Tunisian PM opens olive oil repacking plant

By Joey Aguilar

Food production in Qatar has crossed another milestone with the opening of a plant last week to repack olive oil and distribute more than 28 Tunisian products in the local market.


_{Tunisian and Qatari dignitaries at the opening ceremony.}

Tunisian Prime Minister Al Habib Essid officially inaugurated the new facility at the New Industrial Area in the presence of guests and officials from Qatar and Tunisia.

The Qatar Tunisian Food Company, owned 51% by Mahaseel (a subsidiary of Hassad Food) and 49% by a number of Tunisian companies, has a production capacity of 1,000 tonnes of olive oil annually.

Prime Minister Essid, who was joined by Hassad Food Board of Director and CEO Khalid Mubarak al-Delaimi at the opening, cited the close ties and co-operation between Qatar and Tunisia in all fields.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, he thanked Qatar for funding a special project in his country which started two years ago and now has been benefiting many Tunisians, especially the youth.

The visiting Prime Minister, as well as guests, were taken on a tour of the facility to see how olive oil is processed and how it undergoes different stages of production: from receiving olive oil, storing it in controlled temperature, and then passing through the filtration process. Finally, the product will be packed in special glass bottles that come in different sizes.

The product is tested several times at different stages in the laboratory to ensure the consumer gets the highest quality.

“This expansion will help us to export products to various GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE and we hope to cover others such as Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman,” al-Delaimi noted.

He added that the facility would also help them in bringing better materials and products from Tunisia such as tuna which is already in the Qatar market.

In a press statement, Hassad Food chairman and managing director Nasser Mohamed al-Hajri expressed confidence that QT’s new plant will help supply more olive oil to the market. "The opening of QT’s new plant is a step forward in the field of food packing in Qatar, as it will surely contribute to meeting the need of from olive oil in the market."

He also echoed the statement of the Tunisian Prime Minister saying that his presence at the opening ceremony demonstrated the strong relationship between the two countries.

Hassad Food noted that QT’s operations has expanded and it has started exporting its products to other GCC countries. The company is planning to take its products to European and Asian markets by 2017.

Founded in 2000, QT is one of the leading companies in packing and exporting olive oil in the GCC.

[Source: Gulf Times]

Categories: News, Olive, Qatar, Tunisia

Disney star travels with olive oil & chocolate?

By Jennifer Grubb



2013 is starting with a bang for Disney star Bridgit Mendler. The fourth season of her Disney Channel show “Good Luck Charlie” is in production and her song “Ready or Not” from her debut album “Hello My Name Is…” just broke through the top 50 of Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 singles list. As if that wasn’t enough, the 20 year-old is also a new student at the University of Southern California.



Her demanding schedule requires frequent travel, so the Los Angeles resident does her best to stay healthy by getting seven hours of sleep, eating well, and stocking up on tea. “Whenever my voice is feeling hoarse, I just guzzle down some tea,” Bridgit says. “That usually helps a bit and if not that, believe it or not, I have a little spoonful of olive oil.” She confesses she’s a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to packing and never leaves home without dark chocolate.



Despite her hectic schedule, Bridgit likes being on the road. “I really enjoy the new experiences and meeting new people, but I have to say I'm a homebody so I’m always excited to be back home,” she admits.

But alas, the road is calling again. Bridgit will soon be heading to New York City, where she’ll perform at a charity concert for UNICEF hosted by fellow Disney star Selena Gomez on Saturday January 19th.

Visit her website: bridgitmendlermusic.com for more information.

[Source: HLNtv.com]

Categories: Article, Olive, USA

Choosing to be good

#HappyBirthdayTaylor
"No matter what happens in life, be good to people." Taylor Swift.

Categories: Flickr, Personal, Photography

Happy 3 Years Anniversary

December 12, 2012 - 2015.
Keep living, keep kicking, keep #gOlive.

Categories: Flickr, News, Olive, Personal, Photography

Soon to be born Himalayan olive oil

Two projects, both with Italian contributions, in Nepal and Pakistan. In the District of Bajura hundreds of olive trees have been planted. In the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is pointing to put 4 million trees



by S. C.

Two different projects will have a starring role of Italy in an attempt to catch the olive in the Himalayas.



In the first case, in Nepal, the agronomic challenge was launched a few years ago by the University of Tuscia. The project, presented by the Department for Innovation in Biological Systems, Agri and Forestry (Dibaf) has its origin between 1994 and 1999 when the Tuscia organized two scientific expeditions aimed to the study of high altitude vegetation in the north-western Nepal.



With the last expedition (1999) is found in the widespread presence of olive trees (Olea genus): native species Olea cuspidata and Olea glandulifera. Subsequently, through other missions, you find in Bajura District, village of Kolti, an appropriate site to experiment and bring you home to hundreds of olive trees from the collection of the University, become grafts Italian varieties (Olea europea) on local species Olea cuspidata widely spread on the territory of this region of the Himalayas. At the same time the local workers were trained to farming practice to kick off the project by planting plants in Nepal.



In the second case in Pakistan, the local Ministry of Agriculture, Arbab Ayub Jan has officially announced a project, funded by Italy with 360 million Pakistani rupees (approximately € 3 million) for the planting 4 million trees olive tree. Even in this case has already been found the most suitable, or the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The objective is to achieve self-sufficiency olive oil for the country.

[Source: Teatro Naturale International]

Categories: Article, Olive, Pakistan

U.S. International Trade Commission investigates the olive oil industry

After a December public hearing, it's harder to understand the future of the US extra virgin olive oil market and the olive oil marketing order. Testimony of some key witnesses will provides a clearer idea

by Alberto Grimelli

Some months ago the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has launched an investigation into the global competitiveness of the U.S. commercial olive oil industry.



The investigation, called “Olive Oil: Conditions of Competition between U.S. and Major Foreign Supplier Industries”, was requested by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means in a letter of September 12, 2012.

In its letter, the Committee stated: "The U.S. commercial olive oil industry has grown rapidly over the last decade, employing modern agriculture technologies and research to capture the growing domestic demand for olive oil.... U.S. consumption of olive oil has increased approximately 40 percent in the past ten years. Although domestic production has increased, the vast majority of U.S. consumption is satisfied by imports."

As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, will provide, to the extent possible, information and analysis on the major suppliers of olive oil, particularly Spain, Italy, and North African countries, as well as the United States. The report will cover the period 2008-2012 and to the extent possible will provide:



- an overview of the commercial olive oil industry in the United States and major supplier countries, including production of olives for olive oil processing, planted acreage and new plantings, processing volumes, processing capacity, carry-over inventory, and consumption;

- information on the international market for olive oil, including U.S. and foreign supplier imports and exports of olive oil in its various forms, olive oil trade between the European Union and North African countries, and a history of the tariff treatment and classification of olive oil;

- a qualitative and, to the extent possible, quantitative assessment of the role of imports, standards and grading, prices, and other factors on olive oil consumption in the U.S. market; and

- a comparison of the competitive strengths and weaknesses of the commercial olive production and olive oil processing industries in the major producing countries and the United States, including factors such as industry structure, input production costs and availability, processing technology, product innovation, government support and other government intervention, exchange rates, and marketing regimes, plus steps each respective industry is taking to increase its competitiveness.

The USITC will submit its report to the Committee by August 12, 2013.

On December 5, 2012, the USITC held a public hearing in connection with this investigation on December 5, 2012. What happened during this public hearing? The testimony of the witness will help us to understand.

“Fraud has plagued the olive oil business for thousands of years and continues to this day – said Tom Mueller, journalist and author of the book “extra Virginity” - olive oil quality, good and bad, is not matter of nationalism. Some extremely bad oil is made right here in the USA: my book describes several high profile American fraudsters. And much of world's finest olive oil is made by the Mediterranean, especialli in Spain, Italy and Greece. Americans consumers who buy these false extra virgins are being duped.”



“The Olive Center's three reports on olive oil quality – said Selina Wang, Research Director of the UC Davis Olive Center – have analyzed a total of 207 samples purchased from supermarkets and food service distributors. These studies found that 65% of the Mediterranean olive oil samples did not meet the IOC's minimal extra virgin standards, and that two of the samples were adulterated with canola oil. UC Davis conducted both IOC chemical and sensory analysis. The NAOOA's quality monitoring program does not include the IOC sensory standard.”

“Imports of olive oil account of the overwhelming majority – or about 98% - of growing US consumption - said Eryn Balch, Executive Vice President of NAOOA (North American Olive Oil Association) – NAOOA's ongoing mission is to ensure that imported olive oil is authentic and properly labeled. The common denominator in all of the NAOOA's efforts in this respect in the international standards overseen by the IOC. The problem is that conclusions of the UC Davis studies rely primarily on sensory testing, which of all the test methods is the one that is subjective and can produce variable results.”

“The process of adopting a federal marketing order is beneficial for both domestic producers and importers – said Alexander Ott, Executive Director of AOOPA (American Olive Oil Production Association) – If Europe's olive oil industry has benefited from an import quality regulation why shouldn't the US go ahead and protect the US consumer from both fraud and poor quality olive oil. To date there has not been a marketing order submitted or has one been drafted for submission so there is no marketing order entity that would have an interest in the farm bill. Yes, we are discussing a potential order with growers but the hysteria over potential federal marketing oderde is somewhat humorous.”



“The combination of a Mediterranean climate, productyion expertise, and entrepreneurial spirit provide the foundation for California to capitalize on the growing opportunities the market has to offer – said Mechel S. Paggi, Director Center for Agricultural Business, Califonia State University - Unlike their foreign competitors, California producers receive little government support in their effort to grow the industry.”

Fraud, olive oil quality, competition with European producers – these are the key problems, that the public hearing addressed. Who will win? Which side will prevail? No one knows at this point, but at least we now understand better who the players are in the competition: the NAOOA, which represents importers and distributors, and the AOOPA, representing growers and processors.

This is nothing new for Europeans. In fact, we’ve seen this competition every day, for decades. Good luck, USA, and welcome to the real world of the olive oil business!

[Source: Teatro Naturale International]

Categories: Article, Olive, USA

Amazing Landscapes: Tuscan-Inspired Yard

This beautiful Italian-inspired landscape mirrors the distinct Tuscan style of the home. Olive trees, lavender and a variety of grasses add Italian flair to this landscape design. Design by Jeff Allen.

[Photo: HGTV Remodels]

Categories: Olive, Photography

California olive oil industry ripe for expansion

By Robert Rodriguez

California’s burgeoning olive oil industry is expected to have a record-breaking year in 2015 as demand and acreage continue to grow.



This year, the state’s olive growers are estimated to churn out 4 million gallons of California extra virgin olive oil, nearly double the amount milled in 2014.

Much of the growth is coming from new, higher-yielding orchards that have been planted statewide, including in the central San Joaquin Valley. The region is now home to nearly a dozen companies crafting high-quality oils.

Even foreign growers have recognized California’s potential. Australia’s largest olive oil company, Boundary Bend, opened its first U.S. facility earlier this year in Woodland and has plans to expand over the next several years.

California’s olive industry leaders say that much of what sets the state’s 400 olive oil producers apart from their larger foreign competitors is quality.

While California has grown olives for decades, the trend now is to plant olive varieties specifically for their smooth and rich tasting oil. These days, the number of olive acres harvested for the cannery has dropped from a peak of 38,000 in the late 1970s to just 18,000 acres currently.

“Table olives are going the other direction,” said Adin Hester, president of the Oliver Growers Council in Visalia. “The numbers are up for olive oil production and it makes sense.”

The state’s olive oil estimate may not seem huge, compared to mega-crops like almonds and milk that produce in the billions of pounds or gallons, but it’s a big deal for the industry.

“We are growing by a percentage point a year and that is incredible considering we were just 1 percent of the total market in 2011 and now we are 4 percent,” said Patricia Darragh, executive director of the California Olive Oil Council in Berkeley. “The demand is growing.”

The olive oil council estimates the size of the state’s olive acreage at 35,000 with an additional 3,500 acres expected to be planted each year through 2020. California’s fourth year of drought also has made the drought-tolerant olive tree more attractive to some growers.

“Farmers are looking at their portfolios and trying to manage their water availability,” said Kimberly Houlding, executive director of the American Olive Oil Producers Association in Clovis. “So when you have a tree that takes half to one-third of the water of other tree crops, then olives begin to make sense.”

Although California represents just 4 percent of the market, with major imports coming from Italy, Spain and Tunisia, it has been quietly nibbling away at the importers’ dominance.

Helping to turn the tide was a landmark 2011 study done by the University of California that found the quality of some of the largest imported brands was inconsistent at best. It also found that most of the top-selling olive oils failed to meet international standards for extra virgin olive oil.

True extra virgin olive oil has to meet international standards for how it is stored and processed, meaning no chemicals or extreme heat is used during the extraction process and the oil is free of defects of flavor or odor, according to the California Olive Oil Council.

Among the Valley olive oil makers having success is Vincent Ricchiuti, whose family operates the award-winning Enzo Olive Oil. The family farms 400 acres of olives in Madera and may be planting more.

Working in California’s favor, Ricchiuti said, is its quality and strong consumer interest in local and U.S.-made products.

Enzo recently signed a deal to sell its organic extra virgin olive oil at more than 1,000 Publix grocery store chains. The Florida-based chain operates primarily in the southeast.



“When Publix brought us on we began to see new possibilities,” Ricchiuti said. “If we want to continue to grow our client list, we are going to have to plant some more acres. There is no question that people are becoming more aware of California extra virgin olive oil.”

To help remind consumers that there is a difference between California and imported oil, the California Olive Oil Council also certifies that its members’ oils are 100 percent extra virgin olive oil. The organization represents about 90 percent of the state’s 400 olive oil producers. The council’s certification process involves meeting or exceeding specific standards for acidity level and ultraviolet light absorbency. A blind panel taste test also looks for taste and odor defects.

“People are starting to see the quality of what we produce and it is only inevitable that there will be more growers and oil being produced, ” said Katrina Van Conant, co-founder of Scout Olive Oil in Clovis, one of the Valley’s newer oil makers.

As Australia’s largest olive oil producer, Boundary Bend wants to tap the U.S. demand for premium olive oil, especially oil from California. The U.S. is the world’s fourth-largest market for olive oil.

The company, whose flagship brand is the award-winning Cobram Estate, is spending more than $20 million on a mill, storage facility, laboratory and office in Woodland, just north of Sacramento. The company will be milling oil from California growers as it prepares to plant its own trees next spring.

Adam Englehardt, chief executive officer of Boundary Bend’s U.S. operation, said the plan is to plant 300 acres of olives a year over the next seven years.



“Consumers are wanting a higher quality, domestically produced oil, and we can provide that,” Englehardt said.

As part of the company’s growth plan, Boundary Bend is looking at building additional processing plants in other olive producing regions of the state, including the Valley. Englehardt said Boundary Bend has identified the Valley’s westside as an area of interest for new olive trees. The challenges are high land prices and the presence of a fungus known as verticillium.

“We have to be able to find land at a price point that is sustainable for this company,” Englehardt said. “But we are looking.”

[Source: The Fresno Bee]

Categories: Article, Olive, USA

Feral olive trees removed

Efforts are continuing to clear feral olive trees which have infested many parts of the Indigo Shire.

Almost all of the tress have been removed along roads in the Rutherglen and Chiltern areas as part of a three-year program to re-establish native plants in the region.

Feral olive trees often carry diseases and pests such as the olive fly.

Arborist Andrew Ollington says the young olive trees were the most difficult to detect.

"The little ones, we've just got to pretty much get down on our hand and knees and crawl through under all the other trees and cut them out and poison them," he said.

"We had to get them done before the fruit came on them - that's when they get spread."

• Olive: Friend or Foe?

[Source: ABC News]

Categories: Australia, News, Olive

Once in Time when Palestinian Farmers Harvesting Olive This Year

By Diana Qatamesh, the West Bank Programme Policy Officer.

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The annual olive harvest, which finishes this week, is one of the most important events of the year for Palestinian farmers. It brings communities together and provides an income for around 80,000 families.



Yet olive farmers in the West Bank face enormous challenges. Their access to land, water and markets is often limited by Israeli settlements, checkpoints and access restrictions, all aspects of the Israeli occupation. But despite these challenges, olive farming has huge economic potential. The olive oil industry provides up to 14 percent of Palestinian agricultural income, and agriculture accounts for nearly 25 percent of GDP.



I went to Deir Istiya to meet some of the olive farmers there. Deir Istiya is a small village in the hills surrounding Salift in the central West Bank. It is famous for its olive groves.

Deir Istiya has a total area of 34,000 dunums. Approximately 6,000 dunums were designated as Area ‘B’ under the Oslo agreement in 1993. This means they are under Palestinian civil control, but the Israeli military controls security. The rest of the land, constituting 28,000 dunums, has been designated as Area C. This means that although it is in the West Bank, the government of Israel retains control of all aspects, including planning and security. In Deir Istiya, 83 percent of the total area is under Israeli government control, and the village is surrounded by seven Israeli settlements.



When we first reach the area we meet with Yaseen Abu Hijleh. He is 88 years old and one of the founders of the olive oil cooperative in Deir Istiya, started in 1976. Abu Hijleh told me about the olive press that the cooperative first bought. “Due to a lack of water we were only able to buy a half automatic press, which uses a lot less water than a fully automatic one. At the time it sounded amazing. We were the first village in Salfit area to possess an olive press.”



The cooperative has 150 members now and it has transformed the half automatic press to a fully automatic one.Mustafa Kokash, an olive farmer from Deir Istyia, shows me around the press. “For the fully automated press we have to buy water from Israel – each harvest it costs us about NIS6000,” he tells me. Shortage of water is a huge problem for Palestinian farmers, particularly in Israeli-controlled Area C, where Palestinians are rarely allowed to build new wells, pipes or cisterns. Between 1988 and 2013, Oxfam’s partner, Bimkom, reported that 94 percent of all Palestinian applications for construction in Area C of the West Bank were rejected.



Most of the farmers here have lost trees due to Israeli settlers. They have been burnt, uprooted or cut down – actions for which there is rarely accountability in Israeli courts. Since 2010 more than 60,000 olive trees have been lost in the West Bank. Farmers also face restrictions on their movements, especially in land near the settlements. To do anything to their trees they have to get a permit from the Israeli authorities.

Oxfam partner Yesh Din reports that 95 percent of crimes reported by Palestinians to Israeli police are closed, unresolved.

Mustafa told me: “Five months ago Israeli settlers cut down and burned 350 olive trees from my land near one of the settlements. These olive trees were three years old and were supposed to start producing olives next year. Buying them cost me NIS4500. If settlers did not uproot them and they reached their producing age they would have produced 150 kg of olive oil a year.”



In 2007 Oxfam started working with the Deir Istiya farmers’ cooperative. Ayoub Abu Hijleh, one of the programme officers for Oxfam, said: “we at Oxfam wanted to make the situation for olive farmers much better than it was at that time. Farmers here face their trees being uprooted and huge restrictions on when they could care for their trees.”

Oxfam and local partners run the ‘From Grove to Market’ programme, funded by the Swiss Government, which helps Palestinian farmers improve the quality and quantity of their oil and reach local and international markets. Oxfam gave the farmers training on how to take care of the olive trees, and introduced them to the best techniques in order to produce high quality olive oil and to increase the amount produced.

Oxfam also made it possible for Palestinian farmers to obtain internationally recognised organic olive oil certification. This opened up new markets in countries like the UK and France, helped them compete globally, and it increased their profits. At the moment there are 17 farmers in Deir Istiya in the process of getting their organic certification.



I met another farmer in Deir Istaya, Azzam Salman. Azzam, who is 41 years old, owns land near one of the settlements. He was given four days by the Israeli authorities to harvest it. “It is 20 dunums of land, and has almost 100 olive trees. It would need 15 days or more to harvest,” said Azzam. “In the early 1990’s, when these olive trees were cared for, they would produce 500kg of olive oil a year. Now the same trees produce only 40kg of olive oil. I can’t get to them to plough them or prune them.”

Azzam knows that the money he gets from the 40kg of olive oil is not much, but he still goes to harvest the trees to make sure he retains ownership of the land.



As I was leaving the village I couldn’t help but reflect on the immense changes these farmers have witnessed in their village. In one lifetime Deir Istiya has been surrounded by settlements, land has been confiscated and countless olive trees have been uprooted. I hope that the farmers here can one day harvest, prune and plough their trees without waiting for Israeli permits.

[Source: TEMPO.CO]

Categories: Article, Olive, Palestin