Things you should know about
WILLOW CREEK OLIVE ESTATE
HISTORY | COMPANY VALUES | OUR PEOPLE | HAND-HARVESTED OLIVES | AWARDS
Local producer of award-winning extra virgin olive oil for more than 19 years.
Our Rich History
Willow Creek Olive Estate is nestled in the Nuy Valley, which lies at the foot of the majestic Langeberg Mountains. Located just outside of Worcester, the farm was initially used to cultivate a multitude of crops, including wine grapes, table grapes, wheat, and vegetables, for over two centuries. However, this all changed in 1997, when a dramatic drop in wine prices led Willow Creek Olive Estate to diversify its farming operations. After discovering that the lime-rich soils and Mediterranean climate of the Nuy Valley offer an ideal terroir for olive cultivation, the estate set its sights on olive farming. The rest, as they say, is history.
Only ten hectares of olive trees were planted in 1999, but today the farm’s groves boast 155 000 olive trees, consisting of eight cultivars spread out over 193 hectares of land. Not long after planting the first olive trees, Willow Creek Olive Estate produced its first award-winning oil in 2002.
HECTARES OF LAND
OLIVE TREES
CULTIVARS
SQUARE METERS OF FACTORY
TONS PRESSED PER HOUR
HECTARES OF LAND
OLIVE TREES
CULTIVARS
SQUARE METERS OF FACTORY
TONS PRESSED PER HOUR
Our Company Values
Willow Creek Olive Estate strives to be the preferred South African extra virgin olive oil brand, offering a diversified range of quality, ethical, and trusted products. Our versatile range of premium olive-based products constantly evolves to accommodate the culinary and sensory demands of both olive oil connoisseurs and those who love to create a little culinary magic in the comfort of their own kitchen.
SUSTAINABILITY
Meeting our customers’ demands without compromising our ability to also supply future generations with award-winning olive oil.
INTEGRITY
We strive to always do right by our customers, our dedicated team, and the environment.
CREATIVITY & INNOVATION
We celebrate creativity and innovation and are passionate about pushing the boundaries.
COLLABORATIONS
We are actively forming and sustaining local partnerships, and we take pride in growing and supporting local communities.
QUALITY
By continually developing and perfecting a diversified range of quality products that promote a healthy lifestyle, our customers can rest assured that we have their best interests at heart. Our FSSC 22000 accreditation allows consumers to have confidence in the quality and safety of our products, knowing that we have a rigorous food safety system in place.
GIVING BACK
Willow Creek Olive Estate is committed to various social responsibility initiatives. We take pride in uplifting and supporting local communities.
Our People
In an effort to help alleviate unemployment in our community, as well as the abject poverty that goes hand-in-hand with this problem, we try to employ as many people as possible. We also keep unemployment in mind as we explore new ways of harvesting our olives. The olive industry is extremely labour-intensive compared to other farming industries. In an effort to adhere to the values and commitment of our company’s social responsibility initiatives, we lean towards partnering with companies that share our values.
Making award-winning extra virgin olive oil is no easy feat. Our Willow Creek Olive Estate team has mastered their production process over years of research and practise. The farm’s success can be regarded as the end product of outstanding teamwork and raw, undiluted passion.
Goodness is in our nature!
Table Olives
THE OLIVES AT WILLOW CREEK OLIVE ESTATE ARE HAND-HARVESTED
Willow Creek Olive Estate aims to manage all internal business practises in a way that considers the interests of all stakeholders, the community, and the environment. Therefore, our olives are harvested by hand, by raking the fruit from the individual branches. This ensures minimal damage to the olives and helps us employ more people in the Worcester district, thereby easing the burden of unemployment in our local community.
Numerous factors, such as the cultivar and tree size, affect the rate of olive picking. With that said, 60kg of olives on average can be harvested per adult on a daily basis with regards to table olives. Delicate handling is required when harvesting table olives, seeing as damaged olives will not be readily accepted by processors.
Over 100 kg of olives used for extra virgin olive oil production can be plucked per adult per day. All our olives are processed within 24 hours in order to produce high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
By harvesting our olives right where we produce and store our products, we don’t have to store or transport our olives for extended periods of time, which accounts for our product range’s high quality.
Our Achievements
LET OUR ACCOLADES DO THE TALKING
Willow Creek Olive Estate’s awards, both locally and internationally, serve as an affirmation of the superior quality of our oil. The Estate has proudly established itself as one of the largest olive oil producers in South Africa. The quality of the Estate’s olive oil stems from carefully tending to our groves and diligently managing each stage of the production process.
However, it is our loyal customers’ continued support and appreciation that truly motivates us to strive for excellence in all that we do.
We want to give a big thank you to our amazing and talented team who continue to do us proud!
Read more about our accolades here.
Willow Creek Olive Estate
Smart Bottling
SETS OUR ESTATE BLEND EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL APART
The unique, patented nozzle allows for precise portion control, which means you won’t waste a single drop.
We use PET plastic to manufacture our Estate Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil bottles, which means it is extremely lightweight, squeezable, easy and efficient to transport, and 100% recyclable.
Our Estate Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil bottle includes an extra UV barrier and oxygen scavenger, which help prolong the shelf life of all our products.