UC Davis Olive Center Releases New Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Gift Set

The UC Davis Olive Center released a new olive oil and vinegar gift set just in time for the holiday season. The set comes with three 100ml bottles of garlic-infused olive oil, which adds rich flavor to bread, vegetables, grilled meats and even popcorn; an extra virgin olive oil with robust flavors of fresh-cut grass, green almond and herbs; and a balsamic vinegar made in the Modena region of northern Italy with flavors of toasted caramel, ripe grapes and red currant.

These travel-friendly-sized bottles are available individually for $12 or as a boxed set for $33. They’re on sale now at the UC Davis bookstores, including the campus store at Memorial Union and the shop in downtown Davis.

Selina Wang, faculty director of the Olive Center, said the last time the center offered a gift set like this was in 2019.

“We’re excited to bring back our popular 100ml olive oil bottles and three-bottle gift packs,” said Wang, who is also a professor of Cooperative Extension within the Department of Food Science and Technology. “People love giving them as gifts, and with the holiday season coming up, I really wanted to bring it back.”

Bringing partners together

Wang said this new product was made thanks to the partnership with local olive oil producers, California Olive Ranch in Woodland, which produced and donated the extra virgin olive oil, and Wild Groves in Newcastle, which sourced the balsamic vinegar and bottled all the products.

“The Olive Center helps to advance the quality, productivity and sustainability of the California olive industry through research and education, and these products help to support this mission,” Wang said. “The industry recognized that, and this is a very practical way for them to support our mission.”

Dewey Lucero, a fourth-generation olive farmer and owner of the family-run Wild Groves, delivered the first batch of the limited-edition oil and vinegar bottles to campus earlier this month and said he’s happy to be part of this production.

“I’m super excited for the Olive Center to go out and sell it, because the more people that have great olive oil products in their pantry or on their kitchen counter, the better. And who better to do that than UC Davis? People will trust that they’re going to have a good product,” said Lucero. “We’re all helping each other move forward, helping the olive oil industry move forward, and it’s a big deal for us to feel like we’re part of that.”

UC Davis alum Mary Mori, vice president of quality and product for California Olive Ranch, said this latest product highlights the connections the Olive Center has built throughout the California olive community. She said it brings together producers big and small who share a commitment for quality, innovation and the future of the industry.

“For California Olive Ranch, supporting the Olive Center is an investment in something much bigger than our own company. The Center’s work benefits growers, producers, students, researchers and consumers alike. This gift set is really a celebration of those relationships and the collective efforts that have helped the California olive industry thrive,” Mori said. “It’s been incredibly rewarding to remain connected to the school that brings together academia and industry in such a practical and impactful way.”

Campus-grown olive oil returns

Earlier this month, Wang, along with UC Davis students, staff and volunteers, harvested by hand the olives at the medium density orchard at Wolfskill Experimental Orchards, a 156-acre research and plant-breeding facility in Winters owned by the university. Wang said the extra virgin olive oil that is produced from that harvest has been sold to UC Davis Student Housing and Dining Services, where it is expected to be used to prepare meals for students and the campus community. 

California Olive Ranch also partnered with the Olive Center to harvest and mill 27 tons of olives from the super-high-density orchard at Wolfskill. The resulting Wolfskill extra virgin olive oil product is expected to be available for purchase to the public in early 2027.

“This is another great example of how our industry partnerships support the Olive Center and help bring UC Davis-grown olive oil back to our campus community,” Wang said.

Bottles of the special edition Friends Blend extra virgin olive oil, which debuted during Picnic Day in April, are still available at UC Davis bookstore locations for $25 while supplies last.