(August 2014, Source: www.olivenews.gr)
2014-15 HARVEST: After its worst harvest in decades, Greece will show a bountiful harvest in the coming season exceeding its yearly average tonnage and anticipating excellent extra virgin organoleptics. Spain will have an estimated 20% drop in its olive oil output in 2014-15, after a record breaking harvest last season. The countries outside the Mediterranean basin (Americas and Oceania) still only account for 3% of the global olive oil harvest.
Category: News
3 July 2014, Source: various news reports
INFUSED OLIVE OILS CANNOT BE CALLED “EXTRA VIRGIN”: The International Olive Oil Council (IOC) “washed its hands” over the issue of regulating infused olive oils. It’s Executive Director, Jean Louis Barjol agreed with the infused oil lobby that the IOC could not regulate the aromatic olive oils as they cannot be judged on the basis of their organoleptic characteristics. Barjol’s stance satisfied the North American infused oil industry who wanted to operate outside the IOC’s regulatory environment. But, in effect, it represents a victory for the purists, as the aromatic olive oil industry cannot claim “extra virginity” even if they used EVOO in the initial mix. Actually, the IOC does not even regard infused oils as Olive Oils.
June 2014
Ann and George Courmouzis, owners of Olive Oil Selections, attended the New York Fancy Food Fair to promote their Corvus brand and well tested concept of retailing extra virgin olive oil. The company had been absent from the US food shows for the past 8 years. Many useful contacts were made during the three day affair, many at the booth they shared with a table olives producer. George was interviewed on the subject of Greek olive oil exports by New York based NGTV. Greece’s disastrous 2013-14 harvest has reduced olive oil exports by 66%, according to Greek authorities. At least this may help clear the field of the many ephemeral brands that are traded in Greece (2646 in the last count…). Meanwhile, sales of the company’s 2nd Corvus varietal -known as Amfississ- introduced in early April and sold alongside the fusti with the original Koroneiki, have steadily climbed to reach about 25% of the combined total company sales.
USDA Report on Greek Olive Oil
Greek olive oil production in 2013–14 is projected to decline 57 percent as a result of the severe drought of last summer. About 80 percent of Greek output is extra-virgin olive oil. Per capita consumption of olive oil in Greece, at 20 kilograms, is one of the highest in the world. Greece is the world’s third largest olive oil producer after Spain and Italy, reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
(April 2014; source: www.olivenews.gr)
A new world record of 3.7 million metric tons of olive oil will be pressed during the 3013 – 14 harvest period that just ended, showing an increase of 37% over last year. Spain, with 1.7 million tons representing 51% of the global harvest, saw a 250% increase. Portugal and Australia recorded 200% increases, while Greece, Turkey and Tunisia showed the largest decreases.
