Tasman Bay Olives Limited

The European olive ( Olea europea ) has been part of human history for thousands of years. The olive and oil were basic elements of the economies of many civilizations including Roman, Greek, Egyptian and Persian. For most Mediterranean countries the olive has been a basic in their diet. As the olive does not grow in Northern Europe it was replaced in the diet as civilization moved north. In recent years there has been a resurgence of the olive as People in Western countries become more health conscious and the properties of the olive in a healthy diet have become more understood. This awareness is now having a significant impact in New Zealand as the pioneers in the 1980's proved olives could be grown in New Zealand groves are being planted from the top of the North Island to Central Otago deep in the South Island.

As with wine it is now becoming clear that certain areas of New Zealand can produce world class olive oil. Nelson has already established itself as one of the better areas in New Zealand.

The fledgling olive industry in Zealand has largely been developed by enthusiastic people with a passion for olives but it is likely to be only a matter of time before larger scale commercial growers become involved. Again the wine industry may provide a guide as to how the industry may develop. There is a lot of experimentation going on as small growers try different varieties to try and isolate those that are best suited to New Zealand's climate and soil types. There is very little history on which to base decisions such as which variety is best suited to a particular region so further experimentation will be undertaken before clear indication begin to emerge over the next ten or so years.

Research carried out before cultivar selection suggested Tuscan varieties to be most suited to the Nelson environment. With this we aim for the best of both worlds, New Zealand freshness with Italian flavour. Approximately 80% of the three groves are planted in Leccino and Frantoio. Ten other cultivars have been planted to assess their suitability to the region. These include Manzanilla, Pendolino, Barnea, Carolea, Picholine, Picual, Kalamata and Koroneiki. More plantings are planned over the next two years and are likely to be Frantoio and Leccino.

The three groves which are all in a five kilometer radius have 10,000 trees with an additional 3,000 to be planted in May 2006.

The olives, depending on variety, are picked between mid May and mid June. in The fruit is harvested using mechanical rakes which are dragged down the branches. The fruit collects on special mats spread at the base of the trees from where it is placed in bins holding approximately 20 Kgs each. The harvesting of the olives is particularly important so fruit is not damaged. Once picked it is also important to have olives pressed as soon as possible. Our objective is to press within 12 hours of harvest. If fruit is left oxidation can commence and this directly affects the quality of the oil.

In April 2002 Tasman Bay Olives Ltd imported a press from Italy. After significant evaluation of the various makes and models available we selcted a Pegaso 500 which is pictured in on this web site. This press incorporates state of the art technologyand has now operated very successfully for the 2002 to 2005 seasons. Contract pressing has been done but the press has the capacity to press approximately 500 kilograms of fruit per hour so there is capacity for a few more years. The press requires only one operator.

During 2005 ELOVI premium oils have been marketed into the United States through a well-known retail chain operating throughout the USA and into Canada. New Zealand oils are relatively new in this market and we are confident that the unique taste of New Zealand oils augurs well for the further development of this market in 2006 and beyond.

Our extra virgin olive oils are now being marketed throughout New Zealand. We have developed a second brand "Tasman Ridge" to complement our main brand "Elovi". Tasman Ridge brand is being marketed through selected supermarkets and other higher volume retail outlets.

Our extra virgin olive oils have been entered in the annual Taste Nelson and the New Zealand Olive Associastion competitions and since our first pressing in 2000 have won awards of excellence each year.