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Mallorca's olive harvest begins
Following hot on the heels of the excellent grape harvest in the vineyards of Mallorca, comes the news that this year's olive crop is expected to produce top quality olive oil. The harvest was kicked off over the weekend in Caimari, where the island's olive harvest officially starts.
This summer has seen low levels of rainfall, which has resulted in the olive trees producing better quality olives. The downside of the dry conditions is that the overall number of olives produced will be 25-30% lower than in previous years. Two years ago, 1,200 tons of olives were gathered in the harvest, and this produced 204,000 litres of olive oil.
Most of the olives are used in the production of olive oil, the quality of which is controlled by the Illes Baleares Qualitat standard. Extra virgin olive oil with the 'Designation of Origin' mark is assured to be made on the island of Mallorca, using the Mallorquina, Arbequina and Picual types of olive. You can read more about Majorcan olives in our Local Produce pages.
Caimari hosts the wonderful Olive Fair every November - this year the fair will be held on the 19th & 20th of November. To get a feel for what to expect at the fair, you can read our Island Report on the Olive Fair in Caimari.
