The Caccavo family established Olive Groves of Tasmania and the olive plantation at Campania in 1996. The olive grove is the largest in Tasmania. It is located near the northern end of the Coal River Valley in southern Tasmania, an area selected for its warm summers and cool temperate winters.
Although growing olives may be associated with the likes of Italy or Spain, the cool climate of southern Tasmania provides an amazing environment to create a truly unique olive oil. What makes the island so special for olive growing compared to the rest of world is our cool climate.
The cold may not produce a greater yield of olives grown but this climate gives us a fruit that is lower in acidity creating a more stable oil and a lower oxidation risk, prolonging the freshness of the product. It was in the quiet northern end of the Coal River Valley that the Caccavo family established the plantation that would be known today as Tasmanian Olive Groves. Beginning with 7,000 to a now 17,000+, with varieties of olives including Frantoio, Barnea, Verdale, Mission & Maranzillo.
Furthermore, we the olives grown have also been used to produce an Olive Gin with the Caccavo family’s distillery, Hobart Whisky. Made with the actual ripened olives, it is unique in that most on the market focus on just the leaf.