The Texas Olive Oil Council, founded in 1994 as a non-profit organization, set a goal to successfully cultivate olives in Texas. The experts said that it couldn't be done, but members of the Texas Olive Oil Council are proving them wrong. Our mission is to gather and disseminate the most current and pertinent information for growing olives and making olive oil in Texas. We also develop and promote standards for the production and labeling of Texas olive oil and to protect, inform, and engender the trust and loyalty of the consumer.
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Texas Olive Oil in the spotlight on PBS station KLRN
January 7th broadcast of El Camino Olive Trail film highlights growing Olive Oil industry in South Texas & Northern Mexico
PBS-TV Station KLRN Channel 9 features the documentary El Camino Olive Trail on Saturday, January 7 from 5:30-7:00 pm. Click the image for a preview.
Texas "Liquid" Gold Rush
Last month, on March 26, 2011, many growers, producers, and a few new enthusiasts gathered for the First Annual Texas Olive Oil Tasting Festival. In a classic Texas-style celebration, over 200 people fill a "gas-station-turned-honky-tonk" restaurant, Threadgill's, where a big screen projected multi-media of olive groves, producers, fruit, and bottled oils. The scene was reminiscent of a family reunion as everyone greeted one another with camaraderie, interest, and respect. Banter around the room was a continual exchange of information about the groves, concern for how the early, dry and warm weather will affect the 2011 harvests, the bud growth, parasites, and frost damage.
The event's tasting competition was an informal one to showcase the harvest and varieties. The tasting panel was a mix of prominent chefs, olive oil buyers and food writers; and international olive growers. Out of seventeen orchards represented, six commercial producers and six artisans submitted 30 bottles of oil. They competed against international olive oil producers from Argentina, Spain, and Italy.
Read more about the event.
Olive Farm Business Seminars Planned
The Texas Olive Oil Council in partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services of Dimmit County (NHSDC) will be offering seminars on the business opportunity in growing olive orchards in Texas. Information about varietal selection, land preparation, water needs, start-up costs, etc. will be presented by growers who have helped build the foundation of this exploding industry.
Download this document for scheduled locations and presenters.
New Oil Boom Feeding Texas Economy
Carrizo Springs, TX, September 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ - Crowds have gathered in South Texas to observe the state's olive harvest season currently in full swing. Texas Olive Oil Council (TOOC) leaders are anticipating a statewide yield of approximately 500 tons; making this a banner year for the burgeoning olive oil industry. To mark this historic occasion the state's largest orchard, Texas Olive Ranch, invited the public for an up close view of the mechanical harvesting and process of pressing extra virgin oil.
Click here to view the complete Multimedia News Release.
Texas Gold Crush 2010 Begins!
On September 11, 2010, Texas first olive crop of the year was harvested and crushed. David and Beverly Anderson's high density olive orchard in Dilley, Texas, was the first of several olive orchards being harvested mechanically and pressed into extra virgin olive oil by Jim Henry at Texas Olive Ranch. It marks the beginning of what should be the state's largest olive harvest ever.
Documentary film maker Bill Millet was on hand for this momentous occasion. Look for some of his photos of the harvest kickoff and a video preview of the Texas Olive Trails film at the link below.
For most of human history, olives were milled by great stone wheels turned by beasts. Now, the process is accomplished mechanically through a series of four steps: mechanical washing, hammermill crushing, churning, and centrifugal separation of the oil. The most critical stage is the churning of the mash, known as 'mallaxation,' which is similar to the making of butter. In mallaxation, water is added to the crushed olives and the slush is slowly churned in a large bathtub size chamber for approximately 45 minutes, the time required for the oil molecules released by the crushing of the fruit to coalesce into oil droplets large enough to separate in the centrifugation process.
Texas' three commercial olive orchards, Texas Olive Ranch in Carrizo Springs, Bella Vista Ranch in Wimberley and Sandy Oaks in Elmendorf all have large mechanical milling operations and produce Texas grown olive oil. Olives are a relatively new specialty crop in Texas, but according to Karen Lee of the Texas Olive Oil Council, the number of growers in Texas is expanding rapidly and is projected to comprise over a million olive trees by 2012.
Texas Olive Ranch has raised the visibility of this homegrown product as it is now available in H-E-B, Central Market, and Whole Foods stores throughout the state. TOR begins harvesting its own crop on Monday and will welcome the public to view the process on Tuesday and Wednesday. Large crowds are expected especially for Tuesday's Olive Oil Field Day, sponsored by the USDA and TOOC. Featured speakers include TOOC founder Jim Henry, USDA researcher Dr. Nasir Malik, and Texas Agricultural Commissioner Todd Staples.
Texas Olive Ranch Harvest & Gold Crush Open to Visitors Sept. 14-15
Texas Olive Ranch will be open for visitors to observe the largest olive harvest in Texas history on September 14-15, 2010 from 9 am to 2pm. The 2010 Gold Crush Texas Olive Harvest is expected to be the most abundant in Texas olive agriculture history. During visitors hours, mechanical harvesting and the complete process of pressing extra virgin olive oil will be open for view: harvester operation, weighing fruit bins, filling the mill hopper, and milling the new oil, or 'Oliva Nueva,' the Tex-ified version of the Italian "Olio Nuovo." We will be sampling remarkably spicy, flavorful Oliva Nueva as it is produced. Hats and boots are recommended. Texas Olive Ranch is between Asherton, Texas and Carrizo Springs, Texas on CR 1557, about two hours southwest of San Antonio by car. Overnight visitors are encouraged to make reservations for accommodations early as space is limited.
On Tuesday, September 14, the USDA and Texas Olive Oil Council are sponsoring Olive Oil Field Day, a seminar to provide information about olive agriculture in Texas (agenda). Todd Staples, Texas Agriculture Commissioner, will be speaking at noon. After the seminar, there will be a soapmaking demonstration by Kathy White, KatNip Natural Bath & Body, Clear Lake. Orchard and presshouse tours will be ongoing during the day both days.
During the harvest event, PBS will be filming a documentary about the Texas olive industry. Texas Olive Trails follows the emergence of olive agriculture in the historically innovative agricultural Winter Garden region of the Middle Rio Grande in South Texas, along with the challenges of weather, water availability, rocks, varmints and more.
Texas Olive Ranch is the largest olive orchard in Texas and at present is the only commercial producer in the state. The high density orchard is comprised of 40,000 olive trees of varieties Arbequina, Arbosana, and Koroneiki. The orchard is harvested mechanically and the olives are processed within 3 hours of harvesting in the on-site Alfa Laval olive mill. Texas Olive Ranch olive oil was recently compared to other commercially available olive oils in a research study conducted by Dr. Nasir Malik of the USDA Agricultural Research Station at Weslaco, which found Texas Olive Ranch olive oil to be superior in quality. http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=246285
For more information, please call Karen Lee, 512-466-3816, or Jim Henry 214-325-5787
Texas Olive Trails
The state's blossoming olive oil industry has captured the interest of PBS. The network is currently filming a documentary called Texas Olive Trails that follows the emergence of the state's olive agriculture. Click the image for a preview on our News page.
What's happening with our members?
Mrs. Schultze, Round Top, July 28, 2008. Texas Olive Oil gave her a bottle of olive oil for her 65th Wedding Anniversary. Husband is Merton Schultze. They opened this grocery store and beer joint in 1950. |
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NEW Member Highlights Photo Gallery
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Commissioner Todd Staples Visits with Local Growers |
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Congratulations to the Paul Conley Family (pictured below) on their new 11.400 tree high density orchard being planted on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2008 in Asherton,Texas. Full story & photo gallery
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| David & Beverly Anderson, Jerry Ferril, Tony Correa | Texas olive growers on the New Holland mechanical harvester |
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| Olives blooming on the Texas Olive Ranch | TOOC members taking a break on the orchard |
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| Making Texas olive oil | Beautiful olive trees |
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