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Avatar for Paul Rusnak Posted by Paul Rusnak|February 4, 2016

According to UF/IFAS-led research, buying extra virgin olive oil from olives grown in Florida might soon become a reality.

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Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman, a UF/IFAS entomology professor is leading a study of olive production in Florida. The research by UF/IFAS faculty includes a workshop held last year with olive experts from California. Gillett-Kaufman and a team of scientists have access to five planted olive groves established by the Florida Olive Council at five UF/IFAS Research and Education Centers where they are exploring different varieties.

Gillett-Kaufman is researching pests and looking for insect vectored diseases, while Mack Thetford, of the West Florida REC in Jay, Florida, explores the horticulture data to grow and harvest olives. The team is working with researchers in Georgia and Texas, and the USDA to determine if olives will be a viable crop in Florida.

In 1995, Americans consumed 22 million gallons of olive oil; currently we consume approximately 80 million gallons of olive oil and that number is growing, Gillett-Kaufman said. “There is a huge increase and it’s just going up because of the health benefits,” she said.

Richard Williams, a Volusia County-based grower, has 20 acres of olives. He is currently leading a local endeavor dubbed Florida Olive Systems Inc. Williams’ in-laws (the Ford/Veech family) have been growing citrus in Florida for decades. They are funding the exploratory project.

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“This is so new that we are learning every day,” said Williams. “But it’s a new opportunity to reinvent ourselves after catastrophic losses to citrus greening.”

After conducting his own research on the viability of growing olives in Florida, Williams visited Texas, Georgia and California, which have a history of growing high-density olives. Also, he and other growers invited experts from Italy, Spain, and Greece to visit Florida and discuss the olive industry.

In 2012, Williams planted 20 acres of Arbequina, Arbosana, and Koroneiki varieties of olives. He also has 16 varieties of olive trees under observation, planted in approximately 6,000 containers. Williams has additional varieties coming in to evaluate this spring.

Florida farmers formed the Florida Olive Council 10 years ago to promote olive crops in the state. Currently, there are 300 acres of olive trees in the state managed by approximately 50 growers.

So far, the oil that Williams and other farmers have produced have garnered excitement. “The extra virgin olive oil that we produce has been independently tested and shown to contain some exciting anti-inflammatory properties that are apparently not found in all olive oils sold,” he said. “We want to responsibly study this, let people come in and see what we are doing. We need more people to plant responsibly, put out test groves and use the University of Florida to provide the science and other assistance.”

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Paul Rusnak is the Senior Online Editor of American Vegetable Grower, American Fruit Grower, and Greenhouse Grower magazines, all Meister Media Worldwide brands. He is based in Northeast Florida. See all author stories here.

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Avatar for Martin Moore Martin Moore says:
February 9, 2016 at 11:23 am

As a former Georgia Oliver Growers member, I would caution you to realize that bloom for olives is in April. If the pollen is washed off in a rain during the spring then obviously there will be no pollen. Bees do not pollinate olives. Have you ever not seen it not rain in the Southeast in April? Believe me I was primed and cocked for the expansion of olive plantations since I was a seller of patented olive tree liners. After the Univ. of California at Davis olive extension agent came to talk to the GA Oliver growers then I was sure I was going in the wrong direction recommending to prospective high density orchardists a plan that was doomed to fail several years out of 10 years. Surely there will be good years and then there will be famine years if the rain hits your plantation at the wrong time. With many 100’s of trees per acre all strung up on expensive wire supports and irrigation lines I could not morally recommend the large investment in a game of roulette. My name is all I have when it comes down to it.

Yes, olives have been very successful in my home county of Glynn in Brunswick, GA since the late 1500’s when Spanish missionaries planted olives and citrus here in 1527. During the mid 1800’s the Port of Brunswick shipped 1000’s of barrells of pickled olives from the locally OLD grown trees; that seems proof enough. British settlers found in 1736 well established olive trees planted long before which shows the trees will certainly grow well in the South. Be careful in your research and also realize where the olives produce regular large harvests: Mediteranean-type climates of low rainfall in the Spring. Good Luck.

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Avatar for Maria Eugenia Maria Eugenia says:
February 16, 2016 at 5:01 pm

Interesting article, it is new to me that Florida has a history and new projects in the olive sector. I think Mr Moore makes an important point as very humid conditions in Spring can damage not only production but also cause many fungus deseases. This obliges producers to harvest very very early, losing efficiency of extraction and also affects the quality of the oil produced. The quality es affected by anthracnose for instance, causing high levels of FFA and giving the oil a sensory defect.

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Avatar for Michael O Michael O'Hara Garcia says:
February 3, 2017 at 7:53 am

Mr. Moore is correct, there are many adversities and unknowns cultivating olives. While summer rainfall might be an issue, sufficient chill is also a concern. Most scientists agree, olives need approximately 200 hours of “chill” (temps below 47 degrees F.) between November and March in order to flower – and produce olives. While GA and north Florida have sufficient chill, the requirement often precludes olive cultivation below Florida’s I-4 corridor where the plague of HLB disease has decimated citrus groves and there is great need for alternative crops. However, olives have been successfully grown near Marianna, FL for the past 15 years at Green Gate Olive Grove . The five acre farm hosts several varieties of olives (Mission, Leccino, Frantoio, etc.) producing fresh fruit and oil every year. The Shaw Brothers are growing olives and producing olive oil at their mill in Lakeland, GA. One of the main problems with olive cultivation in Florida is the fact that most of the olive cultivars planted in the U.S. were derived from varieties primarily grown in Europe where growing conditions are quite different. However, there are other varieties, grown in the Middle East, North Africa and Australia, that show promise. The Florida Olive Council and UF/IFAS will be testing these varieties over the coming years in hopes of finding a cultivar suited to Florida, particularly areas south of I-4. Last year, Spanish scientists documented the olive genome from a 1200 year old olive tree. Using this knowledge, there may be ways to develop an olive that will thrive in Florida. The Florida Olive Council is partnering with scientists at the University of Cordoba (Spain), the world’s premier olive research facility, to find such a cultivar. Remember, in 1970 no one thought blueberries could be grown in Florida due to the lack of chill and other factors. After outstanding work by UF/IFAS scientists, a “low chill” blueberry was developed and a multi-million dollar industry was formed. Another example is the strawberry, UF/IFAS developed a variety of strawberry that thrives in winter months capturing a valuable market throughout the U.S. As any farmer knows, nothing is guaranteed in nature; but perserverince and modern technology might just win the day for olives in Florida. Stay Tuned. Michael O’Hara Garcia is president of the Florida Olive Council, LAA, a non-profit – 501c3- organization supporting olive research.

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