Kelseyville >> Last year 60 Minutes aired a special on the olive oil industry. During the hour-long program, a startling fact came up: 80% of olive oil exported from Europe isn’t even real oil. It’s something of a shocking statistic, especially for those who have traveled abroad and tasted Italian olive oils. But that’s the thing. Italy and other olive oil producers don’t export their best products — they keep those goods for themselves, instead shipping over older and mediocre extra virgin olive oil. Those same people who tasted authentic olive oil under the hot Tuscan sun would be hard-pressed to find a similar Italian produced oil in an American supermarket.
This is where they California Olive Oil Council (COOC) comes in. Their job is to check for quality and to certify that a product truly is extra virgin olive oil. “A lot people who aren’t certified can write whatever they want on their labels. That’s why people are always looking for any kind of way to determine if it’s certified or real,” said Emilio De La Cruz, the Mill Master at Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill in Kelseyville.
According to De La Cruz, 90% of olive oil producers in the state are certified through the COOC. Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill has their oils certified every year. If an olive oil boasts a sticker from the COOC, that’s when you know you’re getting the real deal. And if you’ve only ever had olive oil from a grocery store, you might be amazed by the obvious difference in quality.
“Everyone is starting to get into olive oil. They appreciate those fresh flavors that aren’t normally found in the supermarket that have been in the bottle for years and years,” said De La Cruz. “When we’re doing our tastings here, everyone is surprised by the taste of these oils. They don’t taste like the ones they bought in the store.”
In recent years olive oil has seen a boom in popularity thanks to its many health benefits. More and more people are realizing that quality oil comes out of California. This isn’t only true state-side, but internationally. Chacewater recently exported 100 cases of extra virgin olive oil to Japan. It arrived there just last month and will be on supermarket shelves soon.
Then at the end of May, De La Cruz visited Tokyo himself to attend a dinner for media and restauranteurs. A local chef prepared a meal using wines, cheeses and oils from California. De La Cruz spoke to a crowd of 60 for a few brief minutes on two of Chacewater’s olive oils, and sent everyone home with 2 oz. samples.
For years there was this misconception that the best olive oil is from Europe, but as California becomes increasingly known for its agriculture, this idea is losing merit. Other countries — like Japan — are realizing they can get high quality products from California. An added benefit is that it’s easier for Japan to import goods from California than Europe, De La Cruz explained.
De La Cruz has been making olive oil since before Chacewater’s inception. The property used to be owned by a Greek Orthodox monastery. De La Cruz was one of the monks. A 10-acre parcel was donated to the monastery so that they could start an olive orchard. When they obtained a mill, De La Cruz, who had experience as a generator mechanic in the military, was put in charge of running the mill.
De La Cruz really didn’t know a thing about extra virgin olive oil before being volunteered as mill master. But from the first drop that came out of the machine, he knew this wasn’t store-bought olive oil. He began to realize that oil is no different than vegetables. You always want the freshest ingredients in your food, so why wouldn’t that also include the best olive oil?
That’s exactly why De La Cruz enjoys his work. “It’s a good feeling to know that the product that’s coming out of that machine is done right,” he said.
By 2004, the monastery was a fully operational olive mill. They ran the mill from 2004-2008, drawing customers from all over Northern California. In 2008, Chacewater bought the property. De La Cruz spent two years training them to mill olive oil before leaving the monastery and heading to Southern California for work. A year later he received a phone call from Paul Manuel, the owner of Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill. Manuel asked De La Cruz to return to Lake County and operate the mill. De La Cruz obliged.
Today, Chacewater produces roughly 200 tons of olive oil a year. Every one of the oils they sell has won a gold metal in one competition or another, both nationally and internationally. They have 14 total gold medals.
And just a tip — their blood orange olive oil goes great with vanilla ice cream.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
