November 06, 2005
Saturday October 1 was the Mission San Jose Chamber of Commerce 5th Annual Olive Festival , followed the next day by the 8th Annual Cañada College Arts & Olive Festival on the San Francisco side of the bay in Los Altos. Both festivals were considered a big success with excellent weather and crowds.
There were more oil vendors at the Canada College event. After eight years many of the producers have repeat customers who come ready to buy.
Volunteer Don Landis had a booth set up with great information on the olive fly. He gave several talks on pickling olives and passed out thousands of free samples. Finding olives without olive fly damage which are suitable for brining is getting tough in Northern California. Many locals are accustomed to picking feral or ornamental olive trees for their pickling olives. Obviously, these trees are not getting sprayed for the olive fly.
The Olive Oil Source had several buyers for their home olive presses, olive oil containers, olive harvesters and harvest netting.
Industry veteran Eleanore Krausse set up and manned the Mission Olive Preservation, Restoration and Education Project booth along with several other dedicated volunteers. They were selling donated olive wood bowls, oil, olives and trees to raise money for the project.<
Tony at Big Paw sold plenty of his specialty oils and dippers as well as exotic vinegars. Calin Uchida at Skipstone Ranch got rave reviews for his oil. This year he came prepared with plenty of stock; last year he sold out.
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Cal Uchida of Skipstone Ranch
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Giant Tree Movers owners Wendell and Jennifer Davis have come every year to sell trees.
Merritt Edmunds displayed the many awards his Balzana Olive Oil has won. Balzana oil was available in larger containers at this show for the many serious buyers who are stocking up.
Olivas de Oro olive oil was also available in up to gallon sized bottles. Frank and Marti Menacho have developed a serious fan club for their olive oil.
Charles Crohare and his son Charles were passing out samples of their extensive line of oils from the Livermore valley. The Olivina Olive Oil Ranch is one of many new ventures in that historic farming area.
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The Crohares of Olivina Ranch
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Apollo Olive oil has blended their many varieties into three oils with very distinct flavor profiles; Miller made from Italian, Spanish and French varieties, Mistral made from traditional Provencal varieties: Salonenque, Aglandau, Boutellion, Picholine and others, and Sierra made from California varieties: Mission, Sevillano, Ascolano, Picholine and Aglandau.
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Apollo Olive Oil
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