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Real Olive Oil, Real Producers: The Farms Behind All Things Olive
Since we opened in 2004, we've sourced our olive oils directly from family-owned farms in Northern California—from the Carmel Valley along the Pacific ocean, up through the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, and toward the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.
Each producer grows and harvests their own olives and makes their own olive oil. Importantly, each producer also chooses to voluntarily submit their oil annually to the California Olive Oil Council for extra virgin certification.
It is this combination of climates, terrains, and dedication, that enables All Things Olive to offer you a unique selection of olive oils not found elsewhere.
Please take a moment to learn more about the olive oil producers behind All Things Olive. They're making some of the best extra virgin olive oil in the world today.
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Apollo Olive Oil
Oregon House, CA
Apollo Olive Oil, founded in 1999, is a small family business located in the the high Sierra foothills in Northern California. Co-owners Steve McCulley and Gianni Stefanini farm three groves that were planted decades ago with more than twenty different olive varieties, many of which are unique to California. The different oils from these French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, and Tunisian varieties give Apollo a broad palette of flavors to work with for creating their Mistral, Sierra, and Barouni olive oils.
Apollo Olive Oil's Gianni Stefanini
Bondolio
Winters, CA
The Bond family closely follows the spirit of southern Italian and Sicilian family farming methods to produce their remarkable olive oil. Although common in Sicily, their blend of Nocellara, Biancollila, and Cerasuola olive varietals produces an elegant and buttery oil that's unique in California.
Karen Bond of Bondolio with Chef Michael Chiarello
CALOLEA
Loma Rica, CA
In 1999, Monica and Michael Keller bought 10 acres in the Northern Sierra Foothills town of Loma Rica. This new property was covered in 100-year old olive trees that hadn't been tended since the 1960's. Armed with a mower and pruning shears, the ambitious Kellers moved in, cleared the brush and blackberries, and brought the trees back to life, and Calolea Olive Oil was born. They attribute their superior tasting oils to their unique growing terroir. Their groves are maintained with organic methods only and their cattle graze the groves, they are happy cows! The Kellers gently harvest their olives and rush them from the field to the mill, ensuring the most flavorful olive oil possible.
Monica, Michael, and Ethan Keller of Calolea
Frantoio Grove
San Martin, CA
For Jeff Martin, the most interesting oils on the market were the Tuscan blends. These oils tend to be more pungent and peppery, and in his mind, more interesting than the super high density oils being produced elsewhere. It was suggested that he consider growing a single variety of olive. After much research and tasting of varietal oils, Jeff decided on the Frantoio variety and then planted Frantoio Grove in 2005. Now, after waiting six long years to taste the fruits of his labor, Jeff says that "it is green, and it is good."
 Keith with Pam and Jeff Martin of Frantoio Grove
Grumpy Goats Farm
Capay, CA
Stuart Littell and Pamela Marvel are partners in life and in business. When Pamela prepared to make good on a life-long dream—to live in the country as she had growing up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin—Stuart was a full backer and supporter. After some deliberation, they decided to look for the ideal place to locate a small olive orchard, where they could produce their own olive oil. In early 2008 they bought a 20 acre farm in Capay Valley, about 35 miles west of Sacramento. It was just an alfalfa field. Together they have made good progress on the farm: there are 1400 olive trees on 8 acres. Coratina, Picual, Pendolino, Itrana, Barnea and Nocellera varietals have been planted.
 Keith with Stuart Littel and Pamela Marvel of Grumpy Goats
Jovia Groves
Dixon, CA
A merger of the names Jon and Sylvia, "Jovia" Groves olive oil is produced by Jon and Sylvia Fadhl in Dixon, California. Jovia Farms has planted over 9000 Spanish Arbequina olive trees using the SHD (Super High Density) hedge row method over the last four years. Jovia Groves Olive Oil was awarded the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) Certification in the first year of production.
Jon Fadl of Jovia Groves with Lynn and Keith
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Katz and Company
Napa, CA
Albert and Kim Katz had taken an inspiring trip to Italy where they tasted many new things, but it was the olive oil that really hit them. As luck would have it, the olive oil production in Northern California was just about to bloom and a large part of it started in the Napa area. Quite serendipitous! Albert became one of the founding members of the California Olive Oil Council in 1993 during this time. Over the last 10 years they have been organically raising olives on 20 acres in the historic Suisun Valley. Their California Certified Organic oils, under the KATZ label, have garnered 18 gold medals at major tasting events. The oils also are featured in some of the most highly acclaimed restaurant kitchens in the country.
Keith with Kim and Albert Katz in the Katz' 150 year old carriage house used to age their unique wine vinegars.
La Ferme Soleil
Vacaville, CA
Our olives come from sustainable groves of Maurino, Leccino and a small number of Coratina trees and our oil has been certified by the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) as Extra Virgin. Every fall, in late November or early December, we carefully monitor our trees as the fruit ripens to pick at the optimum time for a combination of green and fully ripened olives which will produce the smooth, buttery flavor that we try to achieve in our oil.
Lodi Olive Oil
Lodi, CA
At Coldani Olive Ranch we are literally a "Family Business". Our immediate family along with our spouses and a few little ones is what encompasses our company; handling every aspect from tree to bottle. Growing the olives, processing them into oil, bottling, packaging design, marketing, sales and shipping are just a few of the tasks we split up as a family. When we say we know each and every bottle inside and out, we mean it, and we feel the passion we have to produce a quality extra virgin olive oil resonates in our finished product.
Seka Hills
Brooks, CA
In their native Patwin language, 'Séka' means 'blue,' and in selecting Séka Hills as the name for their premium tribal products, the native American tribe Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation honors the blue hills that overlook their homeland in Northern California's Capay Valley. The Seka Hills Olive Mill and Tasting Room uses the latest technology and serves the milling needs of both the Tribe and the growing ranks of surrounding olive growers. To preserve the most flavor and the greatest health benefits, the Seka Hills milling process allows minmal air exposure, creating the freshness required in the finest quality extra virgin olive oils.
Tres Osos
Carmel, CA
When Dean Griggs talks of his olive trees, he believes that "this is my soul right here." Dean's olive trees, made mostly of taggiasca olives from the western Italian coast, are grown on rolling hills of Monterey shale within reach of Pacific Ocean's cooling breeze in the Carmel Valley. Dean is committed to organic practices and bottles his oil himself in small batches. When describing his oil, Dean says, "you put it under your nose, the first thing you notice is grass. You pull it back over your tongue, there a little fruitiness, a little nuttiness with that grass. It finishes off, you get that pepper burn."
Dean Griggs of Tres Osos
Real Olive Oils, Real Producers
Grumpy Goats Farm
Pamela Marvel and Stuart Littel
Capay, California
Pamela and Stuart are partners in life and in business. When Pamela prepared to make good on a life-long dream—to live in the country as she had growing up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin—Stuart was a full backer and supporter. After some deliberation, they decided to look for the ideal place to locate a small olive grove, where they could produce their own olive oil. In early 2008 they bought a 20 acre farm in Capay Valley, about 35 miles northwest of Sacramento.
Together they’ve made good progress on the farm: there are now 1400 olive trees on eight acres. The olive varietals—Coratina, Picual, Pendolino, Itrana, Barnea and Nocellera—are harvested by hand starting in late October.
Within 24 hours of harvesting, they truck their fresh-picked olives to the mill. At the mill, they have a choice of using a three-wheel granite stone-crusher or a 3 ton/hour blade crusher. This gives the couple some options for enhancing the taste profile, since stone crushing will likely yield a softer oil. The milled olives are then passed through a four batch malaxer, then a three-phase decanter, a final separator, and finally stored until bottled.
Grumpy Goats oil is certified extra virgin by the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) and certified organically grown by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).
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