Formaggio Kitchen

California Olive Ranch

California Olive Ranch strives to use sustainable practices. Their olive trees are on 100% drip irrigation which decreases water usage due to reduced evaporation. They also use what is known as "deficit irrigation strategies" at key points in the fruit's development both to enhance flavor and reduce water use. As a result of these measures, California Olive Ranch uses less than half of the water per acre required by other orchard crops. 100% of olive harvest waste is recycled and bypasses landfills entirely. For instance, of the three by-products of extra virgin olive oil production, the waste water is first filtered, then re-used for irrigation. The olive pomace (remaining fruit and pit) is re-sold to cattle ranches as feed. California Olive Ranch recycles all tree trimmings by using them for mulch on their ranches. Last but not least - super high density (SHD) growing processes allow for extremely efficient land use. Concentrated plantings of semi-dwarf olive trees allow for up to 575 - 670 trees/acre versus traditional methods which allow only 100 - 150 trees/acre. As a result, very little agricultural acreage is "wasted." In addition to high yields per acre, the SHD method of olive cultivation requires significantly less fertilizer inputs to achieve a sustainable yield. The olive is a naturally thrifty tree, and in the SHD system, efforts are made to stress the tree. This reduces vigor and enhances oil production, thus further reducing fertilizer requirements.