Australian Olive Industry Survey: Market Perception ~ Part 16

Olive Oil Market Perception

Over 53% of respondents are positive about the olive oil market.

Table Olive Market Perception

Over 41% of respondents are positive about the table olive market.

Australian Industry Market  

In your opinion what is working well in the Australian industry and/or market?

  • The ability to buy quality fresh evoo from supermarkets
  • Farmers markets are great. The general health image of olive oil is great, but needs continuing support
  • Good quality
  • Buy local
  • From the viewpoint of an international supplier to the Australian market, we have fairly decent contact with intermediate sellers.
  • Quality product when compared to most imports
  • A lot of info available
  • improving awareness of quality
  • quality focus is high
  • neat EVOO not blends or add ins…
  • Quality, hygiene, health, Australian made
  • Quality of the fruit
  • Promotion of EVOO by reality TV food programmes. To a lesser degree by industry self promotion.
  • nothing – we can’t compete on a level field against cheap imports when the consumer only sees the price and not the difference in quality of the product
  • Increasing demand for locally produced oil
  • Growers, producers and processors working hard to produce quality EVOO, table olives and value added products for local and international markets.
  • Suppliers to the industry sponsoring and supporting growers, producers and processors and industry events.
  • The AOA is doing a good job improving awareness of the benefits of buying Aus EVOO & of the negatives associated with imports.
  • Promoting australian produce
  • Growth
  • Authentic traceable olive products
  • Mechanical harvesting and processing
  • Farmers markets but these rely on time and labor intensive selling methods for minimal result.
  • The hard work done by those of us who sell direct to the public
  • Green & Fresh promotion
  • BBL
  • Undecided
  • The understated work of BBL in promoting the quality of Australian extra virgin olive oil. OK while it works for them, it has a rush down effect of working for all producers.
  • The association and it’s members have been invaluable to us.
  • The general public are pushing for quality and want to learn – they want fresh and best produce. They also love to hear the story of our journey/challenges
  • Market for Australian EVOO growing
  • Consumer perceptions around the health benefits of EVOO
  • Quality perceptions around local and fresh
  • Associations pushing the idea and marketing the oil to consumers
  • Trend towards whole fresh foods and cooking shows pushing high quality foods.
  • Local oil promotion
  • The fact that the products are produced and grow in Australia, people trust that more than imported products.
  • making customers more aware of locally produced evoo
  • Organic produce
  • growing customer awareness of good local Australian product
  • The olive centre exposium
  • From what i have experienced every time i posed a question i was always helped in one way or another through websites and blogs of other farmers and growers
  • Not much as there is too much factional infighting
  • good quality reputation amongst buyers
  • product promotion
  • Customers will support Australian if it is priced competitively.
  • product appreciation
  • Top quality product and research.
  • The reputation of Australian producing high quality evoo
  • Local growers selling high quality products to local food lovers
  • it is perceived a a quality product
  • Keen local growers and produce
  • Regulations killing market
  • Smaller producers making their own niche markets.
  • Starting to be seen as a quality product
  • Improving view on healthy properties of fresh EVOO
  • Australian products are outstanding. Consumers are swarming to the local product.
  • A growing public appreciation and interest in quality olive oil and olives.
  • Keeping up high quality produce
  • Public perception that Australian oil is high quality
  • When we do industry consumer campaigns and education it increases sales
  • Improvement in people’s understanding of products
  • Growing consumer awareness
  • The perception among people that Australian Olive Oil is a very good product.
  • i’m struggling to find something positive here. When something like the olive route appears, sharp practices and self seeking attitudes seem to prevail.
  • Most customers know Australian oil is good quality
  • Gaining favour and growing demand
  • Growing production levels, the bar of quality is on the rise, stronger commodity prices, strong consumer push for Australian Olive Oil, Improved growing styles to increase productivity, development of new products
  • Education is probably getting to consumers gradually
  • Farmers markets
  • the fact that Australian oil is available on the market.
  • Growing interest of the public in olive oil which is due to getting people to taste oil at any opportunity. Farmers market particularly good and also restaurants who serve our oil. Publicity generated by AOA has been good when it has been released.
  • Increase in Australian production and quality
  • Oils from the larger producers eg Cobram, they set the standard and educate and we all benefit from their activities

In your opinion what is not working well in the Australian industry and/or market?

  • Consumer understanding of quality of oil – understanding of variety of flavours
  • Consumer appreciation of olive oil
  • Promotion of small scale producers
  • More promotions, and knowledge of the product!
  • AOA
  • Export strategies for small producers. Big supermarkets ignore small producers, however country IGA stores are often supportive.
  • Consumer knowledge
  • Too many imports!
  • The local private market has not contacted our company for information, in fact we have received news from third parties that actual clients have experienced questions, and not contacted us directly. There may be a poor view of importation of dedicated machinery.
  • Major supermarkets selling cheap evo
  • cheap imports all should be tested on arrival to our standard
  • profitability at a grower level
  • Vinaigry table olives
  • Some poor products
  • pricing, marketing
  • Allowing export products to undermine pricing and quality at the Supermarket shelf.
  • cheap imports – see A 69
  • Aggressive competition between Australian producers
  • . The Australian Olive Association
  • Coles & Woolies are actively suppressing the price of bulk EVOO. They are running it as a loss leader & buggering up the market.
  • Clarity compared to imported oil
  • Share of Knowledge. Variety Yields and use of Varieties. What grows best in what area. Typing of varieties for sale
  • aust government sitting on their hand with regarding not mandating aust standards
  • Small growers like us competing with the big groves that set the price.
  • Sales
  • Where to begin? 1/ AOA, 2/ Consistent consumer awareness and education, 3/ Marketing, 4/ Taking the compeition to other vegetable oils, 5/ Imported and Australian EVOO marketing unification and collaboration, 6/ Feral olive tree eradication
  • There seems to be a lack of understanding by the consumer re the superior quality of olive oil.
  • Oil such as Coconut and Seed Oils seem to have more impact via the media.
  • Look at the Advocado adds, colourful, up front and in your face. where are the trendy olive oil ads.?
  • Marketing, Pricing
  • Industry needs to be more aggressive against fraudulent competition. The Australian olive industry really need to work together. Australian Government needs to give more importance to this commodity. AOA seems immobile or too still in front of growers who shut down, whereas world consumption of EVOO is increasing. Fraudulent competition doesn’t seem to have any problem to sell huge amount of rancid oil and they meet no challenge or resistance in doing so at all. Australian Olive Oil is missing from the perception of too many consumers outside Australia. Still too much confusion created by the common name olive oil, which is also common name for the Extra Virgin grade olive oil: this is a DEADLY mistake in a name!! As a new world olive oil producer, Australia needs to go and GET its rightful place in the market, not wait that the place will be granted by IOC.
  • The past history of growing olives in Australia, with investors being ripped off by bad investment with fraudulent olive growing companies, has left a terrible black shadow over this young industry: something need to be done to recover this lost confidence.
  • Dominance of one major producer
  • Too many small groves(5000 and less ) and have been abandoned
  • Perishable items
  • No enforcement by the Government of mislabelled, misleading branding
  • Lack of proper industry marketing
  • The Australian Olive Association is useless.
  • They walk around with their noses in the air and do nothing.
  • market cut through
  • low prices
  • costs
  • Governments not listening to the industry – vested interests.
  • producers producing low grade product and selling in our market.
  • Info
  • you can walk into any supermarket and by Australian olive oil….you cannot by Australian table olives.
  • The Australian product is finding it very hard to compete with foreign imports on a price basis. There is still a lot to be done to convince the consumer of the benefits of Australian oil in everyday use, as well as its health benefits
  • AOA has become self-indulgent, and focused on the larger producers to the detriment of smaller.
  • Too much oil, too small a market
  • Imports of low quality oil
  • Supermarkets attitude to local smaller growers
  • Per capita consumption is declining and there is too much denigration and bias among producers and importers
  • In fighting
  • ZERO emphasis by Association to highlight Aust Table Olives
  • The unfair competition of poor quality overseas goods without any labelling requirements of quality.
  • Lack of political will or olive association action to do anything about this situation.
  • Lack of analysis facilities for testing olive quality in WA.
  • Having the public informed about local quailty
  • dont know
  • Cheap imported oil
  • Very high transport costs. Lack if distribution channels.
  • Lace bug answers
  • Improved yield answers
  • Accepting the cost of a precious product
  • Distribution is controlled by the supermarkets
  • From my industry perspective my trees don’t produce enough fruit. Maybe a more open wholesale market where growers with poor harvests can easily get in touch with growers with excess to sell.
  • Olive oil and table olives are not yet seen to be a staple food
  • People are unprepared to pay more for local oil than supermarkets selling imported oil
  • Cheap oil imports and rubbish table olives in supermarkets put many potential consumers off
  • Table Olives are not strong in the Australian market and should be a strong part of the industry, skincare could also be a large part of the industry. Training to growers and grass root activities are dwindling or non-existent. Finding ways to lower cost of production, no initiatives to attract young people to the industry. Industry bodies are short-sighted and need to help and understand member needs.
  • getting honest labelling legislated
  • Promotion of fresh local produce
  • infrastructure for pruning and general maintenance
  • The past history of growing olives in Australia, with investors being ripped off by bad investment with fraudulent olive growing companies, has left a terrible black shadow over this young industry: something need to be done to recover this lost confidence.
  • The constant negativity of the Australian Olive Association regarding Extra Virgin Olive Oil from overseas. Whilst we all know that most from O/S that we can buy in Australia are generally of lower quality than are made here, most small and medium sized growers don’t compete in the same market. Personally I’m sick and tired of hearing about the merits of standard or that standard. While canning the opposition may have had some value in a fledgling industry, it now only seems to have the opposite effect of fostering mistrust and suspicion of extra virgin olive oil in general (no matter where it came from)..And at the same time coconut oil and other oils such as ricebran have stolen the limelight amongst younger health savvy consumers. I wish they would stop the negativity for everyones sake.
  • Australia, on its side, is logistically closer to Asia, China and India and can play cards, in this market, as ‘shipped by air’ to which customer are very sensitive. The Australian industry (or AOA) needs to employ speakers of Asian languages in order to diffuse information faster and better than lacking competition: Australia cannot sell only to Australia to survive and expand. More help to export is needed, more integration with potential best Australian customers such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and more is needed.
  • insufficient community knowledge on quality of australian produce relative to bulk (imported) products in supermarkets
  • Other local Australian produces continue to sell their EVOO for low prices. This just lowers the general public expectations of what they should be expecting to pay. And they are willing to pay more – we just need to demand it.
  • Divided industry between AOA and AOOA
  • Divided industry between Australian and Imported olive oil
  • Negative PR about other legitimate types of olive oils (non-EVOO)
  • Australian producers struggling to make sustainable returns
  • Government support for small growers and the industry that should be backed by the Government and not the international EU oils that are imports, use local and Australian EVOO
  • Supermarkets driving price down at suppliers expense. Also with the industry being small it looks to me as if the government is not in any rush help.
  • Virtually no marketing information about local table olives and the use of ‘non natural’ pickling processes used by imported products
  • To many small groves(5000 and less ) and have been abandoned
  • Lack of advertising in relation to the Australian products, some of the community still believe good olive oils come from the european sector.
  • making customers aware of the adulteration of oil imported into our country
  • No inforcement by the Government of mislabelled, misleading branding
  • I really cant comment as im new to the olive family
  • cost structure
  • Too much importing, it looks like we are having it dumped here at the silly prices we have to compete with. Not enough advertising or Australian Olive Oil
  • costs
  • Promotion and exposure of Australian evoo

Future Confidence – Industry Perception

Over 86% of respondents are very confident, confident, or reasonably confident in the future of the Australian olive industry.

Future Confidence Reasons

Why are you confident/not confident in the future of the olive/oil industry? Please tell us why?

Respondents answered:

  • Consumer use and understanding will increase over time
  • There are some growers who produce an excellent product. There are very few growers providing an inferior product.
  • Confident because of the rock-solid health benefits of evoo, and it’s been a diet staple forever.
  • We do not have many big growers here in Oz. There is too much competition from Italy, Greece and Spain…not to mention Sth America.
  • Cost seems to rule over quality
  • Whether we continue to support local producers and build the knowledge and help to get the best products.
  • We have dealt with the Australian industry for more than 10 years, with a constant increase in information required.
  • Olive oil is good for you. Good healthy oil.
  • We are capable of producing a quality product, Australian owned and grown.
  • More awareness and overseas product is becoming more inferior and going up in price
  • Public awareness is growing on health benefits of olive oil
  • Signs of improvement
  • Very few producers making a genuine agricultural return. Very old/aged grower base, not driving the industry in general.
  • People love olive oil. Increasing perception of health
  • It is a food product that has a market place. Australian food culture is on the up and EVOO and table olives are a quality product with positive health benefits. Production is environmentally sustainable
  • We’re out due to health issues but the transport, packaging, utility costs wages and irrigation continue to rise but the product prices are falling.
  • An excellent tree for our climatic conditions.
  • Increasing demand and growing population
  • Australian oils quality is excellent and sought after
  • Australian growers, producers, processors and suppliers to the industry are working hard to produce quality products and services, and to move the industry forward.
  • However, the Australian Olive Association is holding back, stifling and failing the entire industry on all levels.
  • We produce a clean, green product. Consumption will continue to increase. And prices will improve.
  • cost of production against cheaper imports
  • Development during time of harvesting to produce the “World’s Best.” The cycle from tree to press involving handling techniques preventing spoilage of the fruit. Australians have from wheat, to sugar,to beer to wine observed and introduced method to position their product at the top of the pyramid. The Olive Oil industry falls into this history of achievement.
  • Aust standards
  • Climatic conditions generally good for olive production. Genuine pure olive products due to Australian standards.
  • I think a lot depends on the amount of time and effort put in by growers. That varies from case to case.
  • Because of the product itself, and the quality of the product. Against all odds, this will usually win out.
  • It is an industry that relies on the passion of growers and producers.
  • More young people need to be encouraged to get involved.
  • The trees are getting bigger providing more volume of olive oil on our grove therefore our income will increase, even when it doesn’t look good it is better than it looks.
  • Since we have older trees for table olives (about seventeen hundred), hand picking is very expensive and labor has become unreliable. Foreign competition has also been detrimental to us as local growers. Although we press for oil as well, our trees do have have the highest yield of oil.
  • Europe is experiencing more & more problems in producing quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and this trend is not going to reverse. Europe strength is in name and refined oils, grounds on which the EVOO competition should be fought. In Europe there is not any more a generation who wants to harvest olives (by hand, or by small machinery), whereas Australia, due to its terrain, can mechanize and still maintain the quality.
  • So many people are moving out of production
  • Great genuine people doing genuine things for genuine purposes.
  • Because their are a vast number of passionate farmers selling great quality and the public are wanting great quality local produce. It’s a simple demand vs supply equation and the demand is growing.
  • Ongoing consumer demand for olive oil, however, Australian industry must work to address financial viability
  • olive growers are selling up and pulling up the trees as the prices are not favour of producing or marketing, too high for the consumers and also the grower of making good profit
  • Gradually consumers are starting to understand about how much better the local product is
  • Poor support from government. Low yields relative to costs and average olive oil price.
  • It is a basic and important food stuff.
  • Because we have an excellent product an if promoted well the imports will struggle.
  • with producers doing oil tastings and making customers aware of how good local oil is
  • Demand will continue to outstrip supply
  • Many interested customers
  • Greater awareness of using quality olive oils and supporting local growers
  • I think Australian beginning to understand the quality of local oil.
  • There are some enthuiastic people in the industry but a lot who are on an ego trip.
  • From what i have learnt in my short time i do believe we grow some of the worlds best olives for table and for oil.
  • Supermarkets use the product as a loos leader too much of the time
  • good quality but poor profits
  • cost structure.
  • Industry has become polarised, need to always get to back to basics and not get ahead of ourselves, too many fat cats are getting involved in research & development, not enough local support. On the confident side it is an easy manageable life style and connects you with good growers and international buyers.
  • Cost of production – cheap imports
  • Brilliant quality and easily betters any imported products.
  • Australia produces excellent quality oils, superior to those imported
  • The reputation of high quality australian evoo
  • Australian standards are usually high
  • Put in what you get out
  • The publick are learning just how good our home growen product is
  • It is a small boutique industry which does not really give a financial benefit for the time and cost of production.
  • turned to industry
  • Concerned that the “peak body” has abandoned the small producers, and these producers are doing their thing without interference.
  • To many imports that do not meet our standards
  • Moving in the right direction
  • My concern is the financial viability of small to medium groves. Polarization of the large and smaller growers is creating this concern. Eventually the larger producers may drive out the smaller producers if the larger growers move into the smaller grower market domains
  • We need more investment and less infighting
  • A quality product well suited to Australian conditions and needs.
  • to many suppliers locally vs imports
  • See 78
  • Nobody is DOING anything to help local producers … ( working with Govt to highlight the value of the LOCAL industry etc )
  • Internal competition and lack of ways for producers to cooperate to form syndicates for export market. Price given for bulk hardly covers cost of picking and pressing- remains an expensive hobby rather than a business.
  • Keep pushing the quality of our Australian product
  • It’s a very hard sell, even the distributors are saying same
  • Returns need to be in excess of costs and compliance
  • Processing options are limited. Requires a grower to be very large or very small. Medium size growers can have difficulty processing and selling into the market.
  • Growing markets around the world and an educated market that understands the health benefits of olive products, particularly olive oil.
  • I am an optimist
  • Until exports are forced to correctly label and are not dumping cheap oil in Aus. It is going to be hard to make a fair profit with Aust olives
  • Growing interest in quality and healthy food. Rising oil prices.
  • what alternative food source is there, as good as?
  • Eat local is having good take up
  • good clean product and a positive feeling in the industry.
  • overseas competition

Market Perception

47.9% of respondents indicated they were positive about the perception of olive oil and table olive market in Australia.

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