Olive Varieties

At Viva, we grow a number of olive varieties across our groves including Kalamata, Manzanilla, Frantoio, Correggiola,  Nevadillo Blanco, and Picual each having their own unique properties. Some have a high oil yield, while others are more suited for table olives, and a few serve a dual purpose for table and oil.

Ripe Kalamata

Viva’s Ripe Kalamata olives are naturally tree-ripened giving them their attractive purple hue. Kalamata Olives are native to Greece, named after the city of Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese. Kalamata olives have a smooth, meaty texture, are the most popular table olive in Australia, and are regarded highly throughout the world.

Manzanilla | Green and Ripe

Manzanilla (means small apple) olives are originally from the area of Seville in Spain and are sometimes referred to as Spanish Olives. Manzanilla is a dual-purpose olive for both table olives and olive oil.  Green Manzanilla olives are picked early in the season and are produced by a unique process in which the natural olive bitterness is removed and the natural bright green colour is retained. This results in a crisp textured delicately flavoured olive. They are light green in colour with a superb flesh to pit ratio

As the fruit matures it turns to black colour with a hint of purple, providing us with Ripe (black) Manzanilla Fruit.  Our Manzanilla olives are naturally tree-ripened in the warm Australian climate ideal for producing large quality table fruit. Manzanilla is the preferred table olive of Spain.

Frantoio

The Frantoio olive variety from Tuscany is highly regarded for its oil yielding properties.  The medium-sized fruit is coloured purple-black, but at the preferred harvest time for oil production, the olives are green and purple-green.  Frantoio olives are considered a Ligurian style olive and we use them in our multi-flavoured olive mix as well as for olive oil.

Picual

Picual olives originate in Spain and are a medium size olive variety.  When fully ripe, their skin is shiny black and the flesh turns from a light brown to wine pink colour. They produce a pleasant full flavoured olive oil.

Nevadila Blanco

The Nevadillo Blanco olive variety is originally from Spain. It is a small growing tree bearing medium-sized fruit that is oval, pointed in shape and dark in colour. It ripens early in the season and can be used for oil or table olives.

Correggiola

Correggiola olive trees originate from Tuscany in Italy and produce small size green fruit which turn purple-black when ripe.  The variety is self-pollinating and produces a fruit that is rich in oil.

Mixed Olives

Viva’s mixed olives are a special selection that combines Ligurian style olives (smaller olive varieties), Manzanilla, Ripe Kalamata and Jumbo Kalamata for the full multiflavoured olive experience.  This combination has been chosen for the individual flavours and the exceptional visual table olive appearance.