SACRAMENTO — The Olive Oil Commission of California has issued its list of Members in Good Standing for the 2020/21 California olive oil harvest and milling season. The list can be used as a guide to help people buy California olive oil with confidence.
The Olive Oil Commission of California (OOCC) was established in 2014 as an official entity of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to ensure that California olive oil is trusted and valued. Standards enforced by the OOCC are among the most stringent in the world.
“Under the OOCC, California producers of 5,000 gallons of olive oil or more per year participate in a mandatory sampling and testing program to verify their olive oil is correctly labeled with respect to quality,” said Chris Zanobini, executive director of the Olive Oil Commission of California (OOCC). “In other words, if they label their olive as Extra Virgin, it has undergone independent testing to make sure the olive oil does, in fact, meet the OOCC standards for Extra Virgin.”
The names of members who meet all requirements of the OOCC program are published each year. The list includes companies who produce over 5,000 gallons per year and are required to participate in the program along with smaller companies who participate on a voluntary basis. The list also includes names of the companies who did not meet the OOCC requirements. Please note that olive oil sourced from outside of California by the brands on this list is not subject to the mandatory sampling and testing program of the OOCC.
The OOCC Members in Good Standing list for the 2020/21 season are as follows:
Members in Good Standing
Bariani Olive Oil
Boundary Bend USA/Cobram Estate
California Olive Ranch
Calivirgin
Ciarlo Fruit and Nut LLC
Corto Olive Company
Il Fiorello Olive Company
La Panza Ranch
Lucero Olive Oil
Lyons Ranch
McEvoy of Marin LLC
Nick Sciabica and Sons
Enzo Olive Oil Company
Seka Hills
Silver Oak Ranch
Sunrise Olive Ranch
The Mill at Kings River
The Olive Press
43 Ranch Olive Oil
Not in Good Standing
Organic Roots
In order to be considered a Member in Good Standing, companies must meet the following criteria:
- Participation in the OOCC’s mandatory government sampling and testing program
- Olive oil grades used on product labels have been verified as accurate through independent chemical and sensory laboratory analysis
- Assessments for participation in the program have been paid in full
“Members in Good Standing are allowed to use the OOCC logo on their bottle indicating they are in compliance with our program, but they are not required to do so,” explained Zanobini. “
“The list is made public each year to provide buyers with a guide to purchasing quality olive oil from California.”
How the OOCC’s Mandatory Sampling and Testing Program Works
Under the OOCC’s sampling and testing program, producers must sample and test all of their olive oil lots using an accredited laboratory and provide analysis to the OOCC.
Inspectors from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) also collect olive oil samples from each California olive oil handler. These samples are sent to an independent laboratory for sensory and chemical analysis.
Lab results from producers and those from the CDFA government samples are compared to confirm: a.) the olive oil meets stringent quality standards set through the OOCC; and b.) test results provided by producers must match those sampled by CDFA.
Producers are required to relabel olive oil if their own tests are not consistent with tests conducted by the OOCC.
“In this way, we can ensure that California olive oil is accurately labeled in terms of quality,” emphasized Zanobini. “The goal is to make sure that customers can have confidence in California olive oil.”
A printable list of the OOCC’s Members in Good Standing is available here.
–Olive Oil Commission of California
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