Joelene Hitchcock
Tasting and Event Manager at Oakhurst Olives - Tulbagh, Western Cape, South Africa
Joelene Hitchcock's Colleagues at Oakhurst Olives
Joelene Hitchcock's Contact Details
South Africa
Oakhurst Olives
Joelene Hitchcock's Company Details
International Award Winning Oakhurst Olives produces Kalamata Table Olives & Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We hand pick our entire crop, it is the only way you can ensure that only top quality fruit is used for processing. The Oakhurst Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made of a blend of the fruits from 10 different varieties including leccino, frantoio, carotina trees, which are all propagated & grown on the farm.Oakhurst Olives achieved 1st place in category & the best Olive Oil in the competition at the Annual Marco Zichella - Oliomio Extra Virgin Olive Oils of Southern Africa Awards held in Stellenbosch. Oakhurst Olives gets Grand Mention Diploma's for both the Olive Oils entered into the First Tri-Nations Olive Oil Competition between Australia, New Zealand & South Africa. In total 97 Oils where entered into the competion. Oakhurst Olives achieved a TOP 10 position in both categories entered.Oakhurst Olives works very closely with, The South African Olive Research Council, to be on the forefront of new developments & Cultivars. We are constantly evaluating new cultivars & processing methods for both the, Table Olives as well as the Oil Olives. Our Manager & research team have spend extensive time in Italy & Spain, talking to the leading Olive Professors from various Universities, on the latest developments. On that one trip, we had meetings with 14 Professors and went to 7 research facilities. We went to the Olive Conference in Argentina and also visited Chile & Brazil.The result of this research, we have adopted the method of high density planting. Traditionally, Olive trees have been planted at 400 trees per hectare. We plant at between 1200 & 1500 trees per hectare using poles and wires and thus forming Olive hedges. The benefits of doing this is huge. Oakhurst Olives also has it's own Nursery where we propagate our own trees and develop new varieties, after an extensive evaluation period, some of these new varieties may be released into the market.