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The 2025 Art & Ag season will wrap up with a journey out to Cobram Estate’s Hungry Hollow Olive Grove, around 300 acres of trees ready for harvest! They cultivate unique varietals including Picual, Koroneiki, Picudo, Manzanilla, Picholine, and Hojiblanca.
Beginning in Australia, Rob McGavin and Paul Riordan embarked on a journey to create the world’s highest quality extra virgin olive oil. In 1998 they purchased a plot of land and planted Cobram Estate’s first olive grove. For the next 20 years Cobram grew to become a market leader in the Australian olive industry and a global leader in sustainable olive farming. In 2014 Paul and Rob set their sights on growing the operation in the United States. Establishing a new facility in the Sacramento Valley, Cobram Estate quickly embraced the fertile soil and favorable Mediterranean climate of California landscape.
Their grove management includes precise irrigation, pruning techniques and satellites to monitor water usage. When the olives are ready, State-of-the-art harvesting systems, Optimus and Colossus, delicately collect each olive. Once harvested, olives are quickly transported to their state-of-the-art mill for immediate cold pressing. Before extraction begins, sorting removes debris and ‘mummified olives’—overripe fruit left on trees from previous seasons. Sophisticated scanning systems then evaluate each olive, ensuring only the best olives that rigorous quality standards progress through the pressing process. Once everything is finalized, oil is transferred to nitrogen-capped storage tanks, where it remains protected from oxidation, preserving its freshness until it's time to bottle.
This year’s harvest will begin between the 16th and 22nd, so we might catch a glimpse of the action. Be sure to give all the harvesters, trucks, and equipment plenty of space if they are around.
See you on the farm!
Jenna Harris
Artist Engagement Director
YoloArts
P.S. I'll have morning treats by the barn at check-in. Looking forward to celebrating the end of the season with you!
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