2019 California Harvest

2019 California Harvest

BY KEVIN O'CONNOR ON DEC 04 2019

Another California harvest, done and dusted. It’s always a bit sad once harvest wraps up; we’ll miss the smell of tons of olives being squished, the vibrant and eclectic crew that comes from all over the world to help, and of course our time spent partying in the groves. We’re still buzzing from the times that were had, the memories made and, of course, we’re pretty stoked to have hundreds of thousands of gallons of fresh extra virgin olive oil in the tanks, ready to be bottled. This magical time only happens once a year in California (September through November) so we're sure to make the most of it. Here’s how we roll:

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It starts in the dirt. We kick things off with bringing guests out to where the entire journey begins: the groves. We’re proud to show off our harvesting techniques and share as much agronomic wisdom as we can possibly fit in. The groves are a pretty stunning place to be this time of year, so we take full advantage with an intimate, over the fire dinner between the trees, cooked by yours truly. Uber fresh, single varietal oils are paired with local produce, highlighting this award-winning lipid fruit juice as the true star of the dish.

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Following the path of the olive in our Tree to Table process, we head back to the mill to check out processing, bottling, and our nursery.

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Such a process definitely merits more than one day of revelry. The second day isn’t just about extra virgin olive oil, but California as a whole: the vibe, the abundance, the community. We gathered friends, chefs and tastemakers at the historic Rutherford House in Napa for an epic cook-out and long table dinner. We paired chefs with guests to all come together and cook a wide range of seasonal, EVOO focused dishes for the table. Recipes and more on the amazing chefs to come!

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A Cobram party wouldn’t be complete without our house band, Manzanita, and some bare foot dancing to bring the moon up.

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While things have quieted down in the groves and the celebrations are wrapped up, our team is still working behind the scenes, filtering, blending, and bottling all of the beautiful California extra virgin olive oil we produced this year. Planning for our 2020 Australia harvest in April and May has commenced and we’re completely stoked for another. For us, harvest is year-round; a constant. Harvest is our passion and our livelihood…thank you for being a part of it <3

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Special thanks to Melissa Gayle for capturing all of these moments and just being rad in general.

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