In the 1700s the Spanish brought the olive to Mexico. Then towards the end of the century the Mexicans brought the precious fruit to San Diego.
About the end of the 1800s the Californian olive growers were making olive oils that were as good quality as the Mediterranean ones.
As the production in California increased, the price of olive oil dropped. Then the importers dropped their prices also. As the prices of the imported olive oil dropped, the production in California dropped too. The low prices of the imported olive oils, brought slowly the end of the Californian olive oil production.
In the 1900s, oils from seeds and vegetables found their way into the American kitchen, and the reason was the low production costs. Only most immigrants from the Mediterranean region would use olive oil and especially extra virgin olive oil.
Finally around the 1970s the Americans started to go back to olive oil, as slowly started to return to Natural Foods. Then California started to resurrect its olive oil production and lately we can find Californian extra virgin olive oil that can compete in quality with the Mediterranean ones.
All the abandoned over one hundred year old trees are being brought back to life with very little cultivation and the method of the old traditional presses with stone crushers bring us back the great olive oil.
Come on America! Let’s get on a journey to a better health with better taste! We have everything we need in this land of Greatness!