The World’s Top 5 Olive Oil Producing Countries

Explaining Olive Oil.

Olive oil is known the world over for its health benefits as well as delicious flavor. The best quality olive oil requires a combination of factors including properly cultivated trees and a smooth efficient oil-making process. Additionally, it must have certain qualities like pungency, harmony of the blend, bitterness, complexity, persistent aftertaste and fruitiness. The following are the top 5 olive oil producing countries.

Spain

By a fair margin, Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world. The key has been a combination of an ideal location and an ideal climate for growing olives. The majority of the country’s production focuses on the Andalusian region. Names of the ‘major production provinces’ of this region include Córdoba and Jaén, with main olive varieties including Picual, Hojiblanca. Another olive oil production region is Castilla-La Mancha, which focuses on the Cornicabra Olive variety. There are other production regions too, such as Valencia, Extremadura and Catalonia.

Italy

With regard to olive oil production, Italy usually comes second. It is the Southern Region of the country that produces the majority of the olive oil. The main production areas include Calabria, Sicily, Basilicata, Puglia and Sardinia. The relatively warm climate of this region is very favorable for the cultivation of olives. Additionally, the olive mills of the country have a ‘specialty’, that is a technique of blending the extracts of different varieties of olive oil to produce high-quality ones. It is pertinent to mention here that Italy has both an international market and a domestic market for its olive oil production.

Greece

A large part of the land in Greece is dedicated to the production of olive oil. The regions producing the majority of the product are the Peloponnese Region, the Aegean Islands Region, the Crete Region, and the Ionian Islands Region. A special mention must be made of the olive oil made from the Koroneiki Olive, which mainly grows in the Koroni/Corone area of Messenia in Peloponnese. With regard to the type of olive oil Greece produces, the major percentage is extra virgin olive oil. In addition, the olive mills use only native olives to produce the country’s olive oil.

Tunisia

Located in North Africa, Tunisia’s major agricultural exports include olive oil. The region primarily known for olive cultivation is the coastal plains or the Sahel, which is located along the Eastern Mediterranean Coast of the country. Through the application of innovation and technology, Tunisia has come to develop some of the most advanced olive oil production units.

Turkey

The coastal area along the Aegean Sea is the main focus of olive oil production in Turkey. Notable among the olive varieties of the country is the Ayvalik Olive which is cultivated in the Ayvalik region. Furthermore, to produce high-quality olive oils, Turkey has made technology a part of the extraction as well as production processes.

Morocco also remains a good top contender in regard to olive oil production. The country mainly focuses on the Picholine Olive variety, producing its well-recognized Picholine Extra Virgin Olive Oil. So, as you can see, these are the main sources from where the delicious olive oil we all enjoy, comes from.