We were thrilled to hear that our 2015 EVOO was awarded a Silver Medal at the Adelaide Show this year. This is South Australia's premier olive oil tasting event, and it's obviously great feedback. We don't stick medals onto our products though (you'll just have to trust us - or Google it). If we were going to stick anything extra on our packaging to show the quality of what is inside we would stick on comments from our customers. Here are a few we have received recently:

“Oh my gosh...... your Olive Oil has changed my world... seriously, I've never tasted anything like it and am kicking myself for giving some to my mum because now I am scared of running out. Will DEFINITELY be purchasing again :)

Thank-you so much!”
 
“With a Croatian background Olive oil has been on the table for ever, so coming across your drop I was very much impressed.”
 
“Best Olive Oil for 20 years....not since Greece can I remember oil like this. Wonderful!!!!!!”
 
“Thank You very much Andrew, your olive oil is the best I have ever 
tasted in a long time, will buy from you again and buy in a larger order.”

Competitions and laboratory analysis are obviously very important feedback for us, however we don't produce olive oil for them. We produce it so that it gets enjoyed in kitchens around Australia. So thank you to everyone who provides us with constant feedback. We really appreciate it!

The sun is finally starting to come out and warm up the olive trees! They've been reluctant to form buds this year however things are starting to move a long now as they sense the warmer weather.

In this months newsletter we introduce you to our new "what is extra virgin olive oil?" website, provide a great egg-free chocolate mousse and bring a fantastic article by TV chef Fast Ed.

We've received some great feedback already from our 2015 Harvest, both from customers and from the lab. The lab has placed a very long best before date of two and a half years on it which is a good reflection of its quality. We have decided to reintroduce the 10L bag-in-box this year which is available for local orders for $110. Just fill out the form on our 'Goolwa Orders' page if you would like to order this size.
Celebrity chef 'Fast Ed' has written a well researched article on olive oil in Australia and can be found by clicking on the link below and scrolling through to page 75 where the article begins. The main points from his article are:

• Australians consume more olive oil per person than any other country outside of the Mediterranean 
• 95% of Australian olive oil is Extra Virgin grade, while over 50% of imported olive oil fails basic tests for quality (despite being labelled as 'Extra Virgin'). This means they have zero health benefits and are essentially vegetable oils labelled as 'Extra Virgin Olive Oil'
• The Australian Government can change all this by making the current voluntary standard compulsory. This would really annoy Spain and Italy who are the main culprits for dumping adulterated, falsely labeled olive oil on our shores and hence the Government is reluctant to do this. In the mean time Australian growers are severely disadvantaged and Australian consumers are being duped at the checkout. 

http://issuu.com/roughcutmagazine/docs/roughcut.issue_2.august2015?e=17020399%2F14767094

I constantly get asked the question "what REALLY is extra virgin olive oil?" As a result I have put together a simple website that clearly and succinctly explains what the 'Extra Virgin' really means. I've also included a short video of a mum that painfully tries to explain what 'virgin' means to her daughter. I hope you find the site both informative and a little humorous! 
www.whatisextravirginoliveoil.com.au