HARVEST REPORT

DECEMBER 2011

The shorter days and chilly temperatures of October seemed to accelerate the ripening process of our groves and by November we were ready to harvest.  With a picking crew of 10 we hand harvested the trees all in one day. 

As we mentioned in our August e-mail, this has been an extremely challenging year for Grove 45 EVOO and most other California olive farmers due to heavy rains during bloom.  That, coupled with the natural alternate bearing cycle of the olive trees, was cause for concern as last year our trees produced a very heavy crop.  However, when we did harvest on November 15th, we were pleasantly surprised to have more fruit than anticipated.

Also, we have been fortunate to purchase beautiful oil from a few meticulous and dedicated growers of Italian variety olives that meet our quality and flavor standards.  We will be blending and racking the oil this month and are scheduled for the bottling line on January 16, 2012.

From the bottling line we will bring all the containers back to the ranch and begin (just Bonnie and Nena) the process of hand applying all those embossed pewter labels.  If all goes well, and we expect nothing less, we will be ready to ship the first week of March.

Because we are small we do not sell direct to consumers.  If there is no specialty food store or cheese shop in your town that carries Grove 45 EVOO please let them know you would like them to carry our oil.  Or, send us the name and we will get in touch with them.

As always, we are a small, artisanal producer and when it is gone, there is no more until next year.  We encourage you to purchase your supply of our award winning oil before the stores run out.

As the New Year approaches we want to express our sincere gratitude for your continued support of Grove 45 Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

Happy Holidays!

© 2010 GROVE 45