About our oil

The olive grove at Jandra is about 20 years old. It has been owned by the Buchanan family since 2015. There are some 750 trees, predominantly frantoio.

Previously we have onsold our crop to another orchard. For the last three years we have managed the harvest and the subsequent oil ourselves.

The harvest is in late autumn each year. Interestingly, each year our olives ripen here in Eurobin about 2-4 weeks later than in Melbourne. The olives are mechanically harvested and then processed into oil overnight.

Freshly pressed new oil can be spicy and even hot to the palette. In 2021, because of the later harvest, the more riper olives produced an oil that had a more mellow, buttery taste. When its fresh its a changing experience each time it is tasted. The spicy, peppery kick mellowed over the subsequent twelve months, becoming much smoother and more subtle in its flavours.

In 2021 we had a bumper crop, and in fact didn't get to pick all the available olives. On top of that, the later pick gave us a better percentage of oil than usual....so we had plenty of oil to sell!

And it turns out it was also of a very high quality. In the 2021 Australian Golden Olive Awards it received a gold medal, best in class, best in show and we were named best new producer! A few weeks later we received another gold medal in the Australian International Olive Awards.

In 2022 we received two silver awards for our Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and a silver and gold award in a separate judging. (The OPNEV Golden Olive Awards and the Australian International Olive Awards.) Again, we had a fiery green oil with a buttery middle palate. We have started getting competition results in for the 2023 harvest, and have collected gold and silver at the Golden Olive Awards, with more results to come later.

Over the last year we have broadened our produce offerings. Just after harvest you could have tried our freshly pressed, unfiltered Olio Nuovo. That's now settled and matured into more golden olive oil. You need to come back around May for more Olio Nuovo. We also now offer a chilli-infused oil, a lemon, pepper and rosemary infused oil, and a ready-to-go balsamic vinaigrette. We are also making cotognata, (quince paste), for cheese platters.

We were supplying table olives last year. but have sold out!

For biosecurity reasons we do not do door sales, but you can find us at local produce markets ( Myrtleford and Bright)

We do have an
> online shop and we are happy to ship the oil out. Postage costs mean you are better off buying from one of our local retailers if you are visiting the area. You can taste our oil at local markets. This month we will be at both the Bright Make It Bake It market and the Myrtleford Farmers' Market.

If you need something special, like boxes of small bottles to use as a corporate gift, wedding bonbonniere, Christmas or other seasonal gift or hamper content, get in touch. We can supply, and even organize customized labels if that's what you need.

If you would like to try the oil, it is stocked locally by:
Porepunkah
Punkah Pantry <, 3 Nicholson Street, Porepunkah.
Ringer Reef Winery, 6835 Great Alpine Rd, Porepunkah

Bright
The Peaks Artisan Cheesemakers - Tasting Room and Petite Providore. 4 Ireland street (at the top of the main street).
Alpine Visitors Centre Bright , at 119 Gavan St, Bright
Billy Button Cellardoor at 11 Camp Street, Bright.

Myrtleford
Myrtleford Visitor Centre , inside the Alpine Gate Café, at the corner of Great Alpine Road and Clyde Street, Myrtleford.
Billy Button Cellardoor at 161 Myrtle St, Myrtleford.
Clyde Street Butchery at 59B Clyde Street St, Myrtleford.

Wandiligong
Nightingale Bros Alpine Produce orchard and store. 708 Morses Creek Rd, Wandiligong.

Stanley
Black Barn Farm, 60 Lower Nine Mile Road, Stanley

Mt Beauty
Mt Beauty Visitor Information Centre, 31 Bogong High Plains Rd, Mount Beauty

If you purchase a gift hamper from Alpine Valleys Fine Foods you might find some of our oil in their beautiful hampers.

The newly refurbished Velo hotel in Bright has a glamorous new dining room, the Empire Cocktail Bat and Dining Hall. You will find our oil on the menu. Velo is at 2 Ireland Street, Bright. Hara House, also in Bright, uses our oil, as does the Bright Brewery.

And our oil is in the kitchen at the brewery at King River Brewing, 4515 Wangaratta-Whitfield Rd, Whitfield, and has featured on their stunning degustation dinners.