OOCC to Hold Workshops on Producing, Evaluating, and Protecting Olive Oil Quality

Sacramento, CA — The Olive Oil Commission of California (OOCC) is hosting a series of quality workshops for California olive oil industry professionals. The goal of the OOCC ‘s Quality Workshops is to discuss the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) standards for Extra Virgin Olive Oil enforced by the OOCC and to educate all sectors of the olive oil supply chain on best practices to enhance quality and extend shelf life.

Two workshops are scheduled. The first will be held September 6 at McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The second is scheduled for Sunday, September 9 at the Templeton Recreation Center in Templeton from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

These workshops are free to attend and are targeted at both OOCC producer-members and brand owners as well as non-OOCC members, olive oil farmers, millers and retailers, restaurants or distributors who purchase and sell California olive oil. The workshop will cover activities in orchard management, harvest, packaging, milling, storage, transportation and display for improving and protecting olive oil quality. The workshop will also look at the use of olive oil testing as a tool for evaluating quality and predicting shelf life.

One of the most important objectives of the OOCC is to improve the quality of all California olive oil so that it is trusted and valued. The OOCC devotes much of its research investment towards achieving this goal and the program has been demonstrated to be effective at improving the quality of OOCC member olive oil.

Funding for this series of workshops was recently approved by the OOCC Board as a means of sharing valuable information with the entire California olive oil industry. The workshops will provide a comprehensive review of the minimum standards contained in the CDFA Olive Oil Standard. Importantly, information will be provided on how various olive oil testing and analysis can be used as tools to improve olive oil quality. Additional resources will be provided to attendees on a variety of olive oil related topics.

Producers of all sizes are encouraged to attend. To register, please send an email to info@oliveoilcommission.org with names of attendees and selected location. You may also call (916) 441-1581. For more information and addresses of workshop locations, please click here.