Our olive oil just got an update! By popular request, we now stock extra virgin olive oil in steel drums at the Co-op.
The steel drums are not only a more sustainable way to store our olive oil, but also protect it from light, helping it maintain its award-winning taste and quality for longer.
Our olive oil comes from Kangaroo Island Olives, an Australian family-owned business focused on quality and sustainability. Located on Kangaroo Island in South Australia, the farm sits beside a heritage-listed wilderness zone and is committed to sustainable farming practices that have a positive impact on the surrounding environment.
The farm has been family owned and operated for over 25 years. Today, Dom manages the day-to-day farming, while his sons Michael and Vincent handle the business operations.
Kangaroo Island Olives produces extra virgin olive oil, the highest grade of olive oil. It is made by pressing fresh olives using only mechanical means, without heat, chemicals or refining. To be classified as ‘extra virgin’, olive oil must also meet strict chemical and sensory standards.
And when it comes to ingredients, they keep things simple: 100% olives, with no additives!
Freshness is also an important part of the process. The journey from tree, to press, to bottle takes less than eight hours, helping preserve the flavour and quality of the freshly harvested olives.
The grove grows more than five varieties of olives and incorporates seasonal grazing and honey bees into its farming practices. Large portions of the property are also dedicated to wildlife conservation through heritage protection agreements, providing habitat for the island’s native wildlife. This is Smiley, their resident koala.
Sustainability is at the heart of how the grove is managed. Kangaroo Island Olives uses regenerative farming practices, with its olive trees sequestering carbon as they grow and the family working to leave a sustainable legacy for future generations.
So next time your olive oil runs low, bring a bottle or jar into the Co-op and fill up with Kangaroo Island Olives extra virgin olive oil – now kept fresh in our new steel drums!
