1 of 2
Photos courtesy of A Girl and an Olive.
A Girl and an Olive has a grove in Lillian where it grows three different cultivars: Arbequina, Arbosana and Koroneiki olive trees.
2 of 2
Photos courtesy of A Girl and an Olive.
After harvesting the olives, the produce must be deleafed and sorted to remove any blemished or shriveled fruit before being pressed into oil.
Many couples look for new hobbies after becoming empty nesters, but not many decide to plant an olive grove and press olive oil with their spare time.
Beth and Brooks Clark from Liberty Park own an olive grove in Lillian, Alabama, near the Gulf Coast and began their olive oil business, A Girl and an Olive, shortly after a 2014 trip to Napa Valley where they noticed that the olive trees still had the fruit growing in January, which sparked their curiosity.
“We wondered if anyone on our coast was growing olives,” Beth Clark said. “We found the Georgia Olive Farms had started a high density grove in Lakeland, Georgia, in 2009 and have been successful in producing fresh extra virgin olive oil. From there we decided we would try our hand at it.”
The Georgia Olive Farms planted a 7-acre high-density grove for A Girl and an Olive in April 2014. The grove has different cultivars of olive trees, including 70% Arbequina, 15% Arbosana and 15% Koroneiki olive trees.
Olives require specific needs in order to have a successful harvest. They like a PH in the soil between 5 and 8.5, adequate sunlight and a well drained soil. Temperatures ideally need to be between 35 and 65 degrees to produce.
The harvesting process is intensive, and takes weeks to complete. Using a vibrating rake, harvesters collect the olives that have fallen onto nets below the trees. The collected fruit is then sorted, with workers deleafing and removing any blemished or shriveled produce. Within 24 hours of being harvested, olives must be pressed into oil.
In 2016, the grove had its first harvest, and three years later they have been able to harvest five and a half tons of olives this season. Those tons were pressed into 134 gallons of oil, but not just any oil.
The company makes extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), which is when the olives are pressed by a mill with no chemicals, creating pure oil that contains no more than 0.8% acidity. The oil also needs to pass a chemical test in a lab and a sensory evaluation by a trained tasting panel.
“Temple University research shows EVOO protects against memory loss, preserves the ability to learn and reduces conditions associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” Clark said. “Also olive oil reduces brain inflammation and activates the autophagy process, where by [intracellular debris] and toxins are removed.”
The FDA recommends consuming two tablespoons of olive oil a day to reduce the risk of heart disease because it has monounsaturated fat. It also has antioxidants, omega-3, omega-6 and vitamin E, which are good for brain health and skin health.
“So drink your olive oil!” Clark said jokingly.
As the grove has matured, taking care of it has become a full-time commitment. A team helps out during harvest time, and another man periodically helps Clark run the grove.
“The hardest part of this process is hiring harvesters and [the] harvest,” Clark said. “My favorite part is seeing oil come out of the mill and tasting the fruits of your labor. Also, seeing other people enjoy the freshest oil on the coast.”
For more information about A Girl and an Olive and how to purchase the olive oil, visit agirlandanolive.com or their Facebook page, “A Girl and an Olive.”
