The Big Olive: Amber samples the olive produce at this addition to the Murraylands region's attactions

Kingston South East has Larry the Lobster, Berri has the Big Orange and Gumeracha has the Big Rocking Horse - all are favourite happy snaps for the family album. But now, there's a new edition to the 'big' list. Welcome to the Big Olive which it seriously big.

You'll find it about an hour or so up the highway at Tailem Bend. The big black and green olives out the front of the new processing plant match the big plans of Jo Hani - the man behind the Big Olive brand.

Like a like an expectant father, Jo supervises the arrival of the first containers of this year's harvest. In fact, he oversees every step of the process from planting the olive trees to the final products on the tasting table.

Jo Hani, The Big Olive: "I come from the land of the olives - Lebanon and I've always had a passion in our diet for this product. And now because of our modern harvest techniques and our extraction techniques we are able to produce some of the best quality extra virgin olive oil ever produced."

Jo founded the Big Olive Company in 1998 and the processing, bottling and packaging facility at Tailem Bend is now one of Australia's biggest. So too the 16-hundred hectare olive grove at Coonalpyn, 60 kilometres further east. Come harvest time, the mechanical harvester looks like a giant preying mantis as it works its way through the 120-thousand trees that thrive in South Australia's ideal Mediterranean climate.

Back at the processing plant, the olives are processed as soon as possible to ensure maximum freshness. The oil then spends a least three months in huge settling tanks before the different varieties are blended and bottled. Four different blends are produced… and Jo says choosing which one to use is all about matching the oil to your cuisine and your taste.

Jo Hani, The Big Olive: "Olive oil is about mixing it with food and its relationship with food is what's very important so we create different tastes and different varieties by mixing the varieties."

Nothing is wasted at the Big Olive - even the pips are crushed and used as mulch under the trees on the farm. Jo's aim with the Big Olive is to provide a total olive based experience all under one roof with farm visits, factory tours, showroom and demonstration kitchen and café - and of course, my favourite - the tastings.

Jo Hani: "It's such a healthy product and it's been with us for such a long time and yet we've just started to realise how healthy it is. It's a product that endures with time and every day we discover a new health benefit of extra virgin olive oil - It has to be extra virgin."

Jo reckons he has history on his side - after all the first olive trees were cultivated in Syria 6-thousand years ago. You can check out the Big Olive for yourself with a tour of the processing plant at the Tailem Bend Industrial park. From Adelaide just follow the highway through town and you'll see the big olive on the left just before the overpass. The showroom and café are open daily - book ahead for tours. Big Olive products are available at good supermarkets or online. If you have any further questions please email bigolive@bigolive.com.au

More details about the Big Olive

The Big Olive
Dukes Highway
Tailem Bend
Ph 8572 3000

Published 21st June 2009