Olive industry overview

Olive growing in Australia goes back to the early years of the last century, but during the 1990s there was a major increase in interest and investment in olives as an industry.

There are two basic products: olive oil and table olives. Olive oil products dominate the marketplace, and 80% to 90% of olives produced are devoted to olive oil production. Most interest is in producing high quality extra virgin (EV) olive oil, for which there is good demand.

The contents of this Primefact include:

• Introduction to the olive-growing industry in NSW
• Industry value
• Exports
• The role of the olive industry in tourism in NSW
• Industry structure
• Olive oil production trends and growth forecasts
• Table olive production and processing
• Export market development
• Industry organisations
• Olive oil testing