Georgia Olive Oil

In 2008, the Shaw family established Georgia Olive Farms. Last week the fruits of their labor, in the form of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, were debuted at a special event hosted at Emory University.

Even before tasting the olive oil, folks in attendance were excited. Georgia boasts rich agricultural diversity and we can now add one more crop to our "Georgia Grown" list.

Of course Georgians aren't the only folks excited about this new endeavor. South Carolina's award-winning Chef Sean Brock bought up the entire first press of this olive oil even before he knew how much there'd be and what it would taste like. Makes sense since his rule for Husk is, “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the door." And while chefs typically use a lot of olive oil, it hasn't been produced East of the Mississippi since the 1800s.

Jason Shaw, who heads up marketing on behalf of the family, says his hope is that "Georgia Olive Oil will be to olive oil what Vidalia Onions are to onions in the future." They hope to eventually produce enough to supply 25 percent of the olive oil consumed on the U.S. East Coast. "We're poised for a good harvest next fall," he says. "Our No. 1 fear is harsh winters." The winter after the first orchard was planted, Georgia experienced a record cold winter with 17 consecutive days below freezing--but fortunately, the trees survived.

Kevin Shaw, lead farmer (and Jason's cousin), says, "You want to know the people who are growing your food; it's nice to put a face with a product." That said:

                                                 -Jason Shaw

                                                  -Kevin Shaw

"We were looking for a crop we could see to market that would be the freshest on the market with the least carbon footprint," says Kevin. Before planting olive trees, he and his cousins Jason and Sam Shaw researched olive farming and oil production. Among their research efforts, they consulted with Australian Olive Association President Paul Miller. Georgia's soil and climate were deemed suitable for olives so the family took the plunge.

But since Georgia is more humid than Spain, Italy and California, Georgia olives aren't organic and in fact must be frequently sprayed with copper to prevent mold.

"We're learning every day we go along," says Jason.

The Shaws have learned there is currently much deception in the olive oil industry: Up to 70 percent of what's sold as Extra Virgin Olive Oil is not. Their product will be labeled honestly.

For this first crop, once the olives were harvested they were transported to East Texas for processing. The long-term goal is to complete the processing in Georgia, but an olive mill costs $300,000; such an investment will make more economic sense once the olive trees produce at least three tons per acre.

In keeping with the "local, sustainable" theme, bottles were sourced from a producer in Memphis, Tennessee.

"What affects the taste of olive oil is the environment and timing," says Jason. So unlike wine, where grapes from older vines contribute greater flavor and aroma characteristics to the finished product, the age of an olive tree (once it's producing fruit) doesn't matter. Freshness is key: The freshest olive oil is the best tasting olive oil. "It changes while it's sitting on the store shelf," says Jason.

To illustrate the point, I poured a small amount of olive oil from the bottles currently in my own pantry. (All are Extra Virgin Olive Oils; two are organic.) On the left is Georgia Olive Farms' oil, which is a deep green and boasts fresh and strong fruity aromas and flavors. In the center is an organic olive oil imported directly from the producer in Italy to Cook's Warehouse Brookhaven, which is a fainter green and has more subtle flavors. (That bottle was very recently imported in a limited supply.) On the right is an organic oil that's also from Italy; it was purchased at Your DeKalb Farmers Market; it was purchased awhile ago and has likely been quite awhile since it was imported. It's the faintest in color, aroma and flavor.

"We're able to harvest six to eight weeks ahead of California," Jason says, which means Georgia oil will be the freshest available in the U.S. for that period of time each harvest season.

"When we started this, we didn't know if it would work," says Jason. "Now, we're more committed than ever before. Our problem now is that we're not producing enough oil."

Here's hoping for a mild winter and a bountiful olive harvest next year.

Bottom Line: Extra Virgin Olive Oil tastes best fresh, and Georgians now have access to the freshest possible product in more than a century. The delicious Georgia-grown olive oil is currently available in limited quantities for $25 a bottle.