Nestled beneath the eastern flanks of the spectacular Grampians' Ranges in western Victoria, Red Rock Olives produces an exciting range of award-winning gourmet olive products, including cold pressed extra-virgin olive oils, table olives, herbally infused olive oils, tapenades and dressings.

Red Rock Olives is a small family business, owned and operated by Greg Aimer and Christina Freestone.

In The Grove

In what was a bare paddock in 1997, there is now a grove of over 5,000 olive trees.  The grove is a beautiful place with panoramic views and is a haven for a wide range of birds and small wildlife, including antechinus and blue tongue lizards.  A range of different cultivars is grown.  Our main oil-producing varieties are Frantoio, Nevadillo Blanco, Manzanillo (also grown for table olives), Coreggiola and Koroneiki.  Table olive varieties include Kalamata, Californian Queen (UC13A6) and Spanish Queen.
 

We experience a Mediterranean style climate: wet springs, warm dry summers, long mild autumns and cool winters.  These conditions suit the growth and fruiting cycles of the olive tree, and consequently we see flourishing growth and good fruit set levels.

Because our soils are generally nutrient-deficient, we apply a range of organic fertilizers to improve soil condition.

A high fence encircles the olive grove to keep out kangaroos, emus and deer.  As well as being destructive, their droppings are a food contamination risk.

The grove has an irrigation system installed throughout but is used sparingly at critical stages during the pollination/fruit set and fruit development stages.

Harvesting & Processing the Crop

Green table olives are harvested by hand in April.  The fruit changes colour quickly with the onset of autumn and by mid-May the harvest is well underway.  Much of the harvest is performed manually using hand-held rakes.  The fruit is either collected in one of our Red Rock Olive Catchers or on large ground mats.  Although slow and expensive, hand harvesting minimizes fruit damage and so is essential for table fruit production and probably assists in maintaining maximum flavour for oil production. The olives are processed offsite and the olive oil extracted.

Our olives are processed by Murradoc Oil Processors, who use a state-of-the-art Italian oil press in their new facility just out of Drysdale on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria.  The machinery is meticulously cleaned and sanitized before use.  The oil is cold pressed, i.e. the operation is conducted at less than 30°C.  This maximizes flavour and micro-ingredient retention at the expense of yield.  Typically the room is filled with rich olive aroma as the olives are crushed. The paste is then fed into a centrifuge where the oil is separated from waste solids and water. The oil is filtered and stored in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling.

   
   

Join Hannah on her adventure to the Red Rock Olive shop!
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