Let us take you on the journey of an olive from the tree to your table.

Life of the olive

The olive tree is revered as one of the longest living and hardiest trees on earth. A slow growing tree, it can bear fruit for hundreds of years. Eventually, the trunk will wither and shoots develop at its base, growing into a new tree; hence its reputation as the immortal tree.

Olives grow best in climates that are mild in the winter and hot in the summer, much like the warm inland valleys of California.

Between April and June a multitude of small, white perfumed flowers appear in groups under the preceding year's leaves. They only last a few weeks. One olive is born for every 20 flowers.

The olives mature all summer, and are harvested in the fall. The crop for the next year begins soon after harvest of the current year. Microscopic flower buds begin forming by November.

Harvesting the olive

The California olive harvest generally begins in September and lasts through November. Table olives are still harvested by hand, with pickers working on the ground and on ladders. The fruit is removed by sliding a gloved hand down the limb in a combing action. It takes 12 days for one picker to harvest one acre of olive trees!

Curing an Olive

Olives straight from the tree are too bitter to eat without some kind of curing.  There are basically three ways to process an olive: Oxidized, Green, or Natural. Olives that have been allowed to mature on the tree are Natural. The olives used to make California black ripe olives or Spanish green olives are harvested green.

Making the California black ripe style olive

Most California olives become black ripe olives, through a process of oxidation. The olives are brought from the orchard, put immediately into storage tanks, and taken to the processing plant to be cured. A flow of air bubbles into the tanks gives the olives their distinctive black color. The olives cure for about one week before they are hand sorted to remove off-color, soft or broken olives. After being pitted, the fruit is sent to the canning lines, where it is packed and heat sterilized, ready for your table!

Making the Spanish green style olive

The green olives are brought to the processing plant and left to rest for a day or two. This rest period softens the fruit, to protect the skin during curing. The olives are treated with a curing solution. All the fruit must be totally immersed in the curing solution to retain their green color. The olives then ferment for for up to two months. The fermented olives are hand sorted, sized and graded, and then pitted and stuffed with a variety of flavors, and packed into glass jars. Delicous on their own or in your martini!