Table Olives, discover the pleasure

Our olives have been sourced from our olive groves to ensure only premium olives are used. Green olives are picked earlier to retain their crispness while the black olives are sun ripened for ultimate flavour.

Discover the pleasure of Olives

Over 80% of Italians are discovering the pleasure of olives, both green and black and are including olives in their regular diet. Olives are not only good for you, but are also very tasty and can be included in salads, pizzas and can be enjoyed whole as nibbles at parties or as pre dinner snacks.

There are numerous varieties of olives that are classified as table olives, The Olive Oil Shop brings you all the top varieties. All varieties have been pickled using a salt water and oil brine, however the concentration of the brine differs for the Kalamata and Manzanillo varieties. During the pickling process, the pH of the olives and brine is monitored closely and if the acidity level of the olives and brine is too high, white vinegar is used to lower the pH (but this has only occurred on a few occasions).

The Manzillo Olive

The Manzanillo variety of olive is the softer of the two varieties. The Manzanillo has a ‘plum’ textured flesh, round in shape, is deep purple in colour and ripened on the tree. Until ripened the Manzanillo exists on the tree as a green olive with white spots. The pickling process for the Manzanillo harvest took nine weeks with the brine changed daily. The Manzanillo variety is well know throughout the world as the best dual purpose olive, this meaning that this variety can be used for both pressing to oil as well as being enjoyed as a table olive.

The Kalamata Olive

The Kalamata, possibly the most common olive variety, is a firm fleshed olive and has a pointed end. This variety originated in Greece and most of the trees grown in Italy have been grafted onto stronger root systems and this is possibly one explanation why Kalamatas are traditional Tan in colour when ripened and not black. Due to the firm flesh of the Kalamata, it is recognised throughout the world as a table olive variety only. The pickling process for the 2003 Kalamata harvest took 13 weeks with brine being changed daily.

To order Italian Olive products from our organic farm website, please visit Tenuta Le Mandorlaie