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PRIVATE 2018 www.gourmetnews.com n NOVEMBER 2018 n GOURMET NEWS P 8 California Olive Ranch Celebrates Twin Milestones By Lorrie Baumann California Olive Ranch celebrated its 20th anniversary in August with an announce- ment that the company has followed through on last year's $35 million invest- ment into the company by planting enough olive trees in California's northern Central Valley to create the largest olive tree plant- ing in California and the U.S. to date. The money came from a U.S.-based institutional investor and the company's previously committed investors, and the trees were planted on land owned by California Olive Ranch and on land belonging to other grow- ers who have entered into long-term part- nerships with the company. The new plantings make possible an ex- pansion of California Olive Ranch's produc- tion to meet the growing demand from a consumer base looking for extra virgin olive oil that's both high-quality and affordable. "These new plantings come at a crucial time for the industry as a whole," said California Olive Ranch Chief Executive Officer Gregg Kelley. "When we first decided to break into an industry dominated by the international market, everybody thought we were ab- solutely insane. Twenty years later, we're the number-four olive oil brand in the U.S., and we're growing faster than we could ever have expected." While the plantings will result in the ex- panded production for California Olive Ranch, they're also a part of a plan that goes well beyond just planting more trees and pumping out more oil – it's also about new ideas for practices that can add to the sustain- ability of California agriculture. Managing Water Scarcity California Olive Ranch's planned production increase comes in the context of California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, a set of laws enacted and signed by Governor Gerry Brown in 2015 that, for the first time in the state's history, established a framework for sustainable local groundwater manage- ment that prohibits groundwater-dependent basins from a practice known as water min- ing, the extraction of more water than can be replaced through natural processes. Under the law, California's major groundwater basins will be regulated to bring them into a balance of pumping and recharge. Kelley predicts that the new law will have a dramatic impact on California's agriculture. "Water is going to be an ever more precious resource," he said. "Water is going to be the major economic factor in production agriculture in California over the next 10 to 20 years. It will affect what crops will be planted where." Olives are an ideal crop, according to Kel- ley, for a regulatory environment that the California Department of Water Resources says is designed to make water conservation a way of life in California. Olives are low- input, not just in terms of the water they re- quire, but also in terms of their vulnerability to insect pests and weeds, which means that growers don't have to spray them with a lot of chemicals or give them a lot of water to persuade them to yield an economic crop. "We can plant the trees on soils that aren't optimal for other crops and still have a good production level," Kelley said. "Even con- ventional orchards are as close to organic as you can get [without actually being certified for organic production]." Growing the Soil Through a partnership with California State University Chico, widely known as Chico State, California Olive Ranch has, for the past year and a half, been involved in a proj- ect called the Regenerative Agriculture Ini- tiative. This project has involved redirecting the pomace, the olive mass that's left over after the oil is pressed from it, into compost piles instead of using it as cattle feed. "Today the byproduct of the production process is fed to cows. We say that's why California cows are so happy, but it's not a long-term viable solution," Kelley said. That pomace contains, in addition to valu- able organic matter, a variety of other nutri- ents, including potassium. Potassium deficiency causes olive trees to set less fruit and results in smaller fruit. The mineral is also important to many other physiological processes for the trees, and adequate levels assist the trees in resisting the effects of drought. Potassium can be provided to the trees with chemical fertilizer, but composting the pomace and returning it to the soil under the trees increases the soils' organic matter, which helps it retain water, as well as merely providing the trees with necessary potas- sium. This composting process is an impor- tant part of the company's plans to cut its carbon footprint through regenerative agri- culture practices, Kelley said. "Many of the building blocks for this are already in place with our large-scale composting operation," he said. "We have already converted a por- tion of the orchards to organic and will con- tinue to do so. We think the regenerative agriculture approach will bring benefits there as well." Educating Both Growers and Consumers California Olive Ranch will be spreading the knowledge that the company is acquiring through this pilot composting project to its grower partners around California and through educational institutions around the country, even as the company responds to in- creasing demand in the American market for higher quality olive oils. That demand is the result of greater awareness among con- sumers about the health benefits of high- quality extra virgin olive oils over lower-quality olive oils, Kelley said. "Extra virgin olive oil is an incredibly healthy prod- uct," he said. "Many people haven't been ex- posed to extra virgin olive oil, and the growth in that awareness is probably the pri- mary driver of our growth." "If you look at the shelf, it looks different than it did 10 years ago," he added. "Con- sumers are continuing to buy the higher qual- ity product." Kelley noted that a decade or so ago, extra virgin olive oil accounted for about 52 percent of American olive oil sales. Today, it's about 70 percent, he said. "We're seeing less of the lower quality oil on the shelves, with some of the smaller players finding it easier to get shelf space," he said. "I think those preferences will continue." While the heart of California Olive Ranch's production is in California and is ex- pected to continue that way, the company is working to meet that growing demand for high-quality olive oils through imports from Italy, through its Lucini Italia subsidiary and through its Lucini brand of oils produced in Argentina. The company is also looking to expand in other South American countries as well as in other regions around the world where high-quality olives can be grown. "You cannot make high-quality olive oil out of bad fruit," Kelley said. "This requires quality control throughout the production process as well as through the distribution network. Olive oil has four enemies: time, light, heat and oxygen. We have to look after all of those to maintain quality all the way to the consumer's palate." UNFI Foundation Funds Report on Safety and Health of Farmworkers Farmers and farmworkers are fundamental contributors to our overall well-being, pro- viding food for our families and an eco- nomic scaffolding for our country. Unfortunately, their safety and health are often overlooked, with this segment of our population suffering grave consequences from this oversight. With funding from the UNFI Foundation, The Organic Center is bringing this topic to the forefront by releas- ing a report investigating the impacts of pes- ticide exposure on farmer and farmworker health – and lessons learned from organic farming that can help minimize those expo- sures. This project details the health effects of occupational exposure to pesticides for agri- cultural workers, and how the organic regu- lations reduce these exposures, providing a safer working environment on the farm. It also highlights techniques used on organic farms that can be incorporated by all farmers – regardless of farming technique. Some of the common preventive techniques used by farmers to manage pests in lieu of pesticides include extended crop rotations, intercrop- ping, use of buffers and hedgerows, and pro- moting soil health. By shifting to more sustainable food pro- duction systems that rely on balanced ecosystems as a first line of defense against pests, we can ensure sustainable food secu- rity and healthy agricultural communities into the future. Practices used by organic producers that support robust agroecosys- tems that naturally control pests can be adopted to reduce chemical inputs in any farm setting. Consumers can also take action to support healthy farming communities by choosing food grown organically. A large body of research documents the health hazards associated with occupational exposure to pesticides commonly used on conventional farms, yet the contribution of organic farming systems to the health of farmers and farmworkers by reducing their exposure to toxic pesticides has been largely overlooked. The report was released during Natural Products Expo East. Executive Director Hired for Regenerative Organic Alliance Elizabeth Whitlow has been appointed the Executive Director of the Regenerative Or- ganic Alliance, a nonprofit organization that holds the Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC). ROC is a holistic, high-bar certifica- tion that encompasses three pillars: soil health, animal welfare and social fairness. Whitlow will report to the Regenerative Organic Alliance's Board of Directors, which is comprised of farmers, ranchers, brands, experts in animal welfare and social fairness, and is led by the Rodale Institute. She will work with NSF International to pilot the new certification and engage with farms, brands, NGOs and key stakeholders to grow the certification. Whitlow brings a wealth of relevant expe- rience to the Regenerative Organic Alliance. She has dedicated her career in regenerative agriculture to further the impact of high-bar certifications. In her most-recent role as EarthClaims' director of certification, she oversaw a team working to provide private, third-party verification services for animal welfare, grass-fed claims, antibiotic-free and customized audits to support specific mar- keting claims. Prior to EarthClaims, Whitlow was a fellow at the Leadership for a Sustain- able Future where she took a one-year course on how to train more effective leaders who understand the interconnectivity between economy, ecology and community. Whitlow also spent 16 years with California Certified Organic Farmers in roles ranging from re- viewer, senior inspector, and livestock spe- cialist to inspection operations manager. "We are thrilled to have Elizabeth at the helm of the Regenerative Organic Alliance," notes Jeff Moyer, Executive Director of Ro- dale Institute and chair of the ROA. "She brings a deep knowledge of the complexities surrounding organic and animal welfare certi- fications. She understands the practical needs of farmers and producers and her leadership will be key in rolling out the ROC label." "I am honored to be working with such an incredible team and to be part of this impor- tant movement," stated Whitlow. "The proj- ect has come so far already, and I look forward to keeping that momentum going and expanding the Regenerative Organic Certification program." Born and raised in north Georgia, Whitlow received her BA in German from Georgia State University in Atlanta and her MA in en- vironmental studies from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She is a member of the Farmers Guild Advisory Board and the Sonoma County Food System Alliance Council. Whitlow lives in northern California, where she grows food and community on her micro-farm. She will be based remotely.