Mount William Olive Grove

Morrows works with many family businesses and from time to time shares their stories with our clients. The Lococo family is one such business – building an acclaimed Olive Oil business based on their father’s legacy

On the eastern slope of Mount William in Victoria’s west a growing family business cares for 8,000 olive trees producing some of Australia’s most celebrated oils. Here, Melissa Jacobson and Teresa Lococo from Mount William Olive Grove provide their family’s story, some comments on their success and some of the finer points of oil appreciation.

How would you best describe your business and its role in the Australian Olive Oil industry?

We are a boutique olive grove providing premium quality extra virgin olive oil to people who appreciate fine foods and its health benefits. Our business is in its infancy. At present we are producing a premium multi award winning extra virgin olive oil. It is important that consumers understand that all olive oils are not the same. The key to achieving good health through a Mediterranean diet is fresh premium extra virgin olive oil. This is what we sell and want our consumers to understand.

You highlight a proud family tradition in your business. Can you describe some of the history of your business and your father’s role?

Our father Joe Lococo is our hero, our mentor and we could write pages on what he has brought to our lives in regards to family tradition, values and work ethic. Like many immigrants in the mid 1950′s our father and his family immigrated to Melbourne from a village called Stefanaconi which is in the region of Calabria of Southern Italy, leaving behind their family farm for better opportunities in Australia.

“Our heritage has provided us with our work ethic and ability to enjoy what we do.”

Our father was always sharing and including us in the stories, decisions and methodologies behind his success. His real passion was in the garden. When the opportunity arose in 2006 to purchase an olive grove in Lancefield it was decided that we would embark on a new journey in the Olive Industry combining our family passion for wholesome food, good health and of course lots of hard work.

How does your family history impact on the way the business is run today?

In honour of our beloved father, who passed away in February 2011, we continue to follow the vision for the Mount William Olive Grove business. We implement our strong family tradition of providing quality products and service always with commitment, determination and passion. As did our father, we enjoy what we do and we are very proud of the quality of our oils and the health benefits and change regular consumption of our products can make to people’s lives. Our heritage has provided us with our work ethic and ability to enjoy what we do. We are passionate and committed to passing these core values onto our future generations.

You have had significant awards success of recent years. Please describe some of the most recent achievements by the business?

We have had much success in regards to awards. We have been submitting our oils into the Australian Olive Association Annual National Extra Virgin Olive Competition for some years. This year we had exceptional results winning a Gold Medal Award for our Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a Silver Medal Award for our straight Manzanillo Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The Australian Olive Association Ltd (AOA) is the peak industry body that represents olive producers in Australia. For our oils to be recognised as some of the best in Australia is quite an achievement.

Many people may not be familiar with the intricacies of oil appreciation and quality analysis. Please shed some light on how oils are rated and appreciated.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil standards in Australia and worldwide for that matter describe a broad category of olive oil and are not indicative of the quality of oils.

Freshness: Generally olive oil is better when it is fresh – Flavour and aroma will begin to deteriorate within months of pressing if not treated correctly.

Colour: The colour of oil is not at all an indication of the quality of the oil – It does indicate the level of chlorophylls in the oil.

Fat: Free Fatty Acidity (FFA) indicates the breakdown in the fat structure of oil. Australian Standard 5264-2011 indicates that for an olive oil to be considered extra virgin is need to have “not more than 0.8 grams per 100grams FFA”. Our Signature Mount William Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Manzanillo Extra Virgin Olive Oil both have 0.3 FFA. This is a direct measure of the quality of oil and reflects care right from the time of flowering and fruit setting to the time the oil is consumed at the table.

Sensory Assessment: The sensory assessment of Extra Virgin Olive Oil is essential in ensuring that it is of premium quality. The sensory components include Aroma, Flavour, Pungency and Bitterness. A premium quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil will have flavours that are fruity, green, citrus, spicy, fragrant, tropical, soft, over-ripe, bitter and pungent and are determined by the quality of the fruit on the tree. If an Olive oil tastes fusty, musty, muddy, winey, metallic, rancid or burnt, it is considered to be faulty and not Extra Virgin Olive Oil.