Professional Fruit Growing

OLIVES

Olive Varieties

WAIMEA OLIVES

OLIVES - Oil Varieties

Chemlali 
From Tunisia. Prolific producer of smaller fruit with excellent oil properties. Performing well in many parts of New Zealand and showing up very well in NZ Tree Crops Association trials. Shrubby, high health and easy care plants.

Frantoio
From Italy. The worlds best known oil-producing olive that is renowned for its flavour.  Proven performer in many parts of New Zealand and featuring strongly in a number of award winning oils. Medium size oval even-ripening fruit with excellent oil content and quality.  Later ripening, self-fertile and vigorous grower with good resistance to disease. Good pollinator.

EXCLUSIVE TO WAIMEA NURSERIES

FS17 Dwarf     
Dwarf olive variety for high density planting systems and machine harvesting. Clone of Frantoio.  Hardy variety with very good quality oil. (Non-propagation agreement required; protected by Patent).

Koroneiki         
From Crete. Highly regarded self fertile olive. Prolific and regular cropper. Fruit is small but with excellent oil properties. High health and easy care. Very tolerant of strong sea breezes once established.

Leccino                       
From Italy. Tuscan selection proving an excellent performer in many parts of New Zealand. Very cold and disease hardy. Very good cropper with excellent oil properties. Features strongly in award winning oils. Only draw backs are not self fertile and can suffer wind damage due to vigorous top growth. Pollinators include Pendolino, Moraiolo and Frantoio.

Moraiolo                     
From Italy. Another popular Tuscan oil variety. Early fruiting with good quality oil. Strong attractive grower with good resistance to winds and salt air. Best with Pendolino and Frantoio as pollinators.

Pendolino       
From Italy. Tuscan variety highly regarded as a pollinator. Also it is reputed to be a very good oil producer while to date cropping has been good oil percentages have been disappointing. Attractive weeping habit.

Picual             
From Spain. Main oil variety in that country. Highly rated for its early bearing,  high productivity and oil properties. Strong, spreading grower with resistance to cold and wet soils but ripens too late for marginal areas.

Sourani                       
From Syria.  Good oil variety proving a good performer in Canterbury. A fast growing upright variety with smaller leaves.

 

OLIVES - Table Varieties

A’Prugno                    
From Italy. Reputed to be a heavy and reliable bearer. Excellent pickling olive - either green or when violet red. Medium to large plum shaped fruit. Tree very vigorous and upright.

 

OLIVES - Oil & Table Varieties

Barnea                         
From Israel.  Quick growing erect variety.  Prolific producer when conditions are right, but has failed in many areas of NZ especially where subjected to cold winters.  Fruit medium size and pointed.  Recommended pollinators are Picholene and Manzanilla.  Oil yields around 17% have been experienced so far in New Zealand. Can be pickled black for high quality fruit.

Hojiblanca       
From Spain. Dual purpose olive producing exceptional oil with an enormous range of flavours and good fruit for pickling deep violet. Vigorous grower forming a large tree with distinctive ‘white leaved’ foliage.

Kalamata   
From Greece. The most famous of black eating olives but also makes an excellent oil. Elongated fruits, asymmetric shape, freestone with a fruity flavour and meaty texture. Strong, vigorous tree, resistant to some cold, medium hardiness. Sensitive to extremes. Best for the warmer parts of New Zealand.

Manzanilla       
From Spain. Reputed to be the world’s best dual purpose olive. A small tree with spreading canopy.  Medium oval fruit with brilliant purple skin changing to blue black with excellent texture when mature. Prolific and early bearer. Oil percentage very disappointing so far.  Also problems with hardiness in the colder parts of New Zealand.

Nocellara                     
From Italy.  A highly recommended Sicilian variety with attractive intense green foliage, pendent branches and big round fruit, rich in pulp. Ideal for pickling but also makes an excellent, light and fruity oil if harvested early.

Picholine         
From France. Small, elongated fruit. Skin light green changing to wine red then red black. Heavy and regular cropper. Popular gourmet table olive often pickled green. Oil quality and yield is very good. Upright tree with good resistance to cold and disease but fruit is later ripening. Good pollinator.

South Australian Verdale    
From Australia.  A selection of the French Verdale with large oval fruit that can be used for pickling as well as oil.  Fast growing early producing tree of medium size with drooping branches.  Cropping very well but main interest appears more as a table olive than an oil producer.

 

OLIVES - Contract Growing Varieties

These varieties can be grown for you under a Forward Supply Agreement. These varieties are less well known, but are favourites of some growers.

Azapa
Barouni
Californian Queen
Carolea
Hardys Mammoth
Kadesh
Nabili Mouhasan
Sevillano           

 

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