Olives
The olive is an evergreen tree or shrub native to the Mediterranean, Asia and parts of Africa. Its fruit, the olive, has been consumed throughout history in its whole form or as olive oil.
Olives are harvested at either the young green stage or left to mature on the branch to become the dark or black olive. The fruit, being bitter in its natural state, is then typically cured with strong brine or salt to make it more palatable. Before consumption, olives need to be soaked in fresh water to satisfy the European palate.
We have been sourcing and importing olives for nearly 10 years and, as such, have developed close relationships with growers and producers in France, Greece, Italy and elsewhere. Family-run farms still use time-tested traditional methods, even hand-stuffing the olives, avoiding unnecessary processing and excessive use of preservatives. We promote organic and fresh produce whenever possible. Olives are picked between October and January and arrive at our warehouse in the New Year.
Green olives are picked first, the dark olives ripening naturally on the trees. Like the grapes of a vineyard, the changing environmental conditions affect the quality and quantity of the harvest. The fresh crop has a lively, tangy, slightly bitter flavour. As the olives mature towards the end of the year, the olives become milder and creamier. We supply a wide range of olives in varying formats and sizes. Using our knowledge gained supplying different retail outlets such as delicatessens, cafés and restaurants, we have a range that will cater for every need, be it bulk olives in heavy brine, stuffed olives or The Real Olive Company’s ready marinated range, designed to simply open and serve.
Bulk Olives
Buying olives in bulk is a cost effective and versatile approach to olives.
The Olives are in heavy brine (salt solution). This preserves the olives and gives them a long shelf life of 12-18 months from production. To use, simply soak the olives to use in the next 4-5 days in plain water over night:
- Rinse with fresh water
- Dress the olives as you wish
- Drizzle with oil (using sunflower or other vegetable oil will stop oil solidifying in the fridge) and add herbs or spices or leave to eat as they are.
Much of our tapas range is designed to simply open and serve. Create a delicious dish comprising rice and herb-filled vine leaves, feta and ricotta stuffed spicy bell peppers, Contadina-style grilled artichokes, Italian forest mushrooms in oil and succulent sun-dried tomatoes.
Why not try offering dishes of olives to your customers? It’s an easy way to boost sales with minimum effort. Simply display the olives where your customers can see them and let them sell themselves.
We also have a selection of Antipasti's and olive oil's, please see our 2010 price list for more information.
