Adopt an Olive Tree today!

I’ve been wanting to write this post for ages (nearly 9 months) but as I also wanted to give this as a gift to my Mum, I had to demur.  I knew there was a high likelihood that if I published the post, before I knew it, she would have gone off and adopted her own olive tree.  The birthday has now passed so now I can let you in on this concept that supports both local farmers and desperate present buyers.

I first met the folks from OlivFresh Organic Olives at the Good Food & Wine Show in Brisbane in November last year.  They had a small stand where you could taste their olives and pick up a leaflet about their produce.  They also had a nifty marketing idea.  ‘Adopt an Olive Tree’.   You could complete a form there on the spot or take the online option at a later date.  This is a great way for the farm to supplement it’s income and to connect with the community and those who enjoy a good olive or two.

OlivFresh Organic Olives have their grove at Coominya, literally on the shores of Lake Wivenhoe.  They are a Queensland family owned business and all produce is certified organic.  The olives are plump and tasty and when I served some up to my Mum, pre gift giving, she was in raptures about how good they tasted.  Score +1 for the good daughter.  There’s a range of olive based products including extra virgin olive oil and the delicious Olive & Fig Tapenade.

Well, the date finally arrived and I jumped onto the website to ‘Adopt an Olive Tree‘ for my mum.  The process was simple and for $55 she received:

• a personalised Adoption Certificate
• a map of the OlivFresh Estate to show where the tree is located
• a gift pack containing three OlivFresh products
• 10% discount off all products from the OlivFresh online shop

and best of all

• an invitation to the annual harvest Olive Open Day to come and pick and keep olives from your olive tree

The present was a very popular idea and my Mum has commented on it many times.  We can’t wait to go to the harvest day which will be some time in early autumn, depending on the weather and how well the crop is progressing.  Friends who bought certificates for their family for Christmas went to the harvest day this year, and had a blast.  There was live music in the grove, you were free to take a picnic lunch and there were more olives that you could poke a stick at.  They made a real day of it and as Lake Wivenhoe is only just an hour outside Brisbane so it wasn’t too far to travel.

Not sure what to buy Dad for Father’s Day?  Need to buy a birthday present for someone who has everything? Are people asking you what you want for Christmas?  Adopt an Olive Tree, support a local farmer and all of your present buying problems will be solved into the bargain (until next year at least).

OliveFresh Organic Olives
http://www.olivfresh.com.au/