Our Farm

The Greenleaf Olive Company was established in 2005 with a vision to produce top-quality South African Extra Virgin Olive Oil that can match the world’s best. The 330-hectare family-owned-and-run olive estate on the banks of the Breede River near Swellendam in the Western Cape is one of the most extensive olive groves in Southern Africa.

The area is blessed with a Mediterranean climate and fertile soils that are ideal for cultivating olives. Our olive groves are home to 180,000 trees and nine different cultivars, namely, Coratina, Barnea, Frantoio, Leccino, Picual, Koroneiki, Arbequina, Arbesona, and Hojiblanca. At full production, The Greenleaf Olive Company produces approximately 850,000 litres of Extra Virgin Olive Oil per year.

Harvesting

Time is of the essence to ensure optimum quality. We harvest and process the fruit into oil in the shortest possible time. Therefore our farm was developed so that our groves are suitable for mechanical harvesting. Our trees are harvested by Colossus harvesters, designed and purpose-built for large-scale olive harvesting.

True to its name, the Colossus weighs 24 tonnes and can harvest mature trees in less than 30 seconds per tree. This enables us to pick the fruit in optimum conditions and deliver it to our processing plant for extraction within an hour of picking, ensuring freshness and quality.

Oil Extraction

Our 1 052 m2 state-of-the-art cold extraction plant and two mechanical harvesters, enable us to take fruit from the trees and extract its oil within two to three hours. It is then stored in stainless steel tanks under nitrogen, ensuring absolute freshness. All these procedures are carried out below 28°C, ensuring The Greenleaf Olive Company’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is cold-extracted and of the highest quality.

Blending

Blending oils is both a science and an art. We skillfully blend multiple cultivars according to the distinct flavour profiles of Saint Sebastian Bay and Greenleaf Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Bottling

Our glass bottles are 100% recyclable and feature an innovative pop-up pourer which minimises exposure to light and oxygen ensuring your oil stays fresh and vibrant.

Nursery

The Greenleaf nursery is registered with the National Department of Agriculture and fully compliant with the SA Olive Nursery Tree Quality Standards.