The Last Harvest

It is the end of an era. D’Oliva Olive Oil has completed its last harvest. What a wonderful seventeen years it has been! We planted the baby trees back in 2009 and have had sixteen incredibly fun harvests with friends, family, dogs, and kids.

So why is it the last harvest? It’s best explained by my wife, who is the owner, operator, visionary, and hardest worker in this small business. Below is a paraphrased selection of her announcement in bold, and below that are a few pictures from past years.

I knew this day would eventually come, and this feels like the right time. When the last olives of this year are picked, pressed, bottled, and enjoyed by all of you, I will be closing down my beloved D’Oliva. It’s a little strange to write those words.

D’Oliva started as a new adventure I could do with a few beautiful acres of our family ranch. Somewhere along the way, it became a real business. There have been harvest days with friends and family, lots of good food and laughter, more than a little hard work, and some really wonderful olive oil along the way.

I’ve absolutely loved it. But a real little business also requires real time and energy. And I’ve reached the point where there are other things I’d rather give that time and energy to (ask me to show you pictures of Lily and Ernie!). So, after a lot of thought and talks with Roy and my kids I decided this would be my final year.

I’m proud of what D’Oliva became. And I like the idea of ending it while I still love doing it, rather than waiting until I don’t.

So we’re going to do this one more time. One last harvest. One last trip to the mill. One last vintage of really amazing D’Oliva Olive Oil.