2011

To handle future crops the olive crushing and fruit handling side of the plant needed to be upgraded to handle mechanical harvesting and gently process the fruit through the washing plant and into a new crusher. This involved setting up this section of the processing line outside the shed and building an extension which all worked perfectly from day one with the added benefit of reducing noise in the processing room. This freed up space in the main shed to construct an internal oil storage cool room next and acquiring new stainless steel tanks to store the oils. We also installed a sales room on the other side of the shed to manage farm sales, visitor and group tours to centralise our visitor centre with a permanent display.

When the harvest of 2011 eventually arrived, it proved to be a bin buster but due to the cool conditions the fruit wouldn't ripen pushing harvesting dates later and later. Eventually, from 15 th April through till 17 th July it was a progression of crushing and harvesting both for ourselves and other growers in the region.

Also importantly in 2011, Wollundry Grove obtained the Code of Practice (COP) certification to produce EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) abiding to the standards and guidelines as part of our customer assurance.

Joo-Yee has also just completed a course to join the important Olive Oil Sensory Panel for testing olive oils, which for panel members is in a voluntary capacity.

Of note it is still, disappointing to see a lot of mainly poor quality imported oils being sold and labelled as EVOO and putting price pressure on our quality local brands through discount pricing.

2010

Since taking over the business from the previous owners, it has been nonstop from day one for us. Immediately gearing up for the 2010 harvest and running the processing plant for the first time presented its own particular challenges and at the same time highlighted some areas needing improvement if we were to get through another harvest. As for some of the Grove, the 2010 year was not particularly kind with a fair proportion of trees on the western side of the block lacking any fruit at all due to the hot weather during the flowering period, which was disappointing from a yield perspective. However, the table fruit was of exceptional quality, with large size and plump fruit. So, despite the small oil crush, we had good table fruit.

2010 also saw a change in the seasons and an eventual breaking of the long drought conditions that had gripped southern Australia and we went from dust to wet to very wet right through the summer of 2011. This set the stage for a massive harvest looming, with cool conditions and adequate soil moisture, there would be olives coming out of our ears.