For over 6000 years, Olive Oil is produced in the Mediterranean region and other areas such as Northern part of Iran, Southeaster Europe, and Northern Africa.
Olive Oil is obtained from the Olea Euroopaea, a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin. In ancient times, Olive trees were primarily used for the production of olive oil, olive fruit, olive wood and olive leaf but today olive tree products find their place in almost everything from foods to olive cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, medicine and more…
Olive Oil Production
It is observed that olive tree stem is gray in color when it is young, but as it grows older the stem’s color appear darker. If you notice the bark of an olive tree, you can see squared pieces and the olive leaves are usually whitish in color. Olive leaves also contain some special components like the Glycoside oleouropein, dextrose and tannins. Mainly the useful parts of the tree are the bark, the leaves and the fruits and you can get their final product, the olive oil.
If you want to cultivate your own olive tree, you can find the best specimen seeds in the Mediterranean countries, where the land appears to be dry and fit for olive cultivation.
Olive Oil Consumption
Olive Oil consumption is rapidly increasing all throughout the world. Most of the heart conscious people are becoming more vigilant when it comes to their individual health status, especially their cardiac health. In addition to that, almost all cooks all over the world employ different ways to offer delicious and healthy meals made using olive oil, as one of the main ingredients. The Middle East and Mediterranean cultures are one of the highest consumers of olive oil. In fact, the total global olive oil consumption is on a steady rise and almost every nutritionist, doctor and health specialist recommends the use of olive oil in daily intake.
Leading Producers of Olive Oil
One of the biggest organizations in the world, International Olive Oil Council monitors the global olive oil consumption. According to their report, the olive oil consumption has greatly increased starting from 1,666.5 mil. tons in the year 1990 to 2,839 mil. tons in 2009. The olive oil consumption ranked first in the Middle East and the Mediterranean people. In fact, a report by the United States Department of Agriculture indicated that almost 80-90% of total olive oil worldwide is produced and consumed by the three leading countries: Greece, Spain and Italy.
The Greeks are the largest per capita consumers of olive oil worldwide, with over 26 liters, per person every year, followed by a big margin from Italy and Spain, at almost 14 liters per person and Portugal, at around 8. North American people consume far less, than that, at around 0,6 liters per person, every year.
However, today most of olive oil producers are finding ways to prepare for the continuity of olive oil cultivation and long term production globally. The privately owned olive oil companies are able to produce million of litres of olive oil annually. They are also the leading companies when it comes to exporting and trading olive oil in other neighbouring countries.
Now-a-days more and more people are using olive oil to add taste as well as nutrition to their daily meals. There is a growing awareness of its health benefits and that is the reason why investors are interested in raising olive oil to make profit. The Mediterranean region is the largest producer and consumer of olive oil in the whole world, because their climate is very favourable for the olive trees, although many investors have starting seeking other locations for the creation of olive groves and the cultivation of olive trees.