Olive Oil from Texas? That’s right, pardner. There are now olive orchards in Houston, Austin, Elmendorf, Wimberley, and Dilley, among other areas of the state, according to a story by John Griffin, reporting for website chron.com.
By one estimate, there will be 250,000 olive trees planted in Texas soil by the end of this year. Almost all of the olives will be used for extra virgin olive oil, sold in a number of grocery chains and gourmet food stores across the state under a variety of brands including Texas Olive Oil, First Texas Olive Oil, and Texas Olive Ranch Olive Oil.
Can olive oil produced in the Lone Star State compete with imported olive oils from Greece, Italy and Spain?
‘Texans are crazy about Texas-grown products,’ says Jim Henry, spokesman and founding member of the Texas Olive Oil Council. The increasing popularity of buying locally-grown foods in the locavore movement should also help keep sales steady within the state.
Henry says world demand for olive oil has reached an all-time high. ‘The U.S. produces less than 1 percent of the world’s olive oil supply. But we consume 20 percent. So there’s tremendous opportunity.’
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