Frequently Asked Questions

How many olives will I get per kg? Where do the olives come from? What type / varieties of olives are used? What product is stuffed in the olives? How are the olives stuffed? What are the olives marinated in? How long before an olive tree becomes productive? How much does an olive tree yield? What colour are olives? Transforming acids and sugars into oil. What parts of an olive tree are useful?

How many olives will I get per kg? Super Super Mammoth 81 - 90 Super Mammoth 91 - 100 Mammoth 101 - 110 Super Colossal 111 - 120 Colossal 121 - 140 Giant 141 - 160 Extra Jumbo 161 - 180 Jumbo 181 - 200 Extra Large 201 - 230 Large 231 - 260

Where do the olives come from? Australia - when a regular Quality Assured supply is available. Greece - from Quality Assured companies.

What type / varieties of olives are used? The main bulk of the olives are ‘Kalamata’ and ‘Queen Greens’. Other varieties also used include Greek mammoth (Volvos), Super (Blonds), Mission and Verdale.

What product is stuffed in the olives? The olives are stuffed with anchovy fillets, sundried tomato strips and Fetta cheese. For further information on these delicious products please view our Products page.

How are the olives stuffed? The olives are individually hand stuffed by a team of food processing staff in a Quality Assured environment.

What are the olives marinated in? The marinades are a selected variety of olives hand mixed with wine vinegar, canola oil and a variety of both fresh and dried herbs and spices. Please see our Products page for further information.

How long before an olive tree becomes productive? It takes from 4 to 10 years before an olive tree becomes productive, and then it continues producing for years and years. Olive trees can live to over 600 years.

How much does an olive tree yield? A typical olive yield from a tree is between 15-20 kgs.

What colour are olives? All olives are green at first, then rose, wine-rose, brown, deep violet, deep chestnut, reddish black and finally violet black. A black olive is a ripe green olive.

Transforming acids and sugars into oil. “When the olives first start to form on the tree they contain no oil, only a mixture of organic acids and sugars. By the magic of nature a transformation gradually occurs, as the olive ripens. A chemical process, called lipogenesis, slowly turns the acids and sugars into oil, as the olives turn from palest green through rose and violet to black. Olives can be picked at any stage through the process, and the degree of ripeness will determine its taste.”

What parts of an olive tree are useful? You can use nearly every part of an olive tree: i. Its fine-grained wood is used for food bowls & furniture. ii. Infusing olive leaves in boiling water is a curative for hypertension and can be used as a diuretic. iii. Its left-over stone and skin residue after pressing can be used for fuel as well as fertilizer. (This information comes from “The Essential Olive Oil Companion”. Dolamore, Anne.)