Our olives are harvested at two stages of ripeness. Green ripe and fully black ripe. Processing is carried out in 220L barrels in a 10% brine (salt) solution. There is absolutely no use of harsh chemicals like lye (caustic soda) to artificially speed up the de-bittering process. The olives stay in this brine solution for ‘at least’ 12 months. They are regularly tested to monitor brine (salt) and Ph levels to ensure food safety standards are maintained. We then bottle with the mature brine (filtered 3 times) used as packing in 210g, 320g bottles and 1Kg bulk bags.
Our green ripe olive harvest happens in mid-Autumn when the olives are still green or ‘turning colour’. This ‘green ripe’ harvest ensures that when fully debittered they are ready to eat. The flesh is firm and there is quite a distinct pleasant umami savory taste. If you love snacking on olives, or enjoying olives with your aperitif it's probably because of the umami factor, a mix of sweet, salty and bitter. Some people report a hint of a nutty aftertaste. Everyone’s palette is different.
Our Black olives are ‘naturally’ black. They are left on the trees for another 2-3 months after the green ripe stage. It is important to be aware that this is a natural process and not in any way like the black olives sourced from supermarkets or deli’s that are ‘processed’ to turn green olives black! Refer to the page artificial colouring green olives to black. As the olives ripen naturally the skin changes from a ‘turning colour’ light pink blush to purple and finally to a dark purple (black) skin. At ‘fully ripe’ the flesh and pit are also black. Like all ripe fruit the flesh is soft therefore the olive pit is easily removed by hand with a firm squeeze. So, these black olives are a great choice for cooking as they are so easy to prepare, but also good to snack on if a slightly less strong olive taste is preferred.