Background

According to the California olive industry, olives originated in the Mediterranean countries of southern Europe. Olives were brought to Mexico, and subsequently to California, in the 1700s. However, commercial production did not begin until the 1800s. The industry developed at that time to satisfy the rising demand for olive oil, and production began to flourish in the Central and northern valleys of California. Originally, California olive production was intended for oil. By the early 1900s, however, advances in canning technology promoted higher returns for canned olives, and producers changed to producing olives for canning.

Overview
Today, California remains the only U.S. state to commercially produce olives for canning. Over 99 percent of production is destined for canning as California-style black olives. Much of the olive oil consumed in the United States is imported. The USDA classifies the olive as a fruit, not as a vegetable or an oilseed.  January 2008... Olives

Other Links

• Background on the Olive Industry, Ag Marketing Resource Center, Iowa State University, 2005 - Olives originated in Spain, Tunisia, Morocco and other Mediterranean countries. In the 1700s, Franciscan monks brought olive trees to Mexico and then to California when they established the California missions.
• California Olive Reports, California Department of Food and Agriculture and NASS, USDA.
• California Olives, Marketing Orders, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA.
• The Economics of Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A North American Perspective, DELIZIA Brand Olive Oil Company, Oakland, California, 2008 - The economics of extra virgin olive oil is a broad and extremely complex subject. Factors that affect this market include: the European subsidy to European Union farmers, labor, production cost, marketing subsidies and good old-fashioned politics, to list a few. The paper is a brief discussion of olive oil economics highlights the core elements that affect the actual cost of producing high-quality olive oil.
• International Olive Growers Council - This Web site presents the steps taken to increase the returns obtained from olives, the source of income for over seven million families around the world, as well as the measures taken to raise product quality and to find new markets.
• Olives, University of California-Davis Cooperative Extension - This Web site provides support to the California olive oil and table olive industry.
• Olivebusiness.com - Australian olive industry site. Salsi Pty Ltd is a family-owned company incorporated in Australia. The company's interests cover a range of activities in the food production and marketing, publishing, Internet and learning industries. Salsi Pty Ltd, P.O. Box 70, Ascot Vale, Victoria, 3032, Australia.
  Olive Growers Council of California, Visalia, California - The Olive Growers Council was organized in 1978 as a bargaining cooperative. Its mission was to improve prices paid to farmers. The bargaining association has positively impacted the olive industry because prices have increased since the association was organized.
• The Olive Industry, Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation, Australia, 1997 - Handbook on olive marketing and production. Contact davies.gerry@pi.sa.gov.au or sweeney.susan@pi.sa.gov.au.
• Olive Oil: "A Rediscovered" California Crop, University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics, ARE Update, Vol. 8, No. 5, 2005.
• Olive Production Manual, 2nd Edition, University of California, ANR Publication No. 3353 (ISBN 1-879906-14-7), 2005, $35 - This manual, considered the definitive guide to olive production in California, has been revised and updated. The second edition contains new and expanded information on pollination, pruning, irrigation, mechanical harvesting methods, postharvest handling and processing methods, and olive oil production. The manual also includes information on new pests.
• Organic Olive Production Manual, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Pub. No. 3505, Available at http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/InOrder/Shop/Shop.asp, $18 - This manual provides detailed information for growers on production issues, plant nutrition, economics, pest and weed control, management of olive wastes, the conversion process and organic certification and registration.
• Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts, NASS, USDA, January 2008 - These reports estimate agricultural commodity production and related items.
• Pest Management Guidelines for Olives, University of California Cooperative Extension.
• Sample Costs to Establish a Super-High Density Olive Orchard and Produce Olive Oil, University of California Cooperative Extension, 2007 - This study presents the sample costs to establish a super-high-density olive orchard planting on a trellis system and produce olives for oil in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The super-high-density system is still fairly new to California and its long-term performance is not known.
• United States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil, AMS, USDA, 1948.

Links checked February 2008.