CANADIAN SUCCESS
100 per cent Canadian extra-virgin olive oil draws praise from chefs, restaurants
B.C. olive oil turns heads
“The first drop that came out was super-exciting,” Canadian olive oil producer Sheri Braun says.
“It was late and dark and cold and we were exhausted, and then … this beautiful, emerald-green liquid started to pour into the tank. But the taste was the most exciting because we were like, ‘OK, it is good.’ ”
A trip to Spain in 1999, inspired Sheri and her husband, George, to attempt a 100 per cent Canadian olive oil. Late last year, they realized their dream, producing approximately 162 200-mL bottles of organic, extra-virgin olive oil entirely on Salt Spring Island, B.C.
They were relatively new to farming when they started the Olive Farm. After retirement (George ran a large-scale railway construction company; Sheri worked in education and counselling), they bought a cherry orchard in the Okanagan as their first foray into farming. Then the hunt began for the ideal property for olive trees.
In 2010, they found a 72-acre farm on Salt Spring and bet on the Southern Gulf Island’s microclimate to support olive trees. If you have the right climate for Pinot Noir wine grapes and the Madrone (Arbutus), tree, olives are “not a guarantee but definitely a possibility,” George says.
Their first grove of 1,000 trees, which they planted in 2012, consists of four main Tuscan varieties: Frantoio, Maurino, Leccino and Pendolino. George explains they selected trees primarily for cold hardiness, and procured them from a nursery in California that would ship to Canada.
“We kept it super-quiet for the first five years because we honestly didn’t know if it would succeed. We didn’t know if our trees would survive,” Sheri says.
Seeing much more fruit on the trees than in previous years, they harvested the olives for the very first time this past December. Their family came out to help with two full days of picking, yielding 450 kilograms of olives and after pressing, 35 litres of oil. The Brauns were overjoyed by the results.
“We knew that it had a profile that was going to be unique and really high quality. And then the other thing is the polyphenols — the numbers came in off the charts for the high polyphenols, which is your antioxidants,” Sheri says.
Their now sold-out 2016 olive oil cost $75 per 200-mL bottle. But luckily for consumers, there are several options to taste it around the country.
Executive chef Rob Gentile of Buca restaurants in Toronto said that the Olive Farm’s olive oil will be added to the menu at Buca Yorkville, writing on Instagram: “Probably the most unique Olive Oil I have ever tasted. Incredible depth with ocean-like seaweed notes and a strong peppery finish.”
In Vancouver, award-winning restaurant Savio Volpe bought some of the Braun’s olive oil, as did the Hastings House on Salt Spring Island. In Montreal, gourmet-food supplier Favuzzi has limited quantities of the oil available for sale, saying on its website: “This exceptional oil will surprise you with its floral, vanilla and buttery notes with final peppery taste and bitterness.”
The Olive Farm’s grove is now 2,500 trees strong and the Brauns say they will continue planting and propagating. Weather-dependent, they expect their next harvest to take place this December and the resulting 2017 pressing to ship in mid-February 2018.
Much like wine, olive oil varies widely — characteristics reflect terroir, the variety of fruit, method of production and age. For a taste of next year’s uniquely Canadian “liquid gold,” the Brauns have started a wait-list via their website (theolivefarm.ca).