Dandaragan Estate

 The awesome environment of Australia goes hand in hand with its strong reputation for the production of quality food, agriculture and Olives.

Dandaragan Olives are only 5km from the Redgum Village here in Dandaragan and we supply accommodation when required to staff and employees of the Dandaragan Estates.
There is a article below which gives a insight as to what goes on at the Olive farm and even though it is a little out of date it still gives the reader some valuable information.

We will update the new managers and owners profiles after we have there approval so untill then enjoy what is here now and please feel free to either follow the link below to the Dandaragan Estate website or make an inquiry through the Redgum Village.

The wine industry has been the most recent to experience the impact of Australia's great natural assets and it was only a matter of time before Australia entered the large and established olive oil market. Olive growing is now the largest new horticultural industry in Australia.

The Dandaragan Estate story began in the mid-1990s when it became evident that the world was facing a renewed boom in the demand for high quality extra virgin olive oil. This was around the time that traditional European producers faced a major production slump due to cyclical bad weather conditions. Factors such as mad cow disease and foot and mouth also served to steer traditional users of animal fats towards a healthier alternative.

A small group of entrepreneurs headed by Gus Simpson (now executive chairman of Olea  Australis Limited - Dandaragan Estate's owner) set out to establish Australia's premier olive oil company.

Over the next few years information was gathered and plans were drawn up for the creation of Dandaragan Estate. Careful attention was paid to selecting quality land in the pristine agricultural Moore River region of Western Australia and significant research went into the technological aspects of the grove. It was intended right from the outset that the grove establish a new benchmark for the use of technology to maximize quality and efficiency.

Jim Hollingworth was recruited to build Dandaragan Estate and he brought an unparalleled knowledge of Australian agriculture to the team. Since its establishment Dandaragan Estate has won acclaim for the quality of workmanship.

Jim has since moved on and the new managers have been at Dandaragan estate since mid 2008.

To help grow the Company into a fully integrated olive oil producer, Geoff Newing was recruited as CEO in August 2001. Geoff has overseen the development of the company's first "vintage" of oil and the creation of the Dandaragan Estate brand. Geoff has also overseen the construction of a 5 tonne per hour processing plant at the Dandaragan Grove and the national distribution of its products through a distribution agreement with Australia's largest distributor of gourmet food, Manassen Foods. This process has seen Dandaragan Estate win 13 national awards from the 2002 harvest and its Fruity and Chefs' Choice blends named in the top 5 Australian oils by the Good Living Supplement of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Homer called it "liquid gold." In ancient Greece, athletes ritually rubbed it all over their body. Its mystical glow illuminated history. Drops of it seeped into the bones of dead saints and martyrs through holes in their tombs. Olive oil has been more than mere food to the peoples of the Mediterranean: it has been medicinal, magical, an endless source of fascination and wonder and the fountain of great wealth and power. The olive tree, symbol of abundance, glory and peace, gave its leafy branches to crown the victorious in friendly games and bloody war, and the oil of its fruit has anointed the noblest of heads throughout history. Olive crowns and olive branches, emblems of benediction and purifiation, were ritually offered to deities and powerful figures: some were even found in Tutankhamen's tomb.Olea Australis Limited is the parent company of Dandaragan Estate. Today it is Australia's only sole-purpose olive oil company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Making the Oil - What is an Ultra premium EVOO

Olive Oil has been produced for many thousands of years. Throughout its evolution purists have sought to make the perfect oil, the creation of which, like fine wine, is ultimately determined by a few critical factors. The way in which an oil maker manages these factors determines the quality of his craft. At Dandaragan Estate we aim to reach the pinnacle of perfection in each of the following areas:

Environment

The environment in which olives are grown must be pristine, free of disease and isolated from any form of industrial activity likely to pollute the surrounding atmosphere. Dandaragan is in the heart of the Moore River region, one of Australia's most renowned agricultural areas producing fresh seafood, prime beef and lamb, succulent fresh fruit and premium wheat all of which are exported around the world.

Grove Management

Tree management is critical to fruit quality. Trees must be constantly monitored to ensure optimum health. A detailed fertilising, irrigation and pruning programme are required to ensure the trees produce only the finest fruit.

The trees must also be shaped to allow for overhead harvesting. This ensures that the fruit can be picked at the optimum time and not left to degrade while waiting for slower traditional central shaking harvesters. Once harvested the fruit must immediately be taken to the mill and turned into oil.

Processing and Storage

Ultra premium EVOO is first and foremost a food product and must be treated with all requisite care. This can only be achieved by processing olives in a food grade facility and storing oil away from heat, light and oxygen. When ready for bottling, oil should be placed in a dark bottle with the neck space between the oil and the capsule evacuated of oxygen to reduce oxidisation.

Throughout the entire production process detailed records must be kept to ensure that every bottle of oil can be traced back to the trees from which it was made.

Blending

The blending process can be simple or complicated. Many high volume suppliers use detailed chemical analysis to determine which varietal oils to combine.

One of the secrets of Dandaragan Estate is our unique approach to blending. Dandaragan Estate gathered the who's who of the fine food trade, including chefs, industry experts, oil connoisseurs and food identities from across Australia to blend our varietal oils destined for sale under the Dandaragan Estate ultra premium extra virgin olive oil label. The group gathered in Perth in June 2002 and worked through 17 individual varietal oils to determine the best blends. 19 potential blends resulted from the event and, after refinement, three master blends emerged.

This blending event has now become an annual celebration of the harvest at Dandaragan Estate and each year a growing list of connoisseurs will join in.

100 per cent EVOO

At Dandaragan Estate we give you the commitment that all our oil is 100 per cent EVOO grade and not a combination of EVOO and virgin oil or refined oil. While much of the oil on the market is a blend of cheap refined oil with a small quantity of EVOO that adds taste and colour, our oil is 100 per cent EVOO quality with an average free fatty content of less than 0.3 per cent.

Extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO as those "in the know" call it, is the most prized of all olive oils. As the top grade of olive oil, extra virgin olive oil is made from the first pressing of the best olives and represents the most natural and premium form of olive oil, extracted using the cold-press method where no chemicals and little heat assistance is used. Extra virgin olive oil is essentially 100 per cent olive juice filtered to remove any vegetable matter.

When something goes wrong other grades of olive oil result. Lots of things may cause a problem including harvesting at the wrong time, leaving the harvested fruit too long before pressing, leaving the fruit in the wrong conditions before pressing, errors during pressing and not storing the oil properly after pressing. Real EVOOs deserve special credit because with so many pitfalls it takes an extraordinary effort to make a truly premium extra virgin product.

Honesty in Labelling

Product integrity is central to our philosophy and our commitment to consumers is that our products are always what the label says they are. We do not use any imported oils or claim to be selling you a product that is not represented in the bottle. All our oil is tested using International Olive Oil Council accredited methods and subject to random sampling to ensure quality is maintained. All our labels are reviewed to ensure they comply with food standards and that they are true and correct.

These are the secrets of an ultra-premium EVOO that can't be substituted.

Making the Oil - Oils Ain't Oils

There is growing interest from consumers about different grades of olive oil. Many consumers are confused about the many categories of olive oil and even within each grade there are big differences.

You probably already know that EVOO is the best grade of olive oil but did you know that there is vast difference between EVOOs?

Ultra premium EVOOs were made in the way described above. They exceed all the chemical and taste tests by a long way and it's actually very easy to taste the difference. Visit our tasting the difference section by clicking here to learn how to spot an ultra premium EVOO.

Struggling olive producer and marketer Olea Australis last night unveiled an $18.75 million deal to sell most of its flagship Dandaragan olive business to investment scheme giant Great Southern.

 reference from dandaragan estate story.