Real Stories: Pioneering 100% Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A well-crafted extra virgin olive oil has the ability to capture the essence of the olive's origin, cultivation methods, climate, season, soil quality, variety, region, and ripeness. Similar to the way fine wine is cherished, extra virgin olive oil can be valued and enjoyed.
"We are in a unique position in Australia with our wonderful climate, wonderful environment, with a melting pot of olive varieties, with our technology and with our 'can do' attitude. We can really make some special extra virgin olive oils that will add to its appreciation in a worldwide sense."
- Joe Grilli, Primo Estate, McLaren Vale, South Australia
The origin story of JOSEPH extra virgin olive oil
In 1987, Joe and his wife Dina embarked on their first trip to Italy as a married couple. During their visit to Tuscany, they explored numerous wine producers and noticed an interesting trend: many of these producers packaged their extra virgin olive oil in a similar manner to their wines. Joe and Dina found this concept appealing.
Coincidentally, in the same year, they crafted the Moda Amarone Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and decided to create a new label, JOSEPH, to showcase it. This sparked an idea to also bottle a small quantity of extra virgin olive oil from local olives to help promote the newly established JOSEPH wine label, which was set for release in 1989.
So, in 1989, they sourced 344-gallon stainless steel drums of extra virgin olive oil through their network of family and friends in Virginia, SA, where Joe had grown up. They manually bottled the first 600 liters of oil and labeled them with the JOSEPH brand.
During a lunch event at Rockpool Restaurant in Sydney in July of that year, where the 1989 Primo Estate Colombard was being unveiled, Joe brought along a sample bottle of JOSEPH extra virgin olive oil. Esteemed individuals like Neil Perry, Simon Johnson, Gay Bilson, John Susman, and Barry McDonald, among others, were present at the event. Joe saw this as an opportunity to gauge their opinion on his new Australian extra virgin olive oil.
At that time, there were no commercially available Australian extra virgin olive oils on the market. While there were some olive oil products infused with herbs, there was no pure, 100% Australian extra virgin olive oil to be found.
Capturing the terroir of South Australia
After the lunch event, the JOSEPH Extra Virgin Olive Oil garnered significant interest from food experts, particularly Simon Johnson, who suggested Joe send him a few cases to distribute among Sydney's food lovers. This marked the beginning of the JOSEPH Extra Virgin Olive Oil journey, which experienced overwhelming demand and nearly sold out. However, sourcing enough olives for increased production proved challenging in the early days.
To address this, Joe embarked on expeditions in search of olives. He would gather olives from the parklands in central Adelaide, where remarkable older groves existed, particularly in North Adelaide and the eastern parklands. He also obtained permission to pick olives from the oldest olive trees in Adelaide located in the Beaumont and Skye area of the Adelaide foothills. These trees were remnants of the Davenport grove, planted in the 1860s, and many of them still thrived. Joe cherished the opportunity to use these olives, often reflecting on how Sir Davenport, who originally planted them for pharmaceutical purposes, would feel knowing they now adorned the tables of food enthusiasts.
Numerous expeditions followed, taking Joe and his team of olive pickers to various regions such as Eden Valley, Willunga, and Keith in the south east of South Australia, to gather olives. The olives were promptly pressed while fresh, and in the early years, with only a few presses available, they would operate around the clock during the season. Bottling JOSEPH Extra Virgin Olive Oils was a laborious process, done one bottle at a time through a tap at the bottom of a stainless steel tank, as bottling facilities were nonexistent for a long time.
A harmony between traditional olive oil making and modern technology
Moving ahead to the late '90s and early 2000s, the modern Australian olive oil industry began to take shape. High-tech continuous presses emerged, enabling olives to be pressed at their peak freshness and producing pristine oil. Additionally, the best Italian olive varieties like Frantoio (Tuscany), Leccino (Tuscany), and Coratina (Puglia) were planted, along with other exceptional varieties from different countries. Modern-style groves and vibration machines were utilised to efficiently harvest olive trees.
"One of our greatest advantages is we do not have the burden of world traditions and cultures to get in the way. We can just use the bits of tradition that work. It is my hope that by telling my story and explaining my opinion from my perspective a quality olive oil producer, I can further the cause of extra virgin olive oil in Australia."
- Joe Grilli, Primo Estate, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Primo Estate and Joe Grilli have played a leading role in these developments, making them the proud producers of possibly Australia's finest extra virgin olive oil. Their ‘First Run’ and ‘Cold Pressed’ extra virgin olive oils have become 'first pours' at some of Australia's finest restaurants. Secco takes pride in being the exclusive distributor of JOSEPH premium extra virgin olive oils and vinegar in the South Australia.