California Olives Offer Opportunity
Originally Published in Pizza Chef's Corner

In the 1700's when the Spanish brought their beloved olive trees to grow in California, no one could have predicted domestic production at well over 110,000 tons per year.

The olive is a fruit in the drupe family, like a peach. It was first cultivated in the Mediterranean region around 3000 b.c. Olives and olive oils still are important staples in the traditional Mediterranean diet. As pizza and other Italian foods have migrated from that region, olives and olive oil have grown in Italian - American cuisine as well.

The United States uses 180,000 tons of olives each year, 65% of which is grown and processed in California. The remaining volume is imported from Spain and a few other Mediterranean countries. The California crop is primarily processed into black ripes.

The most common types or "Cultivars", the Manzanillo and the Sevillano account for 85% of domestic production the remaining crop is made up of Ascolano, Mission and Barouni. Each Cultivar has its own flavor and texture. The big two are best suited for canned black ripes.

In the United States market, 40% of Black olives are used in salads, 24% on pizza and 17% on sandwiches with the remaining 19% for other uses. Pizza accounts for only 7% of Green olive usage. With consumers looking for more interesting and colorful pizza toppings, the use of sliced Green olives presents an opportunity to be different. Green olives typically cost about the same as blacks. So you can drive some new business without changing your food cost.

The foodservice market generates $364 million in olive sales. Black olives are 71% of that total.

Freshly harvested olives have a very bitter taste; therefore they must be processed. This processing is what gives olives their distinctive nutty flavor. Once they are processed, the olives are sized and mechanically pitted. Then they are sliced, diced or left whole and canned.

There are 1500 olive growers in California. At one time there were dozens of California olive processors. Over the years the number has diminished.

Spanish ripe olives are also used in pizzerias and Italian restaurants. They tend to be a little less expensive but the flavor difference is dramatic. The California olive has a much nuttier flavor. In addition, the Californian has a jet black outside that fades to brown on the inside for that classic olive appearance. For these reasons we recommend using California ripes.

The big chains will generally pick imports just to save a few bucks. Using California olives will improve your pizza flavor and help you to compete in the quality arena.

"With consumers looking for more interesting and colorful pizza toppings, the use of sliced Green olives presents an opportunity to be different."

Ed Zimmerman