Every November and December, our family heads into the orchard with nets, ladders, and crates. Here's what harvest looks like on our five acres in Valley Springs.
Olives in Gold Country
Olives have a long history in Calaveras County. Some orchards here date back to the Gold Rush, and local producers have won awards for years (GoCalaveras). Our own trees are centenarians, more than 100 years old according to family history, planted Old World style about 40 feet apart.
When we harvest
In California, olives for oil are harvested from September through January, depending on region, variety, and the style of oil a producer wants (Morning Ag Clips). Earlier, greener fruit makes a more peppery, intense oil; later, riper fruit makes a softer one.
We harvest in November and December, picking everything by hand.
How we pick
We lay nets under each tree and hand-pick and rake the olives into them, then move the fruit into crates. Picking by hand is slow, but it's gentle on the trees and the fruit.
From tree to press, fast
Once olives are picked, the clock starts. Bruised or waiting fruit starts to break down, which raises free fatty acids and dulls flavor. We keep our olives temperature-controlled between picking and milling, and Nick Sciabica & Sons mills them within 48 hours of picking. We have our oil independently lab tested every harvest. Our December 2025 test showed 0.15% free fatty acids and 381 mg/kg polyphenols.
The first oil
Fresh off the press, the oil is bright green, cloudy, and intensely peppery. Italians call it olio nuovo, new oil. We bottle ours unfiltered.
The rest of the year
- Winter: pruning to open the trees to sunlight
- Spring: bloom and fruit set (and hoping for rain, since our trees are dry-farmed)
- Summer: the fruit grows and we watch for heat stress
- November and December: hand harvest
Want to see it? Follow us on Instagram @rosebrothersolives for harvest updates.