by Jane and Gabe Jackson, The Beverage People
Milling olives takes large scale equipment. There are no economy grinders and presses appropriate for home use. Grinding can be done with a very large stone wheel and donkey, if you have those. Pressing the paste generally requires hydraulic pressure which applies greater force than manual presses can provide. So, milling olives has historically involved a community mill where the neighbors bring their olives to one large mill for processing. That tradition continues today in Sonoma County.
Our staff research identified several mills available, at certain times, to the community for pressing olives. This research may not be comprehensive, and may not receive timely updates for current pricing and other details. Still, it is intended to help you get in touch with the press owners so you can get your olive harvest processed into oil. Those local mill operators are listed below.
About Olive Oil Yield
It takes about 20-25 pounds of olives to make one quart of olive oil but this depends greatly on the variety of olive.
Trees can yield anywhere from 10 to 500 lbs of olives depending on how big the tree, how old, what variety, whether it is watered, whether it is an "off" or "on" year (AKA alternate bearing), the weather, etc. The most common types of olives in California, the Manzanillo and Mission, contain anywhere from 15 to 30% oil by volume. In general, about 35-50 gallons per ton.
Milling Process
Caution about the condition of your fruit:
Most mills will reject fruit that has fruit fly damage or other sad circumstances.
Fruit should be picked no more than two days before the pressing to avoid rot.
Location: Sebastopol
Pricing: $100 per 30 lb batch.
Dates: By appointment only. Do not harvest until appointment is made. Preferred harvest window for Olive oil production is varied as to the oil interested in. Consultation is helpful for harvest time. Olives, are a fruit, the longer they are on the tree, the more they change, the resulting oil varies.
Olives for Sale: No
Contact: 707-322-8207/olivedon@hotmail.com
Location: Sonoma
Pricing: $0.98/lb up to 500 lbs. Containers supplied, no exceptions. $525 custom crush up to 1 ton. $0.26/lb for each additional lb over 1 ton.
Minimum for Community Press: 5 lbs to 500 lbs. Amount of oil returned based on weight of olives brought in.
Minimum for Custom Press: 150 lb. If customer provides containers they must be stainless or new food grade drums only.
Dates: Saturdays and Sundays, October through December
Olives for Sale: No
Contact: 707-244-9148/info@figoneoliveoil.com
Location: Sonoma
Pricing: $0.75/lb up to 300 lb, must purchase containers from them for an additional but small charge.
Minimum for Community Press: Up to 300 lbs. Amount of oil returned based on weight of olives brought in.
Minimum for Custom Press: 800 lb
Dates: Sunday in early November and Sunday in late November.
Olives for Sale: No
Contact: 707-939-8900
Location: West of Petaluma
Pricing: $1.00/lb, must purchase containers from them for an additional charge.
Minimum for Community Press: Unknown. Amount of oil returned based on weight of olives brought in.
Minimum for Custom Press: 400 lb
Dates: Usually a Sunday in mid-November.
Olives for Sale: Unkown
Contact: (707) 778-2307
Location: West of Sebastopol
Pricing: $1/lb for 50-150 lbs - up to $400/ton
Minimum for Community Press: not available
Minimum for Custom Press: 50 lbs
Dates: October to end of December
Olives for Sale: unknown
Contact: brook@goldridgeorganicfarms.com
Location: Geyserville
Pricing: $0.90/lb up to 700/800 lb, discounted after that
Minimum for Community Press: 5 lbs. Amount of oil returned based on percentage of total milled.
Minimum for Custom Press: 1 ton
Dates: 1 day near the end of October, 1 day around Thanksgiving, 1 day in December
Olives for Sale: No
Contact: 707-293-8833/ml@trattorefarms.com
Location: Hopland
Pricing: $1/lb up to 450 lb; $450 flat fee for 450 lb to 1 ton; $400 per ton (subject to change)
Minimum for Community Press: None. Amount of oil returned based on percentage of total milled.
Minimum for Custom Press: 700 lb
Dates: Daily October 15 through December 15
Olives for Sale: No
Contact: 707-744-1114