trophy categories.

The New South Wales producer took out the major award for Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Show (Boutique Volume), along with Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Southern Hemisphere, Best New South Wales Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Champion Italian Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil. And that’s just for the Italian 22!

Yes, there’s more. Arkstone entered four EVOOs into the 2022 AIOA and was awarded Gold medals for all: the top-scoring Italian 22, 92-point Correggiola, 90-point Spanish 22 and 89-point Manzanillo.

They also took home a second Champion of Class trophy, with the Spanish 22 named Best Spanish Varietal EVOO.

Background

The Arkstone story started in 1986, when Guy’s dad, Neville, bought a wool growing property in the Southern Highlands. He subsequently pulled out of wool production and in 1990 decided to plant olives, establishing an initial grove of 90 trees - 30 each of Correggiolo, Manzanillo and Nevadillo.

The Nevadillo didn’t perform well, so in 1995 the grove was increased to 400 trees with a further 200 Correggiolo and 100 Manzanillo. By this time Guy, after 30 years in the rag trade screen printing clothing, thought olive production would be “a fun challenge”, so they planted the rest of the trees together.

Note: Guy says the Nevadillo may now finally be coming good, after 30 years.

Arkstone’s fantastic picking crew get the fruit to the press quickly and in great condition. Harvest runs on the philosophy of “Happy crew.

Happy olives. Happy oil.”

Self-education

Guy said establishing their grove allowed them to ensure the suitability of the varietals planted, with that research the first step in a major self-education process.

“Dad chose cultivars from comparable soil types, climate and altitude in Italy and Spain,” he said.

“From there, we’re self-taught in grove care, pruning and harvesting.

“I’m also a self-taught processor. We had a guy come and show us how to run the press when we purchased it, but unfortunately it

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 21

Olivegrower Profile - AIOA Best of Show

Harvest is pretty laid back at Arkstone … when the crew are this efficient, grove foreman Trent Burns and Guy just stop picking for the day and let the press catch up.

Guy and friend Steve McDougall at work in “the engine room”.

Dream job

We all know there’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ job so, as we do in all our profile interviews, we asked Guy Ward what he loves best about being an olive grower and EVOO producer, and the things he could really do without in his working day.

“The best thing is being part of the primary production of a natural, healthy product.

“And there’s nothing I really don’t love about it.”

An olive grower who doesn’t hate - or at least dislike pruning: we think that’s a first! was too early to pick the fruit and no oil was obtained. He left and we came back a month later with a single sheet of hand-written instructions, and just went for it.”

Minimal intervention

Arkstone makes both EVOO - both blends and single varietals and Agrumato olive oil, which they sell to an appreciative customer base through farmers’ markets and via mail order. The quality of their oils is down to a number of factors, Guy said, one of which is that they actually don’t do a lot to their trees.

“We have been quite meticulous in everything we do but largely leave our trees to do their own thing,” he said.

“Apart a handful of lime, blue metal dust and chook manure for each tree prior to planting, and then watering in their first summer, we have not forced anything. And we’ve only ever lost one tree out of 400.

“We keep the grove well maintained and the trees well pruned, to open the canopy and ease picking, but other than that the trees look after themselves.

“It could be that our altitude (1,000 metres) plays a role. Also our pickers are fantastic and get those olives to the press room in great condition. Getting the olives from tree to press in minimum time is key to quality oil.”

Maximum confirmation

Whatever the reason, though, Guy said winning Best of Show at the Australian International means a lot.

“It confirms that we have done a few things right,” he said (the understatement of the year - Ed).

“It is a great accolade for all the pickers, pressers and all else involved in taking an olive from a tree and processing it into a great Australian oil.

Guy’s dad Neville, who planted the original trees, checking on the picking progress.

Be patient and enjoy …

As a self-taught producer with no knowledge of olive growing prior to planting his grove, we reckon Guy must have a truckload of practical experience to share. We asked him what advice or tips he’d give to other producers starting out in the industry, or still in the early stages.

“Be patient.

“Enjoy the wonder of the seasons and their variability.

“And the resilience of these magnificent trees than can live for a thousand years.”

“It doesn’t really affect our business, as we get more enquiries than we can handle.

“Competitions like the AIOA are very important to growers and the industry. I think at the end of the day everyone deserves a pat on the back for all the hard work they put into this relatively new industry in Australia.”

22 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

THE LATEST UPDATES ON R&D WITHIN THE OLIVE INDUSTRY | DECEMBER 2022

R&D Insights contains the latest levy-funded R&D project updates, research findings and related industry resources, which all happen under the Hort Innovation Olive Fund.

Hort Innovation partners with leading service providers to complete a range of R&D projects to ensure the long-term sustainability and profitability of the olive industry.

Biosecurity exercise ensures industry preparedness In the lead-up to the recent 2022 National Olive Conference & Exhibition, the Australian Olive Association (AOA) Board gathered in Devonport to complete a desktop simulation of a major biosecurity incident.

The exercise was run by Craig Elliott, former Co-Ordinator of the National Xylella Preparedness Program.

Commenced in 2019, the three-year program was funded in part by the Olive Levy through the Hort Innovation cross-industry levy project Xylella Co-ordinator (MT 17006), co-funded

by Wine Australia and run through the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (PBRI).

Craig has extensive experience in biosecurity emergency responses and preparedness around Australia and

overseas. He is currently in a role with Wine Australia, and also continues to work as a consultant to governments and industry bodies preparing for emergencies.

Detection and response scenario Originally scheduled for 2021 but postponed (like so many other events!) due to the COVID pandemic, the exercise looked at how the detection of a major biosecurity emergency would be managed and how the AOA would be engaged by the government agencies leading the response. Given the catastrophic risk it poses to our industry, the AOA exercise dealt specifically with Australia’s #1 pest and disease threat, Xylella fastidiosa.

Over two days, Craig walked the Board through the governance and

decision-making arrangements that underpin a large-scale biosecurity emergency, along with the points of contact and input for the AOA in response planning.

Using the scenario of a Xylella outbreak in Tasmania, they also looked at some of the key issues that the Board could be asked to consider during an emergency, including:

what are the expected impacts and consequences on the sector?;

what are the communication

priorities/information needs?; and

how quickly can the AOA gather

sector data (grower and processor locations and contact details, volumes/value of crops, plant and fruit movements in a specified area).

2

Knowing the regulated cost-sharing commitments for implementation of an agreed Emergency Plant Pest Response Plan can help industries prepare financially for the possibility of an incursion.

Critical outcomes Craig said it was a very valuable process, which opened avenues for further industry preparedness.

“It was really pleasing to see how engaged the AOA Board was in the exercise right across the two days,” he said.

“At several points we stopped and did a “rose/bud/thorn” check-in what’s working or already in place, what’s ‘ok’ and we’re semi-prepared for and/or there’s an opportunity to build on, and what’s a problem we don’t have a handle on and need to do something.

That enabled the AOA to produce a bit of a plan, and identified opportunities to continue to develop the capability of the olive sector to respond to a biosecurity emergency.

“Biosecurity emergencies can be extremely volatile, complex and stressful for everyone involved, so sitting down and working through the decision-making processes, and how the sector can have input into the response planning and operations by government before it happens, is really critical.

“We continue to monitor the situation with Xylella overseas and to prepare for a worst-case scenario of it arriving on our shores. There have been a lot

Knowing “who does what” - Emergency Biosecurity Response roles and responsibilities - in the event of an incursion is crucial to a successful outcome for all stakeholders.

of lessons with Xylella overseas that we can learn from, as well as other biosecurity incidents locally that we continue to apply and use to refine our contingency plans.

“It was designed around giving us an idea of what would be involved if there was an outbreak of Xylella and the impact that would have on us as a peak body,” he said.

“This exercise enabled the AOA Board members to think more specifically about the association’s role in those plans as the body directly representing the industry.”

“In the case of a biological incursion, the government steps in and takes control to prevent further spread.

What Craig talked about was the importance of industry getting in there and being involved - asking questions, knowing what’s going on and providing advice to government, so they’re not making significant decisions which will impact on the industry without asking the industry first.

Industry involvement imperative AOA CEO Michael Southan said the exercise provided a clear understanding of the need for direct - and appropriate - industry involvement in any incursion.

3 “We gained an understanding of what would be required of the industry liaison - which would be the AOA to ensure that the communications which come out to industry are official - authorised and approved by government - and are not going to spread the wrong information or create panic.

“It’s about being ready, so that if/ when it happens we’re in a better position: that we’ve identified the correct people to go in and can have them there to make sure that industry are fully involved and consulted.

“Because in the end, industry is going to bear a lot of the cost of this particular disease. Cost in terms of dollars, quarantining properties so they can’t move anything on or off which means no product going out to market - and then there could be the destruction of groves. And ultimately, once it's been controlled, it could be the cost of replanting or moving to another horticultural industry.

“So while it’s all controlled by government in these situations, it’s important that industry is in there, checking that all the important industry considerations are taken into account before action occurs

Impact and Consequence Management was one of the major areas covered by the exercise.

- and that will happen very quickly, especially in the first few days when it’s being actioned 24/7.

Prepared = effective “The take-out is that, like the boy scouts, we’ve got to be prepared. If you didn’t know what was coming, you’d be so overwhelmed you couldn’t be effective. You wouldn’t know who’s doing what and that you have to go in and be assertive to a degree.

“It’s about being actively involved and making sure you’re being effective on behalf of the industry, to ensure the best outcome for the industry.”

More information You can find out more about the ongoing work being undertaken on biosecurity and Xylella preparedness across Australia at the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative website: www.pbri.com.au.

Your role in Australia’s biosecurity While preparedness at a national level is crucial for rapid action and containment in the event of a biosecurity incursion, growers have a critical role in protecting our industry from Xylella and other biosecurity risks, both in terms of prevention and preparation for the worst-case scenario.

Ensure you play your part by:

only sourcing plant material from quality nurseries who demonstrate strong biosecurity hygiene practices;

monitoring your grove for any unusual signs that may show a pest or disease outbreak;

training your staff to identify possible biosecurity

outbreaks, and having a response plan in place to contain any new pests or diseases;

reporting suspect outbreaks to the Plant Biosecurity Hotline on 1800 084 881 - immediately;

considering how your business would manage during a biosecurity incident if the movement of plants, fruit, and even people and machinery, was restricted or prohibited - and then planning for this contingency;

making biosecurity a part of local discussions - share information and work together to be prepared for biosecurity incidents;

respecting biosecurity laws and reporting anyone

who breaks them - they’re putting your industry, your community and your business at risk.

4

(Above and following) The project outputs are broad in both content and publication format, including field days, webinars, grove management videos and the national industry Conference.

Five-year future for industry communications and extension project Over the past three and a half years, the olive levy project Australian olive industry communications and extension program (OL18000) has provided an ongoing stream of information and learning opportunities across a wide range of timely and relevant industry topics.

It’s had great practical results across the industry, so it’s great news that it’s all set to continue - and grow thanks to a new five-year extension of the project which commenced in October.

Once again being run by the industry’s representative body, the Australian Olive Association (AOA), the project will “provide and promote the skills and capability the Australian industry needs to be internationally competitive, with products which have a marketable point of difference that can deliver price premiums”.

Fine tune and build AOA CEO Michael Southan said the new five-year project provides the opportunity to fine tune what has been a highly productive program, and to build on both the processes and outcomes to ensure the best possible flow of information to and across the industry.

“The first phase of the communications and extension project was an incredible success,

with growers confirming that the information provided has been relevant, practical and highly useful,” he said.

“And importantly, it is having real impacts on the ground: survey feedback has shown that the project has provided invaluable solutions to issues being experienced in groves and businesses, and the introduction of new techniques and methodologies has assisted in improving management practices.

“All of that is translating into a continuing increase in product quality and viability across Australian olive businesses, outcomes which are reflected in both the soaring scores being achieved by entrants in the Australian International Olive Awards and the number of new producers entering the industry.”

- continuity and flexibility - are important. We have five years over which we can run a series of field days, workshops and webinars, so we can plan them to build from year to year on the information provided.

But then you learn during one year’s activities what information is still needed, and you have the chance to respond and provide that in following years.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to really build on what we’ve achieved with the project so far, and to drive even further increases in knowledge, best practice management and capability across the industry.

“It’s come a long way in the past 20 years and, if the recent leaps in quality and production are anything to go by, the next five years are set to be truly transformative.”

Continuity and flexibility

About the project

The continuance of that positive trajectory will be further strengthened by the new five-year project, Southan said.

Utilising the AOA’s industry-owned communications platform and network of national and international industry experts, the project promotes best practice through events, activities and resources, and openly disseminates the results of these and other R&D in grove management and olive oil production to the Australian olive industry.

“A five-year timespan means we can really plan the activities: we’ve got time to create a structure of what we want to achieve, and then shape and mold things as we go,” he said.

“Because in terms of meeting grower needs, both of those elements

Like its predecessor, the new project’s objectives are based

5

on the aims of the Olive Strategic Investment Plan 2022-2026: “Building capability and an innovative culture supports industry to use the relevant investment outputs across the supply and demand initiatives to better manage risk and create positive change” using the key strategies:

Support industry-driven innovation

and extension initiatives (based on the open sharing of knowledge and expertise from Australian and international networks and benchmarking initiatives) that help support positive change in the areas of sustainable production, biosecurity, and meeting consumer quality expectations.

Strengthen industry leadership through training initiatives.

Identify and communicate the

latest Australian and international trends relating to the development of circular business models (production and value-adding) for the Australian Olive industry as part of a communications initiative.”

What information do YOU want?

Two of the “sell-out” elements of the industry communications and extension project are the national field day programs and the annual production workshops. Both are locked into the continuing fiveyear program and the organisers are keen to know what topics you, our growers and producers, would like to have covered.

Field days: what would you like them to focus on?

Where should they be held in your state?

Workshops: currently cover processing of EVOO and table olives. Are you interested in learning about producing flavoured olive oil?

Suggestions for webinar topics, fact sheets and other project outputs are also most welcome.

Please email your feedback to Liz at secretariat@ australianolives.com.au.

6 monthly Grove Innovation

e-newsletters, emailed to levy payers and also available on the OliveBiz website;

quarterly R&D Insights lift-outs,

published in the Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor industry journal and also available on the OliveBiz website.

Southan said most of these will continue with the new project - and the ever-popular field days and production workshops are locked in - along with new elements including an upgrade of the industry’s online presence to increase usability.

“We’re rejigging the website which is actually currently multiple websites - so it’s easier to navigate and find things,” he said.

Project outputs

“There’ll be back-end work to make it more efficient to run the project, and “face-on” improvements to make it easier for growers to access information. We’ll do that on all of the websites and then integrate them so it will look, and work, like one website: there’ll be the AOA website and embedded in that will be all of the EveryDay information, the OliveBiz resources, the AIOA information, etc. The end result will be that when OliveCare® members log in, for example, it will give them instant access to all of the industry information, rather than them having to log into multiple websites.

The outputs are broad in both content and publication format, aiming to reach and inform as much of the industry as possible. To date they include:

“The aim is for a seamless integration of all of the industry information and websites for our various events etc, and a much easier and more efficient user experience.”

PROJECT NAME: Australian olive industry communications and extension program (OL22000) PROJECT AIM: Continuing to build greater skills, capacity and knowledge in the Australian olive industry by promotion and dissemination of world-best practice and the results of R&D in grove management and olive oil production PROJECT PARTNER: Australian Olive Association FUNDING: Hort Innovation Olive Fund

events including best practice

workshops and field days, held across all producing states and supported by information on the OliveBiz website;

recordings of and/or from these events for ongoing reference;

other videos on best practice management topics;

webinars covering topical issues and practices;

PROJECT COMMENCEMENT: 1 October 2022

fact sheets, manuals and other reference material;

annual national industry PROJECT END: 30 September 2027

Conference;

expert updates of existing industry RIRDC resources;

Access resources online The first phase of the olive industry communications and extension program has generated a wealth of resources, from grove management videos and webinar recordings to fact sheets field manuals.

All are available to access, view and/or download 24/7 from the OliveBiz website. Go to www.olivebiz. com.au and you’ll find them in the various dropdown tabs - Publications, Projects, R&D Reports and R&D Insights.

7

Olive Fund Annual Report 2021/22 released The Hort Innovation Olive Fund is your R&D fund, with olive levy payments invested along with Australian Government contributions into initiatives to help you, our growers, to be more productive and profitable.

That also ensures the ongoing viability of your businesses and the Australian olive industry.

Improving preparedness of the Australian horticultural sector to the threat potentially posed by Xylella fastidiosa (a severe biosecurity risk), providing a lifeline for our industry in case of incursion;

Olive industry minor use program, providing industry access to safe, relevant and effective chemicals to manage pests, weeds and diseases;

We know that every levy dollar paid is hard-earned, so it’s important that all stakeholders know how their levy contributions are being used and what they’re achieving for the industry. To that end, Hort Innovation produces annual reports for each of the 37 industries whose levies it manages: the latest were released in late October, covering the 2021/22 financial year.

The reports provide project information from across the year, including grower case studies of how levy investments have made an impact on the ground.

Report overview Not everyone has time to read the fine print, so here’s an overview of the latest edition, the Olive Fund Annual Report 2021/22.

R&D projects Among the projects active during the 2021/22 year, including multi-industry investments, were:

Australian olive industry communications and extension program, delivering Grove

Horticulture trade data, providing a subscription to the Global Trade Atlas Database to assist with strategy and focus areas for international trade; and

Australian horticulture international

Innovation newsletters, R&D Insights, field days, best practice workshops and more;

Extending OliveCare® to foster excellence in production of Australian olives, building and maintaining the quality of Australian olive products via the Industry Code of Practice and expanded participation by retailers, food service distributors and exporters;

Educating health professionals about Australian olive products, providing evidence-based health information and educational resources about olive products to health professionals and the olive industry, via the Olive Wellness Institute;

demand creation, delivering insights into international consumer demand across priority markets for the Australian horticulture sector.

Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) alignment Investments specific to the Olive Fund are guided by the olive Strategic Investment Plan (SIP). The SIP features priority outcome areas that have been identified and agreed upon by the industry, and Hort Innovation works to invest in R&D initiatives that are aligned to these.

Project expenditure in the Olive Fund during 2021/22 was aligned to the SIP, with each project allocated to a SIP outcome based on its primary objective: Outcome 1: Extension and capability Improved capability and an innovative culture in the Australian olive industry maximises return on investments in productivity and demand - saw investment of $148,645 on two projects:

Extending OliveCare® to foster excellence in production of Australian olives (OL17006)

Australian olive industry communications and extension program (OL18000)

How the R&D levy was invested over the year.

Outcome 2: Industry supply, productivity and sustainability The Australian olive industry has increased profitability, efficiency and sustainability through innovative R&D, BMPs and enhanced biosecurity

8

2021/22 Olive Fund investment activity snapshot Levy collected in 2021/22: $399,228 (2020/21 = $130,809) Invested in R&D in 2021/22:

preparedness - saw investment of $12,868 on four projects:

Improving preparedness of the Australian horticultural sector to the threat potentially posed

by Xylella fastidiosa (a severe biosecurity risk) (MT17006)

Regulatory support and co-

ordination (pesticides) (MT20007

Plant Biosecurity Research

Initiative Phase 2 (HA19007)

Olive industry minor use program (OL16000)

profitable through informed decisionmaking using consumer knowledge and tracking, benchmarking performance and independent reviews - saw investment of $8,492 in four projects:

Horticulture trade data (MT19005)

Educating health professionals about Australian olive products (OL19001)

Australian horticulture international demand creation (ST21007) Outcome 4: Business insights - The Australian olive industry is more

Fund activity 2021/22: 12 R&D investment projects Ongoing activity: 9 R&D investment projects

Consumer demand spaces for horticulture (MT21003)

Pilot program: Consumer usage, attitude and brand tracking (MT21201)

Consumer usage and attitude

Outcome 3: Demand creation Supports the Australian olive industry to develop existing and future domestic and international markets - saw investment of $77,494 in two projects:

$256,193 (2020/21 = $392,322)

tracking 2022/23 (MT21202)

Future investment The report lists the four productivity and profitability outcome areas identified in the olive SIP for future investment, which continue to be:

Industry supply, productivity and sustainability

Other content

Demand creation

The report also includes the 2021/22 Financial operating statement, a list of new and current chemical minor use permits for olives, and a case study focusing on the approach, use and impact of the (now completed) project An integrated pest and disease management extension program for the olive industry (OL17001), featuring Boort, Victoria producers Peter and Marlies Eicher of Salute Oliva.

Extension and capacity Business insights The focus for the next five years is detailed in the Olive Strategic Investment Plan 2022/2026, and the Olive Annual Investment Plan 2021/22 details how levy funds will be spent over the 12-month period. Both documents are available on the Hort Innovation website www.horticulture.com.au.

Want more detail?

The full Olive Fund Annual Report 2021/22 is available to download from the Hort Innovation website.

Fund annual reports for the financial years from 2017/18 to 2020/21 are also available further down the page for reference and comparison. Go to www. horticulture.com.au and search for ‘Fund Annual Reports’.

And if you want to know more about the Olive Fund, there’s an overview of how it works and how it’s managed in the Growers section of the Hort Innovation website: navigate to the Olive Fund page and you’ll find

the Fund Management dropdown in the top menu.

You can also access information on both ongoing and completed Olive Fund R&D projects under the Your investments dropdown.

And for the big picture on Australian horticultural R&D, the Hort Innovation Company Annual Report 2021/22 is also available online to download. Just search for ‘company annual report’ from the Hort Innovation website home page - where you’ll also find links to the Olive Annual Investment Plan 202223 and the Olive Strategic Investment Plan 2022-2026.

This R&D Insights insert has been funded by Hort Innovation using the olive research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower‑owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.

2022 National Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition

National Conference delivers on information and inspiration Mother Nature was in a mischievous mood in the lead-up to the 2022 National Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition, sending drenching rains and gale-force winds to the event’s location in Devonport, Tasmania. But while her shenanigans made the event logistically challenging (to say the least), we proved that not even floods, flight delays and closed airports - along with missing luggage, taxi no-shows and over-booked hotels - can stop a determined group of olive people from holding a successful, ‘had-to-be-there’ industry event.

The unmissable vibe over the weekend was that it was great to finally get together in person again, and feedback from delegates and presenters alike was that a great time was had by all.

“Great discussion on how to deal with peacock spot - and great lunch.”

Program diversity

Delegates particularly noted the broad-ranging program topics, all of which linked into an overall ‘how-to-plus-inspiration’ information package on running a successful, sustainable and viable olive business.

It was a planned - and popular - format, AOA CEO Michael Southan said.

“There was terrific engagement from the delegates, right across the weekend,” he said.

“I think the main reason was that the diversity of the program meant there was something there for everybody. We decided early on to mix the sessions up, moving between ‘business’ topics and ‘grove’ topics to keep it dynamic, and I got the impression that was a pleasant surprised for a lot of people. They found the individual information topics interesting, and there were links across different presenters and different sessions which pulled it all together.”

N AT I O N A L

OLIVE INDUSTRY conference & exhibition Levy R&D Workshop

A particularly important session on this year’s program, Southan said, was the Olive Levy R&D Priority Setting Workshop with Hort Innovation’s General Manager, Stakeholder Experience Anthony Kachenko.

“Having the session with Hort Innovation enabled growers to express what they’d like to see done R&D-wise - specifically, what they need help with in their olive businesses - and enabled everybody in the room to hear that,” he said.

“So we all became aware of the needs of various growers, and they weren’t all the same. Having the opportunity to raise that was helpful for everybody, and the discussions and suggestions which came out of those discussions were invaluable.

“I think Hort went away with a better of understanding of the olive industry, and the industry with a better understanding of the way the levy R&D system works and the opportunities it presents.

I hope growers also realise that by talking about the things which aren’t working for our industry now, we can identify the R&D needs - and subsequently instigate the projects - to find solutions to those problems.”

Highlights

Southan said that, while all of the sessions were well received, several stood-out for him.

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2022 National Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition

“Lisa Britzman’s presentation on Viability Through Diversification was value-adding to the nth degree,” he said.

“People say they need help to market their products and Lisa showed how she and her partner David have made Campo de Flori, which seems to be way too small an operation to be viable, into a thriving business. They’ve made every element of their operation into a product and gone outside of just food, using all aspects of the olive tree and also their hobbies.

“Importantly, she showed you don’t need to have scale, or a lot of capital, to be viable. There’s certainly a barrier to scale but she showed that you can get around that by doing a whole lot with not much.

“It was impressive, and at the same do-able for the average small producer.

“Jonathon West’s session on Building a Healthy Industry Ecosystem was also a highlight for me. His ability to look at where he thinks the world is going and what is needed was inspiring. There are not a lot of people who can do that.

“And then he was able to put it into context for olives and olive oil.

It was an amazing presentation, and showed why Cobram Estate are very lucky to have him on the board.”

Field day

Southan said the AOA field days held in recent years have proven a big hit with growers, providing a chance to discuss grove issues in the grove and demonstrate solutions. The optional Conference field day was no different, and was a sell-out well before the event.

“The talks were great: varied - some on the outskirts - but all linked and very relevant to the actual conference.”

“The field day was really interesting,” Southan said.

“We visited three small groves, and the owners were all really keen to open up their properties and be part of the event. They showed us what they’re doing and how they do it, we had some great discussions around common issues and solutions, and people took a lot away from it.

“The rejuvenative pruning at Lentara Grove is showing impressive results and a lot of people said they were inspired to get to work in their own groves. It’s such a crucial element of grove management

32 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

2022 National Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition

“Every day and every session had something I really wanted to see, and we’ve gained information and ideas that we’re going to act on.” and being able to see it in practice really gives people the confidence they need to make those big cuts.

“And the biochar demonstration at Village Olive Grove was great for the small producers looking for other options than compost as to what you can do with your prunings: now they can mulch and compost or create biochar, which is used as a fertilizer/mulch/ compost product.

“It’s about conversion to charcoal containing the carbon, rather than going all the way to ash, and Frank has a system where you can plug in a hose and quickly quench the fire so that happens.

“People were really impressed and I think a lot went away keen to set up their own biochar production systems.

“Rounding off the day was a great discussion about disease control - and a seriously great lunch - at Coronea Grove, which reflected the fantastic hospitality shown by all the groves across the day.”

Invigorating, varied and great value

Apulia Grove owner Ceilidh Meo attended the Conference as a presenter, and also joined her husband Charlie as a delegate. She said the event has re-kindled their spark for the industry.

“Not having been connected with the industry for a few years now, it’s been really invigorating to come back and have a chat with people; to see where everybody’s at, what’s changed and where the industry is progressing,” she said.

“And the conference sessions were great. The speakers and topics were all so varied but cross-linked. You can see there’s a lot of crosspollination going on, and that’s going to lift the whole industry.

“It was also great value for money. Every day and every session had something I really wanted to see, and we’ve gained information and ideas that we’re going to go home and act on. Charlie’s been reminded that he needs to get his legal ducks in a row, which was a big takeaway!

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2022 National Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition

Saturday’s Conference Dinner was a chance to catch up with old friends, and make new ones, over a casual, relaxed meal.

“Watching him over the weekend has actually been amazing.

He got a bit jaded for a while there and this weekend has really reinvigorated his enthusiasm for olives and being a processor and being involved in the industry, and around the things that we can do in terms of consumer education and experience, just from our little patch of paradise.

“And it was fun too. The Conference dinner was a chance to catch up with everybody and meet new people in a really relaxed environment, and the food and the service at the Paranaple Centre were just amazing.

“I’m really, really happy to have been there and had that experience.

Thanks so much to the AOA team for all their efforts; it was awesome.”

Grove-made biochar is now a soil-improvement option for field day attendees.

34 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

2022 National Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition

ABC Rural Tasmania reporter Meg Powell headed to Devonport during the Conference and spoke with AOA CEO Michael Southan about the challenges currently being faced by the olive industry. She also interviewed two of this year’s presenters: horticulturalist Andrew Taylor, about the issue of biennial bearing; and Olives New Zealand President Craig Leaf-Wright about the New Zealand Focus Grove Project.

Conference 2023 suggestions welcomed The annual National Conference is your event and the organisers are keen to ensure that the program topics and other activities meet the needs, wants and interests of all attendees.

Planning is already underway for the 2023 Conference, and feedback from this year’s delegates has been noted, but they’d like to hear from a wider audience and get all grower demographic bases covered.

So if there’s a topic you’d like to know more about, an issue you really need dealt with and/or a relevant speaker you’d like to hear, please let the team know so they can add it to the discussion mix. The same goes for workshops, field tours etc your feedback would be greatly appreciated, and will help ensure the next National Olive Conference is the event you want to attend!

You can send your suggestions to AOA Administration Manager Liz Bouzoudis at secretariat@australianolives.com.au.

The National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition is facilitated through the Hort Innovation Olive Fund. It is partly funded by Hort Innovation using the Olive R&D levy, with in-kind contributions from the Australian Olive Association and funding from the Australian Government. This year’s event was also supported by the Tasmanian Government and a range of industry sponsors and exhibitors.

The field day pruning discussion sent many attendees home to grab their chainsaws.

On target

Southan said that the overall success of the event was a credit to everyone involved.

“To all who attended, it was great to see you there. Thanks especially to those who had transport cancelled or re-routed and took an extra day or so to get there but made sure they did. To those who just couldn’t find a way in the end, thanks for trying and we’ll look forward to seeing you next year.

“And a big shout-out to all our sponsors, exhibitors and presenters, whose support made it all possible.

“Being my first conference, I think it hit the nail on the head.”

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 35

2022 National Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition - Sponsors & Exhibitors

Australian Frost Fans’ Ian Mason (left) and David Waldon (right), with John Fielke, Ag-IQ Australia - SA.

Modern Olives’ Kirsten Jewett (left) with Robert and Anne Ashbolt, Ashbolt Farm - TAS.

2022 Conference Sponsors & Exhibitors Face-to-face expert advice and information

Event sponsors and exhibitors are an integral part of the annual industry Conference & Trade Exhibition, directly showing their support of the industry through their participation in the event. Their financial support enables the AOA to keep delegate registration fees consistently affordable, while their attendance allows delegates direct access to the latest advancements in industry-specific technologies, products and services.

Most importantly, it provides delegates the opportunity to speak to the people who make, sell and/or service them, getting first-hand answers and expert advice, and discovering new ways to improve your grove and business practices.

2022 National Industry Conference Sponsors & Trade Exhibitors Tornado’s Paul Blasutto with Michael Allpress (left) and Russell Tearle (right), Allpress Olives - NZ.

NSW DPI AgEnviro Lab’s Asumi Willis (left) and Belinda Taylor (centre), with Murray Baird, Barbara Baird and Allen Baird (right), Village Olive Grove - TAS. 36 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor Sponsor Australian Frost Fans - Exhibitor Australian Olive Association - Event Organiser & Sponsor Choice Energy - Exhibitor Deltagen Australia - Tea Break Sponsor & Exhibitor Hort Innovation - Sponsor International Mowers - Tea Break Sponsor Modern Olives - Lunch Sponsor & Exhibitor NSW Department of Primary Industries AgEnviro Labs Exhibitor Olive Wellness Institute - Exhibitor OliveBiz - Sponsor Pellenc - Tea Break Sponsor Swan Systems - Exhibitor Tasmanian Government - Sponsor Tornado Pumps & Sprayers - Exhibitor

2022 National Olive Industry Conference & Exhibition - Sponsors & Exhibitors

Mel Hollick, Peninsula Providore - SA (left), Anne Stanimiroff, Allpress Olives - NZ and The Olive Wellness Institute’s Sian Armstrong.

Cobram Estate delegates Felipe Rivera (left) and Cameron Barr (right) with Hobart grower Ian Bradshaw and Swan Systems’ Ivor Gaylord (second from right).

Deltagen’s Adrian Dinsdale (centre) with Lisa Britzman, Campo de Fiori - TAS and Richard Rees, Allpress Olives - NZ.

Service all year round

Throughout the year those businesses continue to support our industry through the provision of those goods and services - and that invaluable advice - playing an important role in producing the quality olive products that Australia is increasingly becoming recognised for.

They’re out there looking for new ways to help you become better, more efficient and more profitable producers, and providing direct access to those tools.

Support the businesses who support your industry

The AOA greatly appreciates the invaluable support provided for the 2022 AOA National Olive Industry Conference & Trade Exhibition, and encourages all industry members to in turn support the businesses which sponsored and/or exhibited at the event.

You’ll find information about the products and services offered by all of the 2022 Sponsors and Exhibitors, along with web and contact details, on the Conference website: www.nationaloliveconference.com.au.

Choice’s Energy’s Mason Prower (left) and Dominic Clifford (right) with Kent Hallett, Olive Oil Packaging Services - SA.

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 37

New Zealand - 2022 NZ EVOO Awards

2022 Best in Show winners Lisa Buchan and Glenn Wigley from Waikawa Glen received their trophy from judge Roberto Zecca.

Southern north island dominates 2022 NZ EVOO Awards If this year’s New Zealand Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards results are anything to go by, the southern tip of the country’s north island is the ideal place to grow high quality olives. Kapiti and Wairarapa producers dominated the 2022 edition of the national EVOO competition, winning four of the five major awards.

Best in Show goes organic

This year’s ultimate award went to Kapiti producer Waikawa Glen for its Waikawa Glen Blend. Produced from Frantoio, Koroneiki and Leccino varieties, the winning EVOO also earned a Gold medal and was named Best in Class - Commercial Intense Blends.

The Waikawa Glen Blend has had multi-year success in the national competition, awarded Gold in 2021, and Gold, Best in Class - Boutique Medium Blends and Reserve Best Boutique in 2020.

Additional recent awards include Silver for the Waikawa Glen Frantoio/Leccino blend in this year’s competition, and Best in Class Boutique Single Varietal for the Waikawa Glen Frantoio in 2020 - one of three Gold medals achieved that year for their Blend, and Frantoio and Koroneiki varietals.

Further afield, they have also been awarded Gold at the New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC).

Waikawa Glen is a boutique grove of just 550 trees, planted in 2007 by owners by Lisa Buchan and Glen Wigley. It is one of only a handful of organic olive groves in New Zealand and is proudly “saving lives and the planet one delicious drizzle at a time”.

Other major winners

Backing up that quality - and ticking the first big winner’s box for the Wairarapa region - was Reserve Best in Show winner Lot Eight Reserve, a Koroneiki and Picholene blend.

A boutique grove of less than 400 trees owned by Nalini and Colin

The Best Boutique trophy was presented to The Olive Press owner Rod Lingard by CPack’s Emma Jarvie.

Baruch, Lot Eight supplements their production through contract partner growers and produces both extra virgin and flavoured oils. Lot Eight has also previously won awards in international competitions including Olio Nuovo and the NYIOOC, and has built a successful export market for their products.

The Best Boutique award went to fellow Wairarapa producer

38 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

New Zealand - 2022 NZ EVOO Awards

What a Best of Show winning EVOO tastes like …

“An outstanding and harmonious oil. Aromas of artichoke and salad leaves, herbaceous aroma and taste all the way through. Balanced bitterness and pungency with a hint of clove, smooth and creamy mouthfeel with a warm peppery finish.” - 2022 Waikawa Glen Blend.

Special awards

Linda Smith from The Grove Supply presented the Reserve Best in Show trophy to Colin and Nalini Baruch of Lot Eight.

Pressed Gold for its Koroneiki single varietal EVOO. Pressed Gold is the brand of The Olive Press - also winner of the Best Processor trophy - which manages a number of groves across the Wairarapa and Kapiti regions. The Olive Press produces both extra virgin and flavoured olive oils, and was the winner of the 2021 Best Flavoured Oil award. Its Pressed Gold Leccino was named Reserve Champion Italian Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil at this year’s Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA).

The award for Reserve Best Boutique went further afield, awarded to Canterbury producer Southlea Olives for its Frantoio-Leccino blend.

Owned by Peter and Frances Baylis, the cool-climate Southlea Olives grove contains varieties including Leccino, Frantoio and Pendolino. They credit their EVOO quality to a commitment to pruning, efficient tree-to-processing and good storage conditions.

And taking top honours among the flavoured oil entries was the Noble Estate Kaffir Lime, awarded the trophy for Best Flavoured Oil. Noble Estate is a boutique grove of 650 trees located at Peka Peka on the Kapiti Coast. Their first EVOO was produced in 2002 and they now also produce flavoured oils and a range of olive oil-based skincare products. The winning Kaffir Lime olive oil was produced via the Agrumato method using solely Frantoio fruit.

Noble Estate also won a Gold and two Silver medals for their Extra Virgin Olive Oils in this year’s competition.

Two special awards were once again presented as part of the competition.

Recognising the importance of a good label in successful marketing, there were five finalists for the Kiwi Labels Trophy for Best Label: Duck Creek, Juno Olive Oil, Old French Road, Robinsons Bay and the Best of Show winner, Waikawa Glen.

Duck Creek was the ultimate winner - interestingly, the only white label among the five.

And we all know that processing is a crucial step in ensuring treeto-bottle quality, and that people who do it well deserve to be lauded.

The NZ EVOO Awards does that with the Imerys Talc Trophy for Best Processor, which this year had four finalists in the running: Leafyridge Olives, Olive Press Marlborough, The Olive Press and Waipara Olive Press.

The trophy went to The Olive Press, marking a consistent 10-year run on the title for the long-standing processing business.

Climate changes …

Olives NZ Executive Officer Emma Glover said the Kapiti and Wairarapa climate and soil contributes to the regions’ ongoing success and recognition, both in New Zealand and on the world stage.

“New Zealand has a reputation for producing outstanding extra virgin olive oil that can compete at the highest standard internationally,” she said.

“Despite challenging growing conditions with our maritime climate, our growers have adopted pro-active grove management strategies that have enabled our olive oils to punch above their weight on the world stage.”

Judge Roberto Zecca, who has judged internationally including Italy and California, agrees.

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New Zealand - 2022 NZ EVOO Awards

Noble Estate’s Rob and Tricia Noble-Beasley accepted the trophy for Best Flavoured Oil from Raffaela Delmonte.

Isobel Olives’ Chris Piper accepted the Best in Class Boutique Mild Single Variety - one of two Best in Class Awards earned this year - from Arthur Holmes’ Sam Creery.

“I judged at the New Zealand competition last year and again this year, and once again I see that the quality is excellent on all fronts,” he said.

“We know that the climate conditions are the single most determining factor in the quality of the oils. Last year the overall level of entries was excellent and the number of gold medals awarded was the highest on record; this year the majority of entries received silver medals.

“This was due to very moderate olfactory qualities, which is a direct result of wet conditions preceding and during harvesting time. So the growers that were lucky enough to have not been affected by the unusually wet season were able to obtain oils of Gold medal quality.”

The statistics

The 2022 New Zealand EVOO Awards were judged by two panels of four experienced judges, using International Olive Council (IOC) standards. All eight judges then re-judged all of the Best in Class winners to confirm the major winners.

There were a total 152 entries, with 147 (97%) awarded medals - 47 were Gold (32%), 88 Silver (60%) and 12 Bronze (8%).

Wairarapa once again topped the regional medal tally with a total of 66 (45%), Kapiti 24 (35%), Canterbury 13 (9%), Hawke’s Bay 10 (7%), Auckland 9 (6%), Central Otago, Nelson, Northland

The Best in Class Boutique Mild Blends award was presented to Man O’War’s Charmaine Maitland by Sam Creery from Arthur Holmes.

and Waiheke Island 5 each (>3%), Marlborough 4 (<3%) and Bay of Plenty 1 (<1%).

A complete list of the results is available at - www.olivesnz.org.nz under the Awards dropdown.

NZ EVOO Awards - 2022 Major Awards Best in Show - Waikawa Glen Blend, Kapiti Reserve Best in Show - Lot Eight Reserve, Wairarapa Best Boutique - Pressed Gold Koroneiki, Wairarapa Reserve Best Boutique - Southlea Olives, Canterbury Best Flavoured Oil - Noble Estate Kaffir Lime, Kapiti Best in Class - Boutique Mild Single Varietal - Isobel Olives Koroneiki, Marlborough Mild Blends - Man O’ War, Waiheke Medium Single Varietal - Te Horo Olives Frantoio, Kapiti Medium Blends - Southlea Olives, Canterbury Intense Single Varietal - The Olive Press Pressed Gold Koroneiki, Wairarapa Intense Blends - Isobel Olives Blend, Marlborough

Best in Class - Commercial Mild Single Varietal - Telegraph Hill Premium Blend, Hawkes Bay Mild Blends - Olive Black Blend, Wairarapa Medium Single Varietal - Loopline Olives Picual, Wairarapa Medium Blends - Lot Eight Reserve, Wairarapa Intense Single Varietal - Juno Olive Oil Picual, Wairarapa Intense Blends - Waikawa Glen Blend, Kapiti Best Flavoured Flavoured Citrus - Noble Estate Kaffir Lime, Kapiti Flavoured Other - Juno Olive Oil Basil Agrumato, Wairarapa Special Awards Best Label - Duck Creek Bes Processor - The Olive Press

40 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

New Zealand

Goodbye and thank you, Gayle Sheridan The New Zealand industry has said goodbye - professionally at least - to one of its greatest supporters and hardest workers, with Olives New Zealand Executive Officer Gayle Sheridan stepping down from the role after 11 high-achieving years.

Gayle started with the national industry body in 2011, at a pretty tough time for the organisation. She brought a background in corporate and government agency management, a skill set to match, and a pre-existing love for the New Zealand olive industry.

She put all of them work, along with her passion and dedication to the industry, tirelessly working above and beyond expectations to drive the organisation to where it is today.

Olivegrower input - Olivegrower Communications Editor Gerri Nelligan:

“Gayle has been a much-admired and respected colleague over the past 11 years, providing New Zealand industry news and generously sharing information of value to the wider industry.

“From clarification of current or historic industry information or opinion on activities affecting our respective industries to introductions to New Zealand contacts, when I needed something, or wanted to unpick a mutually-relevant situation, Gayle was willing, able and always approachable.

“She’s made my job so much easier, and I’ll miss her professionalism, practicality and great sense of humour.

“Many thanks, Gayle; it’s been great working with you. All the best for the future from the Olivegrower and Friday Olive Extracts team, and our readers.”

Olive grower

In 2000 Gayle and her husband Lionel established their first olive grove at Pauatahanui, just north of Wellington. This was followed by the purchase of their second grove at Barry’s Bay on the Banks Peninsula in 2005 and then their third in Akaroa in 2007.

The Akaroa property was developed as a commercial olive grove under the brand name of La Casa Toscana, producing both extra virgin olive oil and table olives. All of the olive oils entered by La Casa Toscana in the NZ EVOO Awards achieved Silver medals as a minimum, with their Manzanillo varietal awarded Gold, Best in Class and Best in Show in 2009.

It was after the sale of the Akaroa property and a move to Hawke’s Bay in 2011 that Gayle took on the role of Executive Officer of Olives NZ.

Getting organised

Initially Gayle and Lionel worked with then-President Andrew Taylor to establish processes and procedures for the organisation, and to bring in-house the Certification process and the annual national awards. Many other valuable systems were also implemented.

Over her 11 years Gayle built an encyclopaedic knowledge base encompassing the organisation, its members and wider industry contacts - and used all to impressive benefit for the industry.

In particular, she led and gained funding for the ground-breakingly successful Focus Grove Project, which has seen many groves achieve viability and changed management practices across the industry.

Vale Lionel Sheridan We were saddened to hear of the passing of Lionel Sheridan, husband of Gayle and so much more, at the end of August.

Lionel also loved the olive industry and was well known to Olives NZ members. He played a vital role within Olives New Zealand, not only as practical support for Gayle but in the transformation of the organisation, by developing the Olives NZ Management Information System.

The system continues to run ONZ membership services, Certification, the Awards, Grove Database and annual Harvest Census. The information able to be provided from the database has been the envy of many other international olive associations and has enabled the provision of data to international and national authorities and researchers.

Lionel also developed the Olive Grove Product Costing Programme, available to all members who complete the Grove Census. It enables members to record all costs associated with running their olive grove and producing oil, to show the total cost per litre, by variety - an invaluable tool in the aim for viability.

Lionel was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in February 2022 and unfortunately, deteriorated rapidly over the following six months. Now at peace, he is sadly missed by many.

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 41

New Zealand

2022 Grove Census Harvest Data Report The annual Harvest Data Census conducted by Olives New Zealand provides a snapshot of the industry, both the current year’s harvest results and as a comparison to previous years. It highlights production and practice trends, and provides valuable benchmarking for growers. Here’s a synopsis of the 2022 results.

Overview

The 2022 harvest year was a variable year for many of groves, with a relatively low total harvest tonnage when looking at the last five years. Groves following the Focus Grove recommendations had good harvests/yields, while many other groves had no harvest.

Of the groves with no harvest, reasons included: grove young and not yet producing; regeneration/heavy pruning underway; weather issues during flowering/fruit set; harvest issues, including fruit removal. A number of these also noted they have no spray program.

The 26% of groves which reported “No harvest” was up from 17% in 2021, and it is assumed that some others who did not respond also had no harvest.

For the second year in a row since records have been produced, almost half of the harvested groves achieved an average of more than 10kg/tree.

The overall quality of EVOO produced also continues to be excellent, with all but one of the oils submitted for Certification being classified as Extra Virgin.

Trees planted

A total of 312,000 trees are recorded in the database. The Hawke’s Bay region continue to have the largest number, followed by Auckland, Northland and Wairarapa.

Two varietals account for nearly 55% of trees planted across New Zealand. Frantoio remains the most planted varietal (88,823 trees) followed by Leccino (67,866 trees).

Crop by region

There was significant variation in the crops harvested in 2022 across the growing regions. By far the top performing region is Hawke’s Bay, with Canterbury, Nelson and Wairarapa also achieving above 10kg/ tree. All also produced more than 10kg/ tree in 2021, and include Focus Groves and other groves following the Focus Grove recommendations.

The national average was 10.2kg/tree (10.93kg in 2021).

Average crop 2020 - 2022

The average crop harvested compared to previous years increased in five of the nine regions participating in the Census. The

Focus Grove blocks continue to out-perform within their regions.

Top individual crop by region

Best cropping variety across regions in 2022 has been variable, consistent with past records. Interesting trends noted over recent years (2020-2022) include: • Koroneiki was the top performing varietal for 2021 (five of 12 regions), however does not appear in the list for 2022; • Koroneiki also produced three of the top four kg/tree results overall; • Auckland (J5) and Central Otago (Leccino) were the only regions with the same top cropping varietal over the three years.

Crop by grove

For the second time since harvest data records have been produced, almost half

42 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

of the groves that had a harvest achieved more than 10kg/tree on average across their grove. Some 31 groves reported no harvest, up from 17 in 2021. Note: the 2022 grove harvest figures shown not include groves with no harvest.

Organic groves

Only four groves are formally registered as organic or similar; two in Wairarapa, one each in Kapiti and Marlborough. Another in Kapiti is close to completing registration.

As these groves are typically still working on their regimes, it is not appropriate for their data to be included separately in this report.

Spray programs

Some 30 groves (60% of groves that harvested) now have a spray program, mainly targeting Peacock Spot (30 groves) and Anthracnose (22 groves). As per the

New Zealand

Focus Grove Project recommendations, Manzate and Mancozeb are the most widely used sprays (24 groves). Protek is also used (17 groves) and several are still using Difference, no longer recommended as it appeared ineffective.

Table olive production

2022 EVOO Certification Data Summary Chemical Assessment

Lowest

Highest

Median

Average

Free Fatty Acid

0.03

0.60

0.16

0.19

Peroxide Value

0.00

12.80

4.90

5.04

Polyphenol Content

88

515

286

283

Delta K

< 0.01

< 0.01

< 0.01

< 0.01

232 Nm

1.10

2.75

1.49

1.52

268 Nm

0.08

0.18

0.12

0.12

Fruity

4.00

6.00

5.30

5.26

Bitter

2.00

4.00

2.95

2.77

Pungent

2.00

4.00

3.00

3.02

There were 5.86 tonnes of table olives produced in 2022, a significant increase from 3.7 tonnes in 2021. Production was mainly from Hawke’s Bay. The only other regions that produce reasonable quantities of table olives are Wairarapa and Canterbury.

UV Absorption

Average oil yield by region

Sensory/Organoleptic

Oil yield percentage figures in 2022 saw notable increases in Canterbury, Marlborough and Nelson, along with decreases in Auckland, Hawkes Bay and Waiheke. The national average was 14.6%, compared with 13.84% in 2021.

Best average yield by variety

Average oil yields in 2022 were typically varied compared to 2021. The highest average yield was J5 at 18.67%, closely followed by Picual at 18.61.

Most notable changes from 2021 were substantial increases in J5 and Picual yields,

Certification

Some 179 oils were submitted for certification in 2022 (down from 218 in 2021) with only one not meeting the standard for chemical parameters.

Wairarapa submitted the largest number of oils (59), followed by Kapiti (22), Canterbury (12) and Auckland (11). All other regions submitted seven or fewer oils.

The overall range and average for all certification measures in 2022 are shown in the table above.

More information

Members can access the complete 2022 Harvest Data Report on the Olives New Zealand website: www.olivesnz.org.nz.

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 43

Olive business

The Bruny Island grove sits on 70 hectares of farmland on scenic Great Bay with a maritime climate and welldraining sandy soil.

How to achieve a viable, award-winning table olive business from 76 trees Dianne and Owen Carington Smith

Dianne and Owen Carington Smith have recently sold their renowned Tasmanian table olive business, Bruny Island Olives. Having planted their first trees in 2002, they entered the Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA) in 2019, and over four years have achieved six Champion and two Reserve Champion awards - twice as many as any other Australian table olive producer. Equally as remarkable is that they achieved a viable olive business with just 76 trees.

They’ve generously offered to share how they dealt with the many challenges of achieving profitability as a boutique olive producer. Read on and learn!

Business overview

Although one of the smallest groves in Australia, Bruny Island’s table olives have been sold to the top restaurants in Hobart and Sydney. Their retail jars are known in thousands of Australian homes through Nick Haddow’s Bruny Island Cheese Club offerings, and Haddow and Matthew Evans, well known for their SBS Gourmet Farmer programs, have acclaimed Bruny Island’s olives as some of the best they have tasted globally.

Right from the beginning Owen and Dianne considered that Australian olive oil production was going to be oversupplied and set out to specialise in just table olives.

Due to Bruny Island Olives’ reputation, they never advertised, had no web page, and avoided using social media, farmer markets and cellar door sales. Winning AIOA Championships and medals was the best advertising strategy.

Annual harvests were just under 1000 kg and, with much innovation, 25.0% EBITDOL (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation

“Winning AIOA Championships and medals was the best advertising strategy.” and Own Labour) have been achieved at average 2021 prices of $48/kg drained weight for retail jars (retail price $96/kg drained weight) and $34.70/kg for catering outlets.

Background

Owen has extensive experience in the food industry, as a marketing manager at Cadbury and then specialising in starting up new agriculture and aquaculture industries, including essential oils, pyrethrum, buckwheat and salmon farming. Dianne focussed on health research, teaching the unemployed and adult learners, and is also a talented cook. Both had holidayed on

44 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

Bruny Island since their childhoods and seen it become an international must-see tourist destination.

A friend in New York fell in love with Bruny Island when visiting Tasmania. Years later he said he never forgot the beauty, peace and tranquillity of the place, which sits on about the same latitude as the Mediterranean town of Nice. This led to a request to find some land for him to relax on, away from the hassle and gridlocks of New York.

The top choice was 70 hectares of farmland on scenic Great Bay in the middle of Bruny Island. However, in the 80s there were too many hurdles and he gave up the dream. The allure was too strong for us and we purchased the land instead.

Life on the land

In 2001 Owen retired from full-time work in the salmon industry and we started life on the land.

A vineyard was the first thought but “tiny

Olive business

Resort body corporate, we were just weekend farmers; operations were also remote from our Hobart residence and involved a ferry crossing, often with long queues of tourist cars and buses; and once on the Island, our holiday shack was still 25 minutes from the farm.

Nevertheless, we took the challenge and chose grey sand over Permian mudstone.

After all, it was going to be just a hobby farm! Choosing a sandy soil allowed tractor access all year round and no damaging waterlogging of the trees.

Business plan

This year’s AIOA awards - Best in Class and two Reserve Championships - were a joint effort with new owners Abbie, Jeremy and Andy Muir.

tag” temperature recordings showed it was the coldest site out of 16 other vineyards around Tasmania. Vineyards need heat units to ripen grapes, whereas experts said olives are more dependent on sunlight than heat units.

In many areas the soil was pre-Jurassic from the Permian period (250+ million years ago), poor quality and hard to work. There were also areas of ancient grey and white river bed sand, excellent draining but heavily leached soil, that grew ferns and boobyallas very well but little else.

If this was a challenge, then the decision to remain small and choose an island with few services to establish our venture should have been warning enough. Due to an active lifestyle and Owen chairing a Port Douglas

Our business plan was simple: • Specialise in table olives.

• Run trials with a range of varieties before expanding to commercial production.

• Remain single estate - no outside purchases.

• Focus on top line strategies with top quality and pricing.

• Start with kitchen-based bottling and develop a processing plan before building commercial facilities.

• No direct selling: instead distribute through tourist outlets and local restaurants.

• Maintain own branding for all production.

• No labour outside of family, to avoid all the issues of hiring labour and workers compensation risks.

• Don’t get too big.

Why just table olives?

Olive groves have existed in Australia since the 1800s. However, there was a new development phase in the 1990s, mainly promoted by a few prominent olive nurseries, which highlighted that Australia was importing $100M of olive oil a year. This was promoted as a market that could be

Dianne and Owen first entered their table olives into the 2019 Australian International Olive Awards, earning two Best in Class awards.

captured by a new Australian industry.

When we looked into these claims the majority of the imports were from EU-subsidised growers. Further, the imported oils were low quality and thus cheap. Only a very small segment existed for high value oils.

As Australia has some of the highest allin labour costs in the world, it appeared that the rapidly expanding plantations would struggle, not only against the lowpriced imported oils but also from expanding Australian production targeting the limited high-end segment of the market. A lot of mechanisation and market promotion lay ahead to achieve viability.

Accordingly, we chose to specialise in table olives, which were flying under the radar of the nursery-led promotions.

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Book a free 15 minute introductory phone consult at digitalnarrative.com.au/book Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 45

Olive business

AIOA judges’ comments on Bruny Island olives …

“Attractive colour range with variation and a consistent size. Minimal bruising on some olives. Fresh aromatic mix of toffee, chocolate, olive and vanilla transferring to palate with extra floral flavours. Lovely creamy mouthfeel.

Good levels of bitterness, saltiness and acidity that are all well balanced.

Delicious and moreish. Eat the whole bowl.” - 2020 Best in Class, Olives Turning Colour & Black Olives - Bruny Island Olives Paragon “Beautiful selection of varying purples and black olives, in diverse shapes and sizes. Clean aromatic nose of fennel spice, coriander, and herbs. Great texture, savoury flavour. Balanced salt, bitterness, and acidity. Complex with floral notes and clean finish. Balanced and well-integrated. Delicious.” 2022 Reserve Champion, Specialty Olives Bruny Island Olives Manzanillo

Note: When Owen joined the AOA marketing sub-committee in 2015/16, all these olive oil challenges had crystalised for the new Australian producers. The AOA (with considerable help from Boundary Bend) went on to develop highly-effective campaigns to re-position consumers to Australia’s high-quality oils and prices, away from imported low-quality, often-adulterated oils.

“When the trees began to fruit only three varieties (12 of 88 trees) did not produce good table olives.”

Variety selection

In 2002, the year we planted, there was limited information as to which varieties would be suitable for table olives in a “far south” farm. Accordingly, we decided not to shoot the lights out with a large planting of varieties with an unknown track record in our micro-climate. Instead, we started an informal replicated trial with 88 trees, comprising 17 varieties, planted on a quarter of a hectare.

In 2013 we added some high-density trees, taking the area to approximately a third of a hectare. Row widths and tree spacings were also varied.

Celebrating Bruny Island Olives’ success at this year’s AIOA were picking team members (from left) Diane and David Baulch, Owen and Dianne Carington Smith, Phil Nolan, Milton and Heather Lowe.

“Tourists are indulging in a locality experience where price is not front-of-mind, a different mindset to price-conscious supermarket shopping.”

The varieties included table, dual and oil olives, including Spanish, Greek, US, Israel, North African, Australian and a wild Greek cultivar planted from seed by Owen’s mother in the 1960s. The limited information we had suggested that Kalamata was not suited to our climate.

The plan was to identify the best performers and then graft these onto the other stock. However, when the trees began to fruit only three varieties (12 out of 88 trees) did not produce good table olives. Indeed, many of the varieties have since won medals in the AIOA, including olive oil varieties.

We did not get round to any grafting. The new owners are now proceeding with this strategy.

The top line looks after the bottom line

Premium quality, unique product and premium prices has been our winning formulae to good $$ returns. Some businesses focus on the bottom line, which can lead to cutting quality and services, and subsequently to brand damage. A downward spiral becomes a risk.

A classic case in the 90s was a top Australian rental car company that was a trend-setter in employee relations and morale. The staff were excellent at customer service, a key KPI for a service industry.

Despite getting to market #1, there was reluctance to increase prices. This ultimately led to administration.

As a small producer, we found the lack of economies of scale required a sound marketing strategy, to achieve high prices to cover high costs without brand degradation.

For us, the building of premium prices made a statement about quality. Price increases flowed straight through to the bottom line: with our cost structure, a 5% increase in price led to a 20% increase in profit.

We learned that the images of “boutique”, “gourmet”, “single estate”, “special varieties” all have consumer appeal but in order to maintain a high price, expectations of special taste, a new experience and consistently high quality must be met.

There’s plenty more of this insightful information from Owen and Dianne to share but not enough pages in this edition, so don’t miss Part 2 in the March 2023 edition.

46 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

Olive business

Lauren@digitalnarrative.com.au www.digitalnarrative.com.au

Digital marketing: big opportunities for small business Lauren Hamilton, Digital Narrative

Five things to know about online advertising The prospect of new customers being able to find your business in just a few clicks is an encouraging one - but it only happens if you make the right moves.

Online marketing is technical and competitive, and for most people, it shouldn’t be attempted at home. That said, if you have a solid understanding of Google and Meta systems and you’re up for the challenge, here’s what you need to know.

Organic social media is not enough

It’s no secret that the days where brands could post free social media content and watch their audience numbers climb are well behind us. Today, corporations want you to pay for advertising, so any organic (i.e. unpaid) content you share on social channels like Meta (Facebook) are only likely to be viewed by about 5% of your current followers.

As the algorithm is designed to favour paid advertising, the chances of your content being seen by new audiences is even smaller again.

Bottom line: don’t rely on organic socials to promote your business. While this content is crucial for community management and keeping your current audience engaged, you should certainly be supplementing it with paid marketing to generate traffic, leads and sales to convert audiences quickly.

Where should I advertise?

Well, it depends. But essentially, there are two advertising giants: Google and Meta.

They both operate on a pay-per-click model, which means that you’ll pay a small fee every time a user clicks your ad or campaign.

Rather than being in opposition, these two platforms have different features and advantages, and most brands will benefit from an omni-channel approach. Therefore, how exactly you’ll choose to split your ad dollars will depend on your unique business objectives and the audiences you’re targeting.

Let’s look at the differences…

Google If you want to connect with a vast audience

An eye-catching landing page tailored to your audience is the doorway to online marketing success. Image: Igor Miske on Unsplash.

then you can’t go past Google - undisputedly the number one search engine - as your advertising platform.

Google Ads are text-based ads that are shown to users based on the keywords they search. That means this audience will have an active intent to buy a product, so using Google ads helps businesses find new customers and promote more immediate sales rather than brand awareness.

Meta While Meta (aka Facebook) doesn’t have quite the demographic breadth of Google, its active audience of 1.55 billion users is still enormous. The wealth of data this organisation has on the online behaviours and interests of its audience also helps advertisers focus on untapped audiences on a very granular level - e.g. targeting young mothers with an interest in art living in central Queensland.

Ads on this platform are also more image and video based, so brands can draw on the curiosity of new customers (who may not have otherwise had intent to buy) and promote brand awareness.

3. Go big or go home

The truth is that small businesses will need to spend money to make money. If you want to

see real results from an advertising campaign that you’ve put your time and energy into then don’t spend peanuts when it comes to circulating it.

For most brands, a minimum budget shouldn’t dip under $500/month, and as a ball park figure most small business owners will want to be spending upwards of 10% of sales on marketing overall.

Once you’ve got a killer campaign, trust the process! ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) can be between four to 12 times the amount you funnel into your campaign if you get it right, so your marketing ventures will be well worth the effort. You should also be looking at your ROAS each month to evaluate the performance of each campaign to inform future budgets and strategies, so make sure you have enough dollars behind your campaigns to make this data meaningful.

Optimise your landing page

To see great conversions, don’t underestimate the power of an eye catching and well-designed landing page. Your ad campaign has attracted the attention of a potential buyer, so don’t lose it by linking them to a big wall of text on a difficult to navigate platform.

The user experience needs to be streamlined from beginning to end, so your landing page is almost as important as the images and copy you choose on your ad. Take the time to tailor it to your audience and show them that your brand is trustworthy, professional and reliable.

Be sure to nail it, and the cat’s in the bag.

Develop, assess and refine

In summary, advertising online is an investment in your business, so take time to develop a structured yet flexible digital strategy which you can assess and refine as you go. Leveraging online marketing tactics efficiently isn’t as easy as it appears, but your efforts will certainly be rewarded in the long run.

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 47

Grove management

While olive trees are susceptible to poor drainage they’re also tough and, depending on the circumstances, can survive a flood event. Image: David Anderson, Unsplash.

Management of flooded groves The AOA is aware that olive groves are among the properties affected by the recent flooding in regions across the country. It’s been a rare occurrence in the 20+ years since the industry was established here, so we’re all wondering what the effects will be - and most importantly, whether olive trees can survive a flood. We asked industry experts what they know about the effects of flooding, and for any advice they may have for growers whose properties are, or have been, under water.

Paul Miller - international industry consultant, AOA Board member and former AOA President: “Flooding causes damage to trees if the water becomes de-oxygenated to the point where the roots die from lack of oxygen.

Olive trees are susceptible to poor drainage, as we know.

“It will be a case of wait-and-see, and the extent of the damage will depend on how long the tree roots are under water and the state of that water.

“I studied flood damage to fruit trees in the Goulburn Valley more than 20 years ago and I found that peach trees that had sat in still flood water for three weeks or so survived okay once the water subsided. Peaches are also susceptible to poor drainage like olives.

“However, I have no useful experience with longer periods of flooding.

“Once the floods have subsided it will also be a case of looking at the state of the above ground part of the tree. Are there still healthy leaves? If so, it will perhaps indicate some healthy roots?

“Olive trees are tough and have reserves within the tree depending on the age of the

tree. If there is a part that is alive below the ground after the flood, I would expect them to survive and grow back.

“Note their natural longevity. Here’s hoping.”

Michael Thomsett - grove consultant and current AOA President: “Feedback is that access to groves or areas within groves has been very difficult in many regions recently. This is both from eroded roads and tracks, and also boggy soils and subsequent impacts on machinery and vehicles.

“Soil compaction with ground cover vegetation being damaged by tractor activity is also happening.

“Defoliation of older leaves in olive trees that are growing in water-logged areas of groves is common, with the amount of longerterm damage dependent on the duration of the anaerobic conditions.

“Drainage of those areas with swales, spoon drains or ag-pipe with aggregate could be a suitable solution in the longer term. Short term, management in the recovery would be foliar applications of seaweed-based products.

48 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • December 2022 • Issue 126

“Another thing to be aware of is Phytophera, a water-borne pathogen which is in the soil and can be spread around olive groves particularly in wet times. The AOA is currently investigating whether off-label permits are available for systemic fungicide products to assist in the management of this.”

Key points: • De-oxygenation can cause root damage/ death and tree defoliation.

• Damage will depend on how long the tree roots are under water.

• Foliar applications of seaweed-based products may assist short-term with recovery.

• Mechanical drainage of affected areas will assist longer term.

• Soil compaction and damage from machinery should be avoided where possible.

• Monitor for water-borne pathogens and fungal diseases, and treat as soon as access is possible.

• Olive trees are tough: if there is a part alive after the flood, they can survive and grow back.

Grove management

New resource provides tools for postbushfire wellbeing Nearly two years after the devastating bushfires of 2019-2020, many Australian farmers are still coming to terms with the impacts. With the reality of more fires in the future, a new online bushfire resource Recovering After a Farm Fire - is hoping to provide farmers with the support and information they need to help them process and recover well after a bushfire.

Launched in late October by the University of South Australia (UnisA), the free interactive self-help resource has been designed by Australian farmers who have been affected by fires for their fellow Australian farmers. It aims to share information and practical tools to help farmers and their supporters adapt effectively if they have experienced a fire, and to prepare psychologically for future possible fires.

ifarmwell website

Led by UniSA Senior Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist Dr Kate Gunn, the new bushfire resource is part of the successful ifarmwell website, created to help farmers cope effectively with life’s challenges and get the most out of each day.

“Growing up on a farm myself gave me an insight into the ups and downs that farmers face. When farmers in my community were struggling and wondering where to seek confidential, free help, we came up with the ifarmwell website,” Dr Gunn said.

“Based on 10 years of research and the input from hundreds of farmers and supporters from the health and agricultural sectors, the modules on the website provide tools to equip users to take charge and reduce the negative impact stressful situations have on their lives, so they have more time and energy to focus on the things that make them happy.

Bushfire module

“The new bushfire module focusses on equipping farmers with practical strategies that are helpful for coping with a range of challenges, including the stress and trauma often experienced by farmers who are significantly affected by fires.

“It’s based upon things that other farmers affected by bushfires have told us they found helpful, as well as evidence-based psychological techniques. It covers topics such as how to deal with post-bushfire workloads, how to manage stress, anger and worry, and importantly, how to maintain good relationships with your community and those around you.

“Ultimately, it gives farmers practical tools, based upon psychological science and what

Australian olive growers were among the farmers impacted by the devastating bushfires of 2019-2020.

other farmers have found useful, to help manage their individual situation.”

Easy access

The free module can be accessed on a computer, smartphone or tablet - anywhere with internet access - so farmers can connect from their tractor, shed or home. It takes 30-60 minutes to complete, but you can stop and start it as often as you like.

It includes contributions from 16 farmers affected by bushfires, who collaborated on the project to help other farmers facing similar challenges to them. Combined with scientific evidence, the module aims to help users: • learn about how other farmers have felt after a bushfire; • reflect on tips they’ve provided on how to tackle post-fire workloads efficiently; • understand steps you can take to maintain good relationships with your community and those around you; • learn about ways to deal with anger; • learn how to reduce your potential future fire stress and worry; • identify if you may benefit from further professional support; and • help prepare psychologically for the possibility of experiencing a bushfire in the future.

Lived experience

South Australian dairy farmer Mick Kowald has been running the family farm for 20 years.

In the aftermath of the 2020 bushfires, he worked around the clock as he cleaned up after the fire and kept the farm running. After three or four days of constant work, little sleep and extreme stress, he ended up in hospital with a panic attack.

“I realised I couldn’t deal with the bushfire impacts on my own; I had to take a step back and slow down. The fire was bigger than anything I could fix in a couple of days, and it was going to take a long time to repair the damage on our farm,” Kowald said.

“So, I took a few days off and stepped back from it all. I spent a lot of time in my veggie patch, I cut back on the alcohol, got involved with community recovery efforts and I spent a lot more time with my family.

“After a bushfire event like I’ve been through, I think it’s so important that you really take time to look after yourself, pace yourself, and be aware that you may suffer similar things that I’ve been through.”

Farmer-specific content

As an advocate and contributor to the ifarmwell site, Mick willingly gave advice on what the new bushfire module should contain and shared his experiences in a video. He says the value lies in the content being specifically tailored to farmers.

“The ifarmwell website has been a great resource for me over the years,” he said.

“It takes some time and commitment to work through but the advice and strategies on the site are all practical and focused for farmers, so it’s all very real and relatable.

“My advice is simple: keep talking to your mates and neighbours, share your stories, don’t be afraid to open up, and seek advice from resources like ifarmwell if you need it.”

More information

Access all the resources on the ifarmwell website at www.ifarmwell.com.au, and access the Recovering After A Farm Fire module via the Other initiatives dropdown.

Issue 126 • December 2022 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 49

your calendar of olive events

What’s on

2022

Dec

19 December AOA Office closure www.australianolives.com.au

2023

Jan

Feb Apr

Jun

30 January AOA Office re-opens www.australianolives.com.au 21-22 February evokeAG. Down to Earth - Adelaide, SA www.evokeag.com 2 April Entries close, Olive Japan 2023 Tokyo, Japan www.olivejapan.com

Jul Oct

18 April Entries close, Oil China 2023 Beijing, China www.eoliveoil.com

5-7 June Hort Connections - Adelaide SA www.hortconnections.com.au 23-26 July Thinkfood Live - Melbourne, VIC www.foodproexh.com/thinkfood-live October - dates TBC AOA National Olive Industry Conference & Trade Exhibition Canberra, ACT www.nationaloliveconference.com.au

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