Sweet smell of AIOA success for Leisal Rose

Liz said the award also belongs to her ‘right hand man’ Dick Galvin, who helps manage the grove.

As a remedial massage therapist, improving outcomes with handson care is nothing new for Leisal Rose owner Liz Tonkinson. But when she took on the task of rejuvenating a neglected 300-tree olive grove, she had no idea she’d end up producing this year’s Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA) Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Show.

2021 Award wins

Leisal Rose’s EVOO was the stand-out winner of the 2021 Australian International competition, awarded Gold and the judges’ highest score with a rare 96/100. The blend also made a clean sweep across all eligible trophy categories, named Champion Mild EVOO, Champion New South Wales EVOO, Champion Australian EVOO, Best Southern Hemisphere EVOO and then Best EVOO of Show - Boutique Volume.

With production of just 500L, that’s a big mark on the world of olive oil for such a small producer. And making the win even more remarkable, it was the first time Liz had entered an oil into any competition. Background

Liz’s life in olives began about 10 years ago, when she decided to swap city hustle and bustle for a tree change and more peaceful life.

“I was a single parent, working in Sydney as a remedial massage therapist with people with disabilities, and I was sick of sitting in city traffic. My daughter had finished her studies, so I thought I’d transition to the country and have a different lifestyle,” she said.

“I hoped to supplement my income with something and just stumbled on this little place in Murringo, which had about 300 olive trees. At the time I thought ‘It’s an olive grove, that’s lovely’ but didn’t look too closely, and when I moved here I found they’d never been looked after. The people I bought from said they could get them bulldozed out but there’s no way I was doing that.”

Learning to manage

Which meant that when Liz took over the property, she also took on a huge learning curve in olive grove management.

“The trees were in such bad condition, full of scale and black with sooty mould. I used to call one section the black forest,” she said.

“But I was very green to the country - I knew nothing about

Prioritise pruning Liz’s steep learning curve has taken her from total novice to award-winning producer in just her third year of production. We asked her to share her tips for other producers just starting out in the industry, based on her own experiences. “If you’re planting, prune the trees from the start. “And learn how to prune properly so you get it right. “Other than that, just nurture the trees and give back to them. “But I think the pruning is really the most important.”

gardening even when I got here - so I didn’t really see it earlier, and I just had to learn to deal with it. They hadn’t been pruned either, so I also taught myself to prune. Luckily they’re very forgiving.

“I went online, read lots of information, then just got into it. It’s a bit of common sense as well, when you look at them, so while I was very green at first I’m pretty confident now.

“And I found this lovely local man, Dick Galvin, who is just amazing. He works part-time for me but goes there every day when I’m in Sydney working. He helps with the pruning and comes when we’re harvesting, and we take the olives to the press together. He really is a blessing and I’d be lost without him helping me.”

The property

Leisal Rose Farm is at Murringo, between Boorowa and Young on the southwestern slopes of New South Wales. Once a gold-mining town, it’s now part of the Hilltops food production region which boasts orchards, vineyards, olive groves and a reputation for great mustard.

Liz’s grove is planted with Paragon and Corregiola cultivars, which are thriving in the loamy soil thanks to good water provision.

“The trees are all irrigated now,” Liz said.

“There was a small dam when I bought it but I enlarged it and made it deeper. It’s huge, like a big lake, and ensures we can water all of the trees when they need it. We had quite a lot of rain last year, though, and this year the ground is saturated.” Grove practices

The farm isn’t certified organic but is managed naturally, which Liz says is for both environmental and health reasons.

“I don’t use any chemicals and I follow all the organic principles. I think that makes a big difference,” she said.

“I’ve always been interested in the medicinal value of plants, making sure what you’re eating is really good for you, and I think slowly more people are seeing that.

“I did have to spray the scale at first, given how bad it was, but I haven’t sprayed for five years now. And for the first few years I didn’t worry about the crop, I was concentrating on getting them back to health, so I wasn’t harvesting the fruit anyway. In fact, I’ve only harvested three times so far.

“I also grow a lot of bee-friendly things, and I have geese and chooks which free range. They do pest control, add fertiliser and they’re good lawn mowers.”

EVOO and more

Making award-winning EVOO from the olive grove is just one arm of the farm’s production.

“I make table olives, just for myself at this stage, but I might get a few more trees and do some to sell in the future,” Liz said.

“I also grow garlic and sell it. I started growing it for myself and people loved it, so now I grow more.

“And I planted some oak trees a few years ago, inoculated with truffles. They’ll take about 10 years to produce, so I’ll probably be up there on my walking frame.”

Markets

With such a small-scale of production, it’s not surprising that Liz’s marketing strategy is pretty low-key – and her business very personalised.

“I grow it, help harvest it and store it here. Then I bottle it, label it

“I don’t use any chemicals and I follow all the organic principles. I think that makes a big difference.”

Other than the contract harvesting and processing, Liz Tonkinson handles everything from grove management to bottling and sales.

“The trees were full of scale and black with sooty mould. I used to call one section the black forest.”

The Leisal Rose management team - ducks, Dick and Liz – at work in the grove. Awarded Gold and the judges’ highest score of 96/100, Leisal Rose’s EVOO made a clean sweep across all eligible trophy categories.

and sell it. Other than the contract harvesting and processing, I do it all myself,” she said.

“I mainly sell to friends and clients. A lot of it is by word of mouth - people sell my oil for me. I’ve also done a few markets, and a little bit into local shops, and I really enjoy talking to people about the oil.”

Significant numbers

The healthiness of her oil is important to Liz, so she harvests early and has it tested. This year’s lab results were impressive, and provided the impetus to enter the AIOA.

“One thing I talk to people about at markets - all the people I sell to, actually - is the health benefits,” she said.

“I wanted to know the anti-oxidant levels, to ensure it has good nutritional value, so I sent it to Modern Olives to get the polyphenols tested. The numbers which came back meant nothing to me, so I rang up to clarify and they said ‘It has very high polyphenols. Your oil is very, very good.’

They were so helpful, and when I suggested that I might enter it into a competition, they said I should.

“So I knew I had beautiful oil, and one worth entering in a competition, but I never expected to win a major award. It was such a surprise and I’m still in shock.”

Shared excitement

Liz said she’s always had great support from her local community, which has embraced her win with gusto.

“People are just so excited for me,” she said.

“I took some to a shop in Boorowa and asked if they’d like to try my oil. She emailed within minutes – ‘Your oil is so divine, can you drop some bottles in straight away’, and I’ve since sold quite a bit to them. They have beautiful products and I was so happy to tell her we’ve won this award. All my friends and family are very excited for me too, and really proud.

“The only downside is that I could have had double the amount of oil this year. I got a shaker in which took off 5.5 tonnes of olives, but there was still a lot on the trees. I wanted to go back through but just couldn’t make the time and logistics of getting it pressed work.

“I certainly wish I had that oil now, and I’m going to purchase some electric rakes for the next harvest.”

Award-winning alchemy

When asked what she thinks makes this EVOO so good, and so special, Liz put it down to “the climate and the soil”.

“I don’t really understand the science of it. It’s some sort of alchemy and somehow it has just come together: the soil, the climate and the health of the trees,” she said.

“I don’t think I do anything different to other growers. I feed them and water them, just nurturing the trees. I’m sure everyone does that.”

That said, she’s happy to admit that the AIOA win is a great reward for all the effort which goes into producing EVOO.

“To win a gold medal sent me over the moon, but to win so many other places is simply astonishing. I couldn’t be more thrilled and excited,” she said.

“I work so hard and it’s just wonderful to get something for all the hard work. I put my heart and soul into it, and I think it’s paid off with this award – which also belongs to Dick and all the amazing people in Murringo who support me.

“And it’s expensive to make, so the boost in sales is such a bonus. Instead of three bottles, now people will ask for 12 – when it’s won Best in Show, it makes a great present.

International value

“When I was thinking of entering, I looked up online and thought that the AIOA looked like a good competition. The fact it’s judged by some of the top experts in the world is astonishing and having my oil looked at by them is so valuable.

“Being named this year’s best gives me absolute confidence that I’m doing things right and I’ll be telling people whenever I sell it. They can taste it and see it’s a nice oil but to know it’s been judged by people here and maybe in Europe makes it a really worthwhile product to buy.”

“For the first few years I didn’t worry about the crop, I was concentrating on getting them back to health.”

“Whether they’re big, small, high-tech or low-tech, olive producers are making superb products.”