Following the announcement of the 2020 #SAOliveAwards & #AbsaTop10 Olive Oils Awards in South Africa, we are presenting a series of interviews with each Gold winning producer.

Name of the oil: Olive Boutique Frantoio EVOO
Style: Delicate

Cultivars used for this oil: Frantoio
Litres produced: 3250 lt

Tasting notes: Soft delicate extra virgin olive oil. Slightly fruity with a hint of pepper finish. Positive attributes: fruit of green and ripe olives, ripe tomato and pine seed. Free of defects.

Best paired with which food: Roasted vegetables, fresh pasta, white meat as grilled chicken or slow-roasted meat as a lamb. It is perfect to be drizzled over mozzarella or for dipping bread.

Name of the oil: Olive Boutique Frantoio/Coratina
Style: Medium

Cultivars used for this oil: Frantoio & Coratina
Litres produced: 3300 lt

Tasting notes: Medium extra virgin olive oil. Positive attributes: fruit of green and ripe olives, olive leaf, almond, walnut, pine seed and apple. Free of defects.

Best paired with which food: The bigger tastes typically found in pesto’s, pasta made with garlic, oreganum, thyme and chilli, game, fish, meat, rocket, watercress and soups made with roasted vegetables.

Producer history: The Olive Boutique is a proudly South African, olive oil, olive and vinegar tasting bar located in Riebeek Kasteel, in the Riebeek Valley, offering a range of high quality, boutique, extra virgin olive oils, fermented fruit vinegars, gourmet table olives, olive pastes, seasoning salts and olive oil based body care products. Over the past 20 years, the Valley has established itself as one of the primary olive oil and olive producing regions in South Africa. The Boutique has been part of this evolution.

We contract ‘mill’ olives to produce extract extra virgin olive oil, which we rack and filter for local Valley and Swartland regional olive oil enthusiasts, hobbyists and emerging commercial olive farmers. We support new entrants, micro, small and medium sized olive growers with oil blending, bottling and marketing services.

Our operating philosophy is to facilitate the ongoing growth of independent artisanal producers and garagiste blenders within the olive oil industry in the Swartland Region.

Farm background: Our oil olives are grown on Zonquasdrift, a 360 hectare farm situated on the banks of the Berg River in the Riebeek Valley, in the Swartland which is owned by the Mettenheimer family. The land is leased and farmed by Freddy Kirsten (Kirsten Boedery) producing citrus for export and Chardonnay, Shiraz and Chenin grapes for local wine production. The farm has a well established (12 year old) 3 hectare olive grove with 800 Frantoio, 300 Leccino and 300 Coratina trees.

By way of historical background, the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), the Dutch company which established the initial Cape settlement as a refreshment station for passing ships, made land available to farm in the early 1700’s. Land near rivers was the most sought after. The Zonkwasdrif  farms (East and West) located on the Berg River were made available and allocated to Stellenbosch farmers in 1704 and 1715 respectively.

Where to buy: Olive Boutique, 49 Church Street, Riebeek Kasteel or online at www.olive-boutique.co.za.

Telephone: +27 (022) 448 1368
Email: olives@olive-boutique.co.za

For more SA Olive Awards winners click here.
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