tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77689752904356944382012-01-24T05:55:56.756+01:00The Spanish Olive Oil Industry News SourceCharles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.comBlogger1831100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-7617148200565529622009-05-03T20:27:00.006+02:002009-05-03T20:53:45.362+02:00

We received a couple of e-mails this week which might be of interest to our readers.First, from the renowned agricultural school, University of California-Davis:The UC Davis Olive Center is partnering with the CIA Greystone to put on this 3-day conference which will feature tastings, cooking demos, and panels on nutrition, culinary uses, labeling and marketing of olive oils that exceed the IOC

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-75123710282854138342009-05-03T20:17:00.005+02:002009-05-03T20:25:19.384+02:00

The fallout from the collapse of Grupo SOS' stock price on the Bolsa de Madrid, in March, has reached its logical conclusion. CEO Jesús Salazar and his brother, company vice-president Jaime, have been deposed from their positions by the board of directors of the world's dominant olive oil bottler.Aside from the 60% downward revaluation of the company by the markets, the other event leading up to

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-37725292056776076662009-03-24T22:17:00.003+01:002009-03-24T22:26:15.785+01:00

A Turkish reader has forwarded a Powerpoint file of the results of the Zeytindostu 1st International Photography Competition, devoted entirely to olive oil.Readers can download this excellent presentation here. It is well worth a look.

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-59153449224916136952009-03-22T20:12:00.004+01:002009-03-22T20:41:00.766+01:00

The principal webpage of the olive oil futures market, the MFAO, runs a news feed from Oleo Digital. Among the items currently displayed are the latest IOOC production-consumption estimates for 2009.The Council notes that the surface dedicated, worldwide, to the cultivation of olives continues to increase - primarily in South Africa, Australia and South America. Currently, the are 10.5 million

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-53086191337354083052009-03-15T19:58:00.006+01:002009-03-15T21:22:03.497+01:00

Aside from today's blockage of Jaén's main highway by members of the Unión de Pequeños Agricultores in a probably futile attempt to force the large chain stores to stop putting downward pressure on olive oil producer prices, the big non-news event of the week is that the Junta de Andalucía will be attempting to pressure the European Union to block all imports of non-EU olive oil. Their reasoning

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-25326839690118920612009-03-06T19:48:00.005+01:002009-03-07T17:24:28.554+01:00

This chart shows the weekly Madrid stock exchange price of dominant olive oil bottler, Grupo SOS, since its initial public offering in May of 2005. The very long bar on the right hand side of the image represents the 56.9% of its value that it has lost this week (not to mention the 80% since July).The cause of this disaster was the release of 2008 results which, in the minds of investors, call

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-39963955695369689682009-03-06T19:38:00.003+01:002009-03-06T19:48:35.857+01:00

Courtesy of Interest Rates.org, the chart on the left shows the progress of Turkish lira/U.S. dollar exchange over the last three months. Since the end of 2008, the lira has declined about 15%, giving the producers of this year's 150,000 metric ton Turkish crop a tremendous marketing advantage over their eurozone peers. Note that this reverses the trend of the several years that the lira was the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-30300531176273609922009-02-11T18:09:00.004+01:002009-02-11T19:21:05.705+01:00

This month's edition of the members' magazine published by agricultural union, ASAJA, devotes a great deal of ink to criticizing the non-existent policy and outright incompetence of the Junta de Andalucía, at least as far as they affect the lives of olive growers. Speaking specifically about the province of Jaén, over three articles and seven pages the following points stand out:1). The olive

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-35089334190221270022009-01-17T20:00:00.007+01:002009-01-17T21:33:34.607+01:00

A headline in today's El Ideal reads (loosely translated): 'Blank cheque from the junta to promote the union of Jaén's olive industry'. To make this more comprehensible to the non-Spanish reader, the 'junta' refers to the Andalusian regional government and 'promote the union' to financial assistance it will be offering to the province's co-operative olive millers to unify their sales and

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-56636211060382849832008-12-17T19:25:00.005+01:002008-12-17T20:01:28.036+01:00

The chart on the left (courtesy exchange-rates.org) shows the volatile recent progress of the euro/dollar exchange rate - a subject of much concern to European exporters, the former being up over 10% in the last couple of weeks. The current drop in the dollar can be attributed to the interest rate policy being pursued in that country, with short rates being near 0% and 10 year at a record low

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-32180548580819775352008-11-17T14:10:00.007+01:002008-11-17T20:26:30.687+01:00

Prices are terrible, but our crop is huge. Between the quantity and the considerable money saved picking a large harvest, we might come out with a normal year.... depending, of course, on prices, weather, etcetera.Click on the image to make it measure 1022 x 766 pixels.

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-56329501684183635672008-11-12T13:35:00.004+01:002008-11-12T14:52:20.293+01:00

With olive oil producer prices now at levels not seen since December of 2003, we are sure alot of Spanish olivareros must be wondering what happened to all the economic benefits promised if Spain would only improve the quality of its product. At the current 2.20€/kilo bulk price for EVOO, there is no margin for doing anything but getting olives to the mill as cheaply as possible. Worse yet, the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-38288486476389620402008-10-23T12:07:00.007+02:002008-10-23T13:20:23.629+02:00

In an October 20th interview published in Agrocope, the CEO of the olive oil futures market, José Luís Alonso, attributed this year's relatively scant volume on the MFAO to the stability of cash prices. His correct reasoning is that if there is no expectation of changes, there is no need to hedge sales or purchases into the future. We would, however, like to suggest another influential factor.The

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-54281749501300107602008-10-11T18:19:00.012+02:002008-10-12T11:48:09.330+02:00

Exporters of olive oil to the United States are finding some joy, despite current circumstances, in the recent strength of the American dollar. The four charts on the left, covering the period since mid-summer, show the euro and the Turkish lira at 85% of their maxima, the Argentine peso at 93% and the Aussie dollar at an astounding 66% of its summer price. Although, in the case of Australia, the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-73915093249274280472008-09-26T22:19:00.005+02:002008-09-27T13:55:03.694+02:00

The statistical pages from the Agencia para el Aceite de Oliva reports that olive oil inventories in Spain, as of the end of August, stood at a record 528,500 metric tons - approximately 40 thousand higher than they were in the same month of the record crop year 2004, the first year for which this figure is kept. Without knowing the stocks on hand in October 2003, it is worth noting that the 2007

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-81094848002651341002008-09-24T13:48:00.003+02:002008-09-24T14:27:43.758+02:00

An article in finanzas.com, published earlier in the month, states that the European Union is considering changing the labelling requirements for olive oil. New legislation, if approved, would give bottlers several options with regards to describing virgin and extra virgin olive oils. Oils proceeding from only one country would be able to labelled as such. Those being mixes of oil from different

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-47234542387317632732008-09-18T13:13:00.006+02:002008-09-18T15:29:26.382+02:00

Last weekend's print edition of provincial newspaper Diario Jaén carried a two page feature on the very large olive oil stocks still remaining unsold in Spain's, mainly co-operative, mills as a new and abundant harvest approaches. Based, unfortunately, on data from the Agencia del Aceite de Oliva which is published with a five week delay, and not reflecting fairly strong volumes moving throughout

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-62225295380915938152008-09-11T13:43:00.003+02:002008-09-11T13:59:29.635+02:00

As we had mentioned earlier, it is thought that Spanish olive oil production in 2008-09 will be more or less equivalent to last year's figures - approaching 1.6 million metric tons. Yesterday's considerable rainfall in Jaén province in any event managed to have an instant effect on futures prices. September delivery trade 2 to 3 cents off prior prices, and both bid and ask sank 2 cents for almost

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-15835732098561017582008-09-10T12:57:00.003+02:002008-09-10T13:05:25.556+02:00

Last week, Reuters reported that the World Trade organization had decided in favour of the European Union in a two year old trade dispute with Mexico. In 2004, the government of that country had placed customs duties on imports of olive oil from Europe on the grounds that the product was unfairly subsidized. The WTO tribunal has judged that Mexico was not entitled to do this, according to current

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-86786326378754269752008-09-03T16:51:00.002+02:002008-09-03T16:56:07.376+02:00

We received an e-mail from the MFAO pointing out that Mr. José Luis Alonso is, in fact, director-general of the exchange, and not the president. This is something that we knew already, but slipped past us - probably as a result of thinking in two languages simultaneously. The error has been corrected, and we apologize for any confusion that may have arisen.

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-13864483191252408672008-09-01T20:51:00.004+02:002008-09-03T16:51:38.505+02:00

Agrocope reports that the farmer's association, ASAJA, estimates production of Spanish olive oil in the coming 2008-09 campaign at 1,160,000 metric tons. This figure is more or less equal to the last campaign.At the same time, Europa Press (in the context of an interview with MFAO director-general, José Luis Alonso) informs us of a notable change in the buying habits of Spanish consumers of olive

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-49677501857642128362008-08-20T18:00:00.003+02:002008-08-20T18:30:47.288+02:00

Europa Press reports that work has begun on the Antequera (Málaga) olive oil bottling plant that will provide the product for the store label marketing joint venture entered into by Hojiblanca and Cargill. The 30,000 square metre installation will be completed in July of 2009 at a cost of 16 million euros. The article goes on to claim that it is foreseen that 60 to 70 million litres of olive oil

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-21846327019903228432008-08-16T13:22:00.003+02:002008-08-16T13:51:24.227+02:00

Not that we want to get stuck on one theme at the Gazette, but almost in repsonse to our comment in the previous post that the buying habits of the commercials may have changed, Agrocope now reports that July saw more olive oil moved out of the mills than in the previous five months - a very atypical statistic, to say the least.However, it seems that what one month gives the following takes away.

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-33572108024994854672008-08-11T12:11:00.004+02:002008-08-11T13:02:03.168+02:00

The Agencia del Aceite de Oliva, reports that Spanish domestic consumption of olive oil had fallen some 5% with respect to last year, from November through the end of June. It would be convenient, and probably partially true, to attribute this to the onset of an economic recession in Spain. But, a closer look at the agency's website reveals, however, a more interesting picture. Since 2004, the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-50523911693067945842008-08-08T18:26:00.005+02:002008-08-08T19:02:54.257+02:00

As of the writing of this post (about 6:30 PM continental), the nearby EuroFX futures contract - which plays the $/euro exchange rate - was crossing at 1.501. This enormous drop of 2.84 cents on the day comes on the heels of ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet's specific singling out of his preoccupation concerning euro zone economic growth in his decision to leave interest rates untouched, this in

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-91781770228520997122008-08-01T18:19:00.007+02:002008-08-01T19:14:24.904+02:00

We received an e-mail a few weeks ago from a Turkish reader lamenting the damage the current very hot and dry weather was doing to the olive crop. What was, according to other sources, promising to be a very good year for olive oil production in that country will, if this man's estimate turns out to be true, result in a total in the top end of recent years, but my no means a record.The same

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-57852597714055795492008-07-23T11:49:00.004+02:002008-07-23T13:10:26.344+02:00

The big news of recent days is the confirmation that Unilever will be selling its edible oils and vinegar businesses to the Spanish company SOS-Cuétara. The deal, reported by all news services to be worth 630 million euros, is actually a perpetual right to use the brand name 'Bertolli', along with various other labels owned by the Dutch company, solely in the sales of the above products. Unilever

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-84428359514683127422008-07-09T12:13:00.003+02:002008-07-09T13:21:35.191+02:00

Today's online edition of El Ideal reports on the effects that the economic slowdown in Spain is having on immigrant labour. The headline says it all: 'The Crisis Feeds On Immigrants'.In the context of a meeting of the Provincial Forum on Immigration, attended by various government officials and representatives of the Red Cross and other NGO's that deal directly with immigrant labour, the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-60648397506088710592008-07-05T21:24:00.003+02:002008-07-05T21:44:44.411+02:00

The internet version of Diario de Cádiz reports that the Spanish agricultural co-op association, FAECA, estimates that olive oil production from the 2008-09 crop will fall some 8% in Andalucía, and 9% in Spain as a whole with respect to this year. This would place production at, more or less, 2006-07 levels. This would also go some way towards explaining the certain firmness of olive oil futures

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-80652862148441942972008-06-25T13:45:00.005+02:002008-06-25T14:07:49.234+02:00

Last September, we mentioned in an entry that the Spanish government was working to have olive oil included in the official EU list of healthy foods. The issue, as yet unresolved, has now attracted the attention of the Junta de Andalucía which will also be presenting its arguments in favour of this measure in Brussels.The issue is that olive oil has been left off the selection because of a

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-36912231347160257162008-06-24T11:57:00.003+02:002008-06-24T12:33:52.872+02:00

The internet publication, EcoDiario, reports that sales of olive oil based cosmetics and personal care products are increasing at a 10 percent year over year rate. Singled out for special mention in the Europa Press article is the Jaén co-operative, Olea Cosméticos.Located in the town of Pegalajar in the south of the province, the company consists of five women who have taken what they learned in

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-74139274911343399772008-06-19T14:36:00.005+02:002008-06-19T15:02:49.641+02:00

As an addendum to the previous post, those interested in the progression of prices should take note that the lampante MFAO futures contract for September delivery has crept up from 2.27€/kg to 2.33 over the past few days. Similarly, in the cash market, the 2.14€ print for lampante earlier this week proved to as ephemeral as we had predicted. Today's quote is at 2.27€, 4 cents higher than before

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-28494889484390950252008-06-16T13:42:00.005+02:002008-06-19T15:04:46.692+02:00

The Agencia para el Aceite de Oliva, department within the Spanish ministry of agriculture, has published their olive oil statistical report for the end of April. Notable is the increase in stocks compared with the previous year - 884,000 metric tons versus 782,000 m.t. in the same month of 2007. This is to say that of the 118,000 m.t. increase in production, 102,000 still remains in the bodegas.

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-81266721859361358082008-06-12T09:55:00.003+02:002008-06-12T10:10:13.370+02:00

The most excellent resource for EU agricultural subsidy-related news, CAP Health Check, yesterday reported the following interesting item. We quote the article in its entirety:For the past couple of weeks José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, has been running an online poll on his website, asking visitors to express their opinions on EU’s biofuels policy. At the last count,

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-72804462889277248692008-06-09T12:43:00.003+02:002008-06-09T13:15:40.244+02:00

One takes time off from writing with the fear that something important might happen over the intervening period. In this case, we have escaped without damage.Producer prices for lampante grade olive oil continue to find support at above the 2.22€/kg mark, as does virgin at 2.30 and extra virgin just below 2.40. So far, all is according to plan. The real change, however, has taken place in the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-62850975981073463612008-05-27T13:27:00.002+02:002008-05-27T13:36:50.746+02:00

Just a note to our readers to say that our absence will continue for another 10 days. Among the topics to be dealt with immediately will be: the interim report from the EU on proposed reforms to CAP subsidies, the surfacing (and quick disappearance) of another rumour concerning the fate of Bertolli, a long standing promise to do a piece on a very successful olive oil producer in Australia, and so

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-21648071326107760062008-05-21T10:29:00.005+02:002008-05-21T12:28:51.284+02:00

One of the many remarks for which the British economist John Maynard Keynes is justly famous is his answer to a parliamentarian's question as to how he reacted when 'the facts' change. His response - 'I change my mind. What do you do, sir?' - gives us the necessary introduction to today's rundown on olive oil producer prices.Astute readers will have noted that, as recently as last April 28th,

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-26053113858883554452008-05-13T13:49:00.003+02:002008-05-13T13:56:39.022+02:00

Last month's Turkish olive and olive oil trade fair, Anatolive was, by all accounts, an outstanding success. Only in its second year, demand for stands had forced the organizers, Ezgi Ajans, to double the floor space available to exhibitors with respect to last year. In the end, 98 companies presented their products and services to 4,115 visitors from 17 countries. First, second and third prize

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-31366566658944825932008-05-12T13:13:00.004+02:002008-05-12T13:32:16.892+02:00

The olive oil P.D.O. Sierra de Cazorla, to which this writer contributes his crop, will be represented at the Tuscan trade fair, Medoliva, which is to be held this coming Saturday, Sunday and Monday (May 17-19) at the Arezzo Business Centre in the city of the same name. Representatives from the co-operative, Aceites Cazorla, featuring extra virgin from the autochtonous varietal, Royal de Cazorla,

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-91430286924409131202008-05-09T13:14:00.004+02:002008-05-10T19:24:32.139+02:00

The Spanish Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Medio Rural y Marino* has announced this year's prize-winning extra virgin olive oils. The winner in the category of 'bitter green fruit' was Almazaras de la Subbética and the runner-up, Manuel Montes Marín. The former, so that the reader does not think there have been any surprises, is a second degree co-operative of which perennial contender,Virgen del

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-51597556963333446592008-05-07T13:44:00.004+02:002008-05-07T14:25:26.558+02:00

The writer's home town of Cazorla had the pleasure of receiving a visit from Rachel Black, who, in partnership with her mother, imports to Vancouver and retails Italian olive oil from Umbria under the name, Amelia Oil. Currently researching and teaching as a post-doctoral fellow at the Università di Scienze Gastronomiche and residing in Bra, Piedmont, Rachel made the trip with the idea of

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-82410680582334796952008-04-30T17:25:00.003+02:002008-04-30T17:42:08.971+02:00

As we remarked to a friend recently, in light of the recent interest in virgin grade olive oil on the spot market, price moves for that category often predict similar in both lampante and extra virgin, particularly if they were accompanied by heavy volume. Today, both are up 6 eurocents as reported by PoolRed, with virgin flat following the recent surge. The reason behind this would be that there

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-36276971886916157022008-04-29T19:44:00.007+02:002008-04-29T20:50:58.406+02:00

Perhaps because this writer has spent too many years trying to distinguish between the rare, important news event, at least as it affects markets, from the daily drone of irrelevance that shows up in newspapers and periodicals, but he may have missed an item of some importance on Friday - a contaminated sunflower oil scare which may have pushed olive oil prices that were already rising up further

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-23975363874897350142008-04-28T20:41:00.005+02:002008-04-28T21:26:28.140+02:00

Those following olive oil futures prices will have noted a certain nervousness of late on the MFAO. After trading at a season low of 2.24€/kg on April 17th - following a collapse from the 2.60's, the nearby (May 08) lampante contract rebounded to close, eight days later, at 2.38 on unusually high volume across all current crop deliveries. We believe that, despite the bout of panic selling on the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-66023252969683315622008-04-24T17:21:00.002+02:002008-04-24T17:27:37.325+02:00

Is there any particular reason that The Olive Oil Gazette has recently found itself regularly getting hits from American servers courtesy of search queries like:olive oil shortage April 2008Please advise. Thank you.

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-64052664161788418862008-04-22T08:35:00.004+02:002008-04-22T09:21:17.516+02:00

For those of our readers who might be concerned by the very low price for extra virgin olive oil registered by PoolRed this week - a couple of words to the wise. When, yesterday morning, the spot price printed at under 2.39€/kilo, the accompanying volume was 104 tons. That would mean that slightly more than four tanker truckloads had been reported as sold in the last week. Were the market any

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-31906414580660676122008-04-21T10:28:00.002+02:002008-04-21T11:32:48.232+02:00

In its recent attempt to control the amount of water being used for irrigation out of fear of drinking water shortages, the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir has been shutting down installations that it deems 'illegal'. A case in a nearby town apparently involved the CHG moving in and, it is said, blocking with concrete a certain farmer's access point. The man's reaction brought to

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-77664130045922555922008-04-17T11:11:00.005+02:002008-04-17T11:45:59.641+02:00

The Jaén province chapter of farmers' union, COAG, has publicly accused the bottling industry of stemming the flow of olive oil to the stores in order to reduce sales. In an April 7th article in Europa Press, COAG claims that this year's notable 10% year-on-year reduction in Spanish domestic demand, despite flat prices, is a result of speculation on the part of the bottlers - as evidenced by the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-67471235135264157122008-04-14T13:36:00.007+02:002008-04-15T10:47:10.369+02:00

In another example of large marketers of olive oil entering directly into the supply side of the business, the April 10th edition of Levante-EMV reports that the Sovena, the company that supplies olive oil to the very large and successful Spanish grocery chain, Mercadona, is accumulating lands in the Spanish region of Extremadura as well as in Portugal and Morrocco in order to ensure supplies and

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-67168470580796055182008-04-09T18:01:00.005+02:002008-04-09T18:52:43.282+02:00

A reminder to all those interested in knowing more about (and doing business with) the Turkish olive oil industry that the Eurasian Olive, Olive Oil and Processes Fair, Anatolive, gets underway on Thursday, April 17th. Sponsored by the Turkish government and various industry organizations, the event takes place at the Istanbul Expo Centre through Sunday the 20th. This year will feature almost 100

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-77540570371985414542008-04-08T12:53:00.007+02:002008-04-09T18:58:59.595+02:00

Any of our readers who have gone through the difficulties of learning a second language will be aware that the real test of comfort and fluency in the new idiom is the ability to understand its humour. In this regard, we received an e-mail yesterday from a correspondent whose mother tongue is not English wondering how we could have come to the conclusion that, ...the driest Andalucian

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-35571234759215643162008-04-07T14:19:00.002+02:002008-04-07T20:43:48.090+02:00

A quick look at the front month lampante futures chart on the left will give the reader an idea of the violent correction that has taken place in olive oil producer prices over the last couple of weeks. Today's close of 2.40€ for May delivery represents a 14 cent drop from Easter levels. One has to think that concerns over demand in a recessionary economy have to be behind this. It cannot, after

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-13565432981208036562008-04-06T14:24:00.005+02:002008-04-06T14:44:10.636+02:00

It is interesting to note how traffic to this blog is influenced by news events. This past week, for example, saw a a notable increase in referals from search engines responding to requests for various combinations of words like 'export', 'import' or 'market', combined with the country 'India'. This would be an instant reaction to the news that the Indian parliament has approved the drastic

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-1250073785699155852008-04-02T21:22:00.003+02:002008-04-02T21:31:14.916+02:00

The olive oil futures market, MFAO, is once again offering a two-day course to certify and licence traders on the exchange. It is to take place on the 28th and 29th of April at the Baeza (Jaén) campus of the International University of Andalucía. Those interested can inform themselves better at the UNIA website.

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-18643664176283381312008-03-31T17:05:00.006+02:002008-03-31T18:12:50.896+02:00

Noting that person or persons using an English Unilever server have been spending serious quality time scouring back issues of the Gazette, we were reminded that we had promised an update on the rumoured interest of SOS-Cuétara and Ebro-Puleva in a theoretically for sale Bertolli.Well, nothing's changed. A Google search for either 'SOS Bertolli' or 'Ebro Bertolli' still turns up first on the list

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-32982723161814858382008-03-27T10:32:00.004+01:002008-03-27T10:52:03.228+01:00

A news item which appeared last week on a wide variety of sources, including EurActiv, announces that recipient nations of EU farm subsidies must make public the names and amounts received of all individual claimants. Websites providing this information must be up and running by April 30, 2009. At the very least, the results will be interesting and will provide much fodder for parties, such as

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-81284988430032134602008-03-26T12:38:00.004+01:002008-03-26T13:39:20.338+01:00

Page 2 of yesterday's print edition of provincial daily, Diario Jaén, announces that 300,000 euros of agricultural subsidies destined for the promotion of PDO olive oil from this province, alongside 200,000 more contributed by other levels of government, will be spent on contracting Bob Dylan to make a stop in the provincial capitol during his upcoming Spanish tour. Presumably, affiliating the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-55243183171582288482008-03-25T16:47:00.006+01:002008-03-25T18:13:30.717+01:00

To help us resume posting, with Holy Week now over for another year, today's online edition of El Ideal provides us with a feature on the current Spanish drought and its potential effects on the olive oil business. The core of their argument is that we may be seeing a repeat of the 2005-06 crop failure. None of this will be news to regular Gazette readers so we will, instead of repeating it all,

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-80319418098339597182008-03-19T13:48:00.002+01:002008-03-19T14:35:41.144+01:00

Monday was delivery day for the March lampante contract on the MFAO. The open interest at close was 2250 contracts but, according, to the exchange's daily e-mail, only 250 were held for delivery through their facilities. Apparently their efforts to have hedgers seek other means, mentioned on a number of occasions in this publication, has paid off. The closing price on the contract was 2.54€/kg,

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-21165426839336944832008-03-16T22:38:00.003+01:002008-03-16T22:47:52.148+01:00

A secret admirer, we suppose, has edited the English-language Wikipedia entry for our home town of Cazorla by placing a link to the Gazette in the sentence: 'There is even a publication, The Olive Oil Gazette, which is published in Cazorla.' We have no idea who did this, but we certainly appreciate the attention garnered.Thanks!

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-50419664687919734102008-03-12T18:04:00.005+01:002008-03-12T18:33:26.979+01:00

As the price chart on the left illustrates (for those who didn't already know this), the price of copper is at pretty high levels compared to, say 2004. It is six times as expensive, in fact. And, of course, inflation of this type brings out all sorts of reprehensible behaviour. A good example is the plague of thefts of bulk olive oil following the 2005-06 harvest when prices got up around 4€ per

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-8759783357343366932008-03-11T20:42:00.003+01:002008-03-11T21:11:15.047+01:00

We couldn't help but note the 30 or 40 percent upsurge in traffic at The Olive Oil Gazette over the last two days - or, since publishing the previous piece on some proposed takeover of Bertolli by Spanish interests. We can chalk this up to the rapidity with which Google picked up the entry. A search for word combinations like 'SOS Bertolli' or 'Ebro Bertolli' churns out a list with this

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-59260680064596822802008-03-10T11:05:00.006+01:002008-03-10T20:41:13.628+01:00

In an article dated Saturday, March 8, Spanish financial daily, Expansión, makes the claim that Italian food giant, Bertolli, is coming up for sale. Owned by the Anglo-Dutch multinational, Unilever, it is the dominant brand name for olive oil in the United States market. In the light of an organizational structuring to reflect Unilever's growing dependence on developing markets and the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-79111803403938645062008-03-09T13:38:00.006+01:002008-03-09T14:25:15.897+01:00

One of the constant debates within the Spanish olive oil industry in recent years has centred on the creation of what is known as the Interprofesional del Aceite de Oliva, an association of all parties in the production and marketing of this product. Stalled for the longest time by infighting amongst the main participants - farmers, co-operatives and bottlers/marketers - a news item in the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-87864819941714412882008-03-05T13:17:00.005+01:002008-03-05T13:43:58.813+01:00

To continue with yesterday's theme, we have taken a look at the relative values of the currencies of various olive oil exporting nations versus the U.S. dollar over the last several months, to see which countries have come out with a comparative advantage in that market. The table on the right shows the change in local currency values against the buck since the beginning of July 2007. The big

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-71336931969164363412008-03-04T12:08:00.004+01:002008-03-04T13:28:35.378+01:00

A couple of weeks ago, with the euro trading at around $1.47, we started to write a piece on the expectations for this exchange rate. The project was abandonned, however, because we could find no consensus on the matter, opinion being divided equally between those who thought that a U.S. recession would bring the euro down and others who opined that the American reaction to the credit crisis that

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-5648639619339602382008-02-28T13:50:00.003+01:002008-02-28T14:05:42.674+01:00

Adding to the list of health benefits associated with the consumption of olive oil, the December 2007 edition of the academic publication, Journal of Neurochemistry, reports that a team of Chinese and American researchers have discovered that the anti-oxidant properties of olive oil are as effective in reducing or preventing the occurance of certain age- or tobacco-related degenerative diseases

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-48546870010922568012008-02-26T14:22:00.005+01:002008-02-26T14:48:59.692+01:00

With the news that the Indian Olive Oil association has now asked its government to lower the import tariff on olive oil, citing public health considerations as an incentive to promote the consumption of this product, we will go back to the last time this item appeared in the Gazette.In a January entry, entitled Death By Success, we had suggested that certain predictions concerning a pending

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-18674662502478373242008-02-22T13:24:00.005+01:002008-02-22T14:28:36.897+01:00

A brief glance at the front month futures chart on the left will show a certain collapse this week in the March lampante contract, opening Monday at 2.62€/kilo and finishing the week at 2.51. The reader can be assured that this is not taking place in the more distant deliveries, which mostly remain firm in the mid-2.60's. The fact that nearby futures prices are now lining up with cash, currently

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-79207951800943400592008-02-19T14:00:00.005+01:002008-02-19T14:20:08.217+01:00

An Israeli reader has kindly forwarded us the URL of a most interesting website. Aptly entitled, Restoration of Ancient Technology, it is the work of Yashu Dray who has dedicated himself to the recuperation of historic sites in that country since 1991. Currently workin on the rehabilitation of a synagogue in the Golan Heights, his past works include the restoration of olive and flower mills,

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-57495704770595185992008-02-17T16:39:00.005+01:002008-02-17T17:43:55.649+01:00

It is not very often that you will see a stock chart in an entry in The Olive Oil Gazette, but we thought the one the reader sees on the left to be particularly appropriate for the topic of today's entry - inflation. The company represented carries the supremely unromantic name of 'Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan', and has been the darling of both long-term investors and those short-term

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-25534961143554333892008-02-13T14:38:00.004+01:002008-02-15T14:23:43.670+01:00

Normally The Olive Oil Gazette attempts to provide at least a small amount of analysis of the industry news reports that can be picked up from a variety of sources. Sometimes we may get it wrong, but rarely do we combine an actual factual error with a complete failure to think about what we are putting to paper. This morning would be one of those cases.But, re-reading what we posted earlier today

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-1592742628033257912008-02-13T09:57:00.003+01:002008-02-13T10:25:43.869+01:00

With over 75% of the crop already in, thanks to the qualified aid of a very dry winter, the agriculture department of the Junta de Andalucía has dramatically downgraded its prediction of total olive oil production in the province of Jaén. Last estimated before the beginning of the campaign at 535,000 metric tons, Multipress Jaén reports that revised official surveys place this figure at a mere

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-32421524605162268492008-02-12T13:34:00.000+01:002008-02-12T19:40:21.746+01:00

To begin, our apologies to Gazette readers for the sparse posting of recent weeks, but especially to Turkish subscribers who have been keeping us up to date on a recent visit by a committee from that country to Spain. The group, consisting of thirty exporters, producers, growers and journalists, visited Sevilla, Córdoba and Madrid, to study new plantations, the functioning of the co-operative

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-15785244378638092872008-02-10T13:59:00.000+01:002008-02-11T14:28:28.212+01:00

The very comprehensive internet agriculture news source, Agroinformación, reports that the European Union has given final approval to the Protected Denomination of Origin olive oil, Baix Ebre-Montsià. Located in the environs of the city of Tarragona, in southern Catalunya, the oils are produced from the autochthonous varietals, morrut and sevillenca, comprising together about 85 percent of

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-17864680196516212422008-02-05T16:18:00.000+01:002008-02-05T16:33:27.989+01:00

The latest of many investments in Portugal by players in the Spanish olive and olive oil industry is the purchase of a 5,100 hectare estate near the town of Moura, about 200 km southeast of Lisbon. Bought, according to an entry in El Olivar, by the Córdoba-based company, Franlabora, it brings the total of its holdings in that country to nearly 7,300 hecatres. Immediate plans include the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-79454815984509280532008-02-01T12:22:00.000+01:002008-02-01T12:33:26.377+01:00

A resident of the province of Seville has been found guilty of claiming EU olive sudsidies to the tune of 780,000€ between 1996 and 1999 on the basis of fraudulent production claims. Apparently the owner of very large number of olive groves, all in a state of complete abandon and overrun with scrub vegetation, had managed somehow to falsify his production reports, which were required to be

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-3347832939825528082008-01-31T13:46:00.000+01:002008-01-31T14:19:39.554+01:00

The print edition of Diaro Jaén reports that the administrator of the Guadalquivir River watershed, the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir, has suspended all rights to irrigation at least until its next strategy meeting, several months away. Behind this decision is the fear that, if the 50 percent rain shortfall registered since th eend of Spetember continues, there will not be

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-50731996304497396672008-01-25T11:42:00.000+01:002008-01-25T12:34:48.374+01:00

As the olive oil futures market continues to suffer the consequences of a very fluid and stable spot trade, this reflected in the continued low, even negligible, volume transacted, it was revealed to the Gazette yesterday that the MFAO's director-general, Ana Fernández Arimany, had resigned her post for personal reasons - this decision having taken effect immediately. So far, this event has not

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-21775368052880902812008-01-23T13:48:00.000+01:002008-01-23T14:00:30.233+01:00

A regular reader has been kind enough to inform us of the upcoming 2nd edition of Anatolive, the Turkish olive and olive oil trade fair. To be celebrated from the 17th through the 19th of April at the Istanbul Expo Center, the event currently lists about 80 confirmed participants from 22 countries. Those wishing more information can find it, in English or Turkish, at www.anatolive.org.

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-20136987703558868202008-01-20T13:19:00.000+01:002008-01-20T14:19:07.510+01:00

Confirming a sentiment that this writer has heard in private conversation, the Gazette has received a number of comments expressing wonder at the resilience of producer prices in a period which sees the most supply coming on to the market. Although it does not go against this publication's general opinion, made on a variety of occasions and which can be found under the 'Producer Prices' label,

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-86746383031949591492008-01-16T13:15:00.000+01:002008-01-16T14:27:41.867+01:00

The lead article in January's Jaén-province edition of ASAJA, the magazine edited and distributed by the provincial chapter of the Spanish farmers' union of the same name, is entitled, 'How Can We Avoid Killing The Olive Industry With Success?', and touches on one of the Gazette's long term preoccupations - the phenomenal increment in the acreage devoted to this tree and its effects on the

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-53907919476913735932008-01-09T13:34:00.000+01:002008-01-10T10:34:06.860+01:00

The reader should know that the Gazette does not know with certainty if any given bid or offer on any given day has been placed by either of the MFAO market-makers, but offers the following examples believing that what he describes occurs with regularity on the olive oil futures market.We have no idea how many readers of the Gazette actually use the olive oil futures market, the MFAO, as a

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-57020282734788137402008-01-08T13:14:00.000+01:002008-01-08T13:56:39.537+01:00

As a recipient of European Union olive oil subsidies, this writer might be advised to not throw stones at his own roof. On the other hand, he also fancies himself to be a commentator able (occasionally and with some success) to view matters in this industry in a less parochial fashion than might be expected from a small grower in this outpost in the province of Jaén. The case in point for this

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-16452498344628882092008-01-07T09:52:00.000+01:002008-01-07T11:33:24.425+01:00

As we sort through the various news feeds and such from which we get much of our material for the Gazette, we occasionally come across an item in which the well-documented health benefits of consuming olive oil are claimed to be revealed as lies. The most recent comes from an American website dedicated to the sale of dietary plans, books and supplements under the trade name of Nutrient Rich. It

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-4901620364175636902008-01-03T12:38:00.000+01:002008-01-03T13:29:26.151+01:00

Researcher Valentina Ruiz of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas in Sevilla (mentioned here before) is reported to have developed a novel method of extracting aceite de orujo, or pomace oil, which enhances its health benefits while minimizing the possible side effects of its normal chemical processing. The December 28th online edition of Diario de Sevilla reports that Ms. Ruiz has

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-85873250328323882312008-01-02T13:20:00.000+01:002008-01-02T13:46:34.018+01:00

In the wake of last week's notable price surge of around 20 cents for some lampante futures contracts, it seems the sellers have returned with enough of a New Year's hangover to want to rid themselves of all reponsibilities and worries forever - especially those associated with olive oil. Action on the MFAO this morning decidedly favoured the bid making, in the process, any offers associated with

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-50527108700798869662007-12-27T16:44:00.000+01:002007-12-27T18:13:24.599+01:00

Those who follow the price charts on the right hand side of the page might have noticed that, in mid-December, the January lampante contract had been trading as much as 10 cents above cash for the same grade of olive oil. That situation of disconnect seemed to have been resolved with spot rising to the mid-2.40's over Christmas, and the basis shrinking to approximately flat. Today, however, with

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-85337560401559751302007-12-26T18:38:00.000+01:002007-12-26T18:48:59.160+01:00

Web portal, Terra, reported on December 20th that, following its recent approval by the Spanish competition tribunal, the Comisión Nacional de Competencia, details of the olive oil marketing joint venture between macro-producers' co-op Hojiblanca and Cargill were now being finalized. The company, dedicated to providing in-store label extra virgin olive oils in the world market, will be named

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-32696090093737796372007-12-21T15:53:00.000+01:002007-12-21T16:19:49.062+01:00

In keeping with the time of year, The Olive Oil Gazette would like to extend our best holiday wishes to all of its readers - by our calculations, about 80 regular visitors from 19 countries in all continents.We thank each and every one of you and wish you all the best.

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-25889072076857037212007-12-20T13:09:00.000+01:002007-12-20T14:00:18.014+01:00

A friend of the Gazette recently wondered in a comment when producer prices would start to reflect the large Spanish olive crop now making its way to the mills. And yes, at face value it may seem that the currently negotiable 2.55€ per kilo of average quality extra virgin is a touch pricey considering that we are possibly facing 1.3 million tons of olive oil in the pipeline.In some regards, it

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-71699265209180673102007-12-18T17:55:00.000+01:002007-12-26T18:51:13.156+01:00

In a late June entry, we had remarked on the less than outstanding olive crop that had set from this spring's very exuberant bloom. Now, with our personal harvest over, we have real confirmation of this. Our crop, and this goes for most of the area around the Sierra de Cazorla, failed to meet even our limited expectations. The final tally was 34,000 kilos of olives from the 1,400 trees picked, a

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-69891104349733131152007-12-15T13:13:00.000+01:002007-12-15T13:59:17.470+01:00

The previous entry, based on an item in the English-language online Forbes, had bottling giant, SOS-Cuétara, predicting a record (Spanish, we presume) crop of 1.6 million metric tonnes of olive oil during the present campaign. The Spanish-language news services, however, present us with a different take on the subject.The December 12th edition of El Economista has company president, Jesús Salazar

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-69526733245457916862007-12-12T12:17:00.000+01:002007-12-12T16:13:14.769+01:00

According to the online edition of Forbes, world olive oil bottling leader, SOS-Cuétara, seems to be predicting production of some 1.6 million metric tons of olive oil in the current crop year - one assumes that the company is solely referring to production in Spain although, as usual, press releases from that company fail to actually specify this. They go on to say that this figure would cause

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-91249222588358242212007-12-11T20:20:00.000+01:002007-12-11T20:52:59.838+01:00

The panel of olive tasters is an integral part in the process of designating the extra virgin grade to a sample of olive oil. Aside from the fundamental requirement that it contain less than 0.8% oleic acid, among other restrictions on its chemical makeup, olive oil must pass through the noses and mouths of an officially approved panel to assure that it meets the sensory standards befitting a

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-81066525203588446452007-12-10T19:33:00.000+01:002007-12-10T21:50:36.337+01:00

We'll publish a picture. This one was taken at about 9:15 AM last Sunday in the spot known as 'El Pocico' in La Iruela, Jaén just as the sun was burning through the morning fog.

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-9186996910687825502007-12-08T20:25:00.000+01:002007-12-09T11:30:38.653+01:00

When our local co-operative mill, Aceites Cazorla S.C.A., settled accounts with its members (this writer included) last month at 2.44€ per kilo, our immediate reaction was to go over and congratulate its manager, Juan Manuel Martínez Martínez, on a job well done in what had been a fairly difficult market for producers. In fact, despite selling production almost entirely comprised of olive oil

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-76164587361341650672007-12-07T11:55:00.000+01:002007-12-07T12:26:15.688+01:00

The online Jaén province edition of El Ideal reports that the price of sunflower seed oil is quickly approaching that of olive pomace oil in the Spanish market - this a result of a generalized worldwide uptrend in oil seed prices and a bad domestic crop. This latter, known as aceite de orujo in Spanish, has yet to recover from the benzopyrene health scare that spread from Czechoslovakia, where

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-40907113684986294372007-12-06T15:28:00.000+01:002007-12-06T21:25:09.966+01:00

Five days now into this writer's olive harvest, we are starting to get an idea of how much worse it is going to be than than last year's. In La Loba, where we are now working, the prior harvest weighed in at 42,392 kilos of olives which produced a net of about 12,000 kilos of oil, the greater part extra virgin. And it would have been larger had we not been caught with about 300 trees unharvested

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7768975290435694438.post-51067268806893081722007-12-04T18:19:00.000+01:002007-12-05T11:16:43.590+01:00

In recent years, and partially because of steadily rising temperatures, a large amount of agricultural land in the world-famous northern vinicultural region of La Rioja has been turned over to the cultivation of olives for olive oil, often at the hands of wine producers who see a certain synergy of gourmet interests in the two products. In this vein, the online version of Lleida (Catalunya)

Charles Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203419411838514731noreply@blogger.com0