Toscana Olives returns to the field days for its sixth year

THE Wimmera Machinery Field Days is known for good food as well as farm machinery, and this year will be no exception.

Returning to the field days for the sixth year is Laharum-based business Toscana Olives.

Owner Greg Mathews said the site would feature a full range of products, including olive oil, vinegars and olives.

“We will have tastings and products will be available for sale,” he said. 

New to the site this year will be a range of new oil flavours.

“We have a new blood orange flavour and a chilli flavour,” Mr Mathews said.

He said he was looking forward to this year’s event.

“I am keen to meet everyone and to see people who come back each year and support us,” he said.

“We always sell some products and it’s good exposure for us.

“It is also an opportunity to meet the fans of our products face-to-face.”

Toscana Olives is more than 70 years old, with the first trees planted in 1943. 

“We are one of the oldest groves in Australia, but still very young by world standards,” Mr Mathews said.

Toscana Olives has many varieties of olives that are not planted regularly by other groves.

“As the trees get older the oil they produce gets better, so it is a real asset to us to have the older trees,” he said.

He said all the oil produced was organic. 

Mr Mathews said people should visit the Toscana Olive site to try good, fresh, olive oil.

“It is fresh, local oil and anyone who hasn’t tried it before should definitely come and have a taste,” he said.

“We are looking forward to it.”

Some of Toscana Olives trees were burnt in last month’s bushfire.

“Parts of the grove were burnt, but from experience of fires in the past, olive trees are tough and will recover,” Mr Mathews said.

“Our oil in storage was safe and was unaffected by the fires.”