54 | Kapiti Olives HORTICULTURE Kapiti Olives’ extra virgin oil excellence Kapiti Olives’ trees are grown in six metre by five metre grids. T T Russell Fredric The golden goodness pressed from the fruit of Kapiti Olives trees is among the most awarded olive oil brands in New Zealand. Located in Otaki on the banks of the Otaki River, Kapiti Olives grows four varieties of olives, Frantoio and Leccino (Tuscan), Koroneiki (Greek) and Picual (Spanish). In the Olives New Zealand New Zealand Extra Virgin Olive Oil (NZ EVOO) Awards held in October last year, its team was delighted to add yet another crop of awards to its long list of accolades, winning gold medals for its Koroneiki and Leccino and silver for Picual and Frantoio, the Koroneiki was also Best in Class in the commercial medium blend category. Kapiti Olives has 2,300 trees on eight hectares, established in 2004 by David and Helen Walshaw and has been owned by former sheep and beef farmers Grant and Diana since 2022. The recent awards are among a multitude of top accolades, including international gold and silver in New York in 2021 and 2022. New Zealand awards includes three Best in Show, three Supreme Champion and eight Best in Class awards, highlighting a virtually unbroken track record of recognition during the past two decades. “Winning these awards demonstrates that our olive oil is consistently world class and it gives reassurance to our customers that they are buying a truly premium product,” Diana says. Kapiti Olives’ trees are grown in six metre by five metre grids for maximum light, air flow and ease of harvest under a best-practise sustainable system. “We look after our trees, they’re very healthy, we feed them well, we water them, we prune and also where we are we’ve got good air flow. The river creates an airflow and we’re just off the coast so the air’s clean and we don’t get the frosts. We use a clay-based spray when required for fungicide control. “It they need fertiliser, if they need foliar feed or a spray, we are best practice and sustainable, we don’t spray more than we have to and we mow the grass to keep the humidity down.” The trees are on stony terroir, with each variety – like wine – featuring its own distinct flavours and numerous nuances of notes on the palette such as floral, fruity, herbal, grassy, peppery, buttery and citrus. “It it’s been hot and dry they will have more intensity to them.” Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is obtained by processing the olives within 24 hours of harvest at under 24 degrees Celsius to ensure no change in the composition of the oil. A sample is sent to Australia to be tested and certified, so it can carry the red olive mark that designates the oil as extra virgin and a product of New Zealand. “The awards we gain, are an affirmation of the high quality of our extra virgin olive oil.” Depending on the season Kapiti Olives annually produces around 6,400 litres of oil, a yield of about 2.8 litres per tree. The business has an online store, plus its oil is New Zealand’s most awarded producer of OliveMark® Certi ied Extra Virgin Olive Oils • Processor of choice for the region’s premier olive growers including Kāpiti Olives • Judged to be the olive industry’s “Best Processor” for 10 consecutive years • Winner of numerous awards in local & international olive oil competitions • Member of Olives New Zealand and the Australian Olives Association • NP3 multi-site registration with Food Safety New Zealand (MPI) theolivepress.co.nz Contact – Rod Lingard, The Olive Press Limited rod@theolivepress.co.nz 027 443 5996 Supporting the lower North’s topolivegrowerswith contract harvestingandoliveprocessing services for theproduction of certi ied super-premiumextra virginand lavouredoliveoils. available from selected retail outlets, including some New World supermarkets, local cafés and shops. “Extra virgin olive oil is so versatile. Use it to cook with, drizzle on favourite foods, add to soups, salad dressings and to baking. A favourite of ours is vanilla ice cream with fresh berries drizzled with our Leccino.”
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