Olives originated in the Eastern Mediterranean region and have come a long way with civilised man. However, olives were only cultivated commercially in South Africa from the beginning of the twentieth century. The local industry is based in the Western Cape, with the Paarl Valley as the centre.
More recently new developments have taken place in the drier summer rainfall areas where irrigation is available. During the 1970's the production and profitability of table olives (i.e. fruit processed for eating) surpassed that of olive oil in South Africa and this is currently still the situation.