I was helping The Boss clean up a few drips of olive oil the other day while he was decanting from the tin into the oil pourer – and he told me I’d best appreciate it.
He says there’s a world shortage of the stuff after years of drought in Spain and parts of Italy, which is causing great consternation among the Europeans.
In Spain, the price of olive oil rose 115 per cent between September 2022 and September 2023, after the hottest summer on record saw many of the Mediterranean’s ancient olive groves drying up.
He says it's inevitable they will come looking for ours, not least because Australian olive oil has been winning plaudits on the international olive oil circuit for some years now – it is trusted more than much of what comes out of Europe.
Since 2011, our standards for extra virgin olive oil have been the strictest in the world. Previously, the standards set by the Madrid-based International Olive Council were considered the benchmark, but the Australian standard (AS5264-2011, in case you want to know) requires two additional chemical tests that detect freshness, quality and whether the oil has been cut with cheap or old oil.
In addition, our standard requires a “best before” date less than two years from the time the oil is bottled. Because most of our growers have their own mills and bottling facilities, they can press their olives and bottle the oil in less than 24 hours.
It means we get a pure, super-fresh oil that is as good as any in the world, according to The Boss. Or we should. It turns out that having a standard is one thing, but meeting it can be another.
The Australian Olive Association has kicked off a monitoring program to randomly test both local and imported olive oils, just in case.
In addition to the weather-induced shortages overseas, the milder weather on Australia’s east coast this year means our own crop will likely be reduced, further adding to the shortage and increasing the risk of rogue players adding to their stocks by adding some older oil, or even non-olive oil varieties.
The chief executive of the Australian Olive Association, Michael Southan, reckons it just might be a good time to check.
He says the random testing will pick up any substitutions easily and the word will get around in overseas and local markets quickly – meaning unscrupulous overseas traders will dump their lesser-quality and adulterated oils in other countries.
The Boss says this is a good thing: extra virgin olive oil is expensive and he says consumers should be sure they are getting the right stuff.
Fortunately we have a few excellent local suppliers to choose from. We have Greendale Olives just out the road and The Boss particularly likes Jack Frewin’s olive oil from the hungry ironbark country over at Koonda, just past Upotipotpon.
Jack sells his oil at the Violet Town market on the second Saturday of the month – and he’s always up for a bit of a chat. Woof!