The Olive Center at UC Davis is teaming up with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the tribe’s Séka Hills line of agriculture products to create a blend of Olio Nuovo, the freshest type of extra virgin olive oil available.

The Olio Nuovo was produced from the first harvest of the season and bottled right after the olives were milled to make it readily available to the public.  

This limited release is unfiltered and best consumed within a few months after harvest, as opposed to other olive oils with a longer shelf life. It is prized because of its fresh, bright and bold flavors.

“The color is like a really deep chartreuse green and the flavors and aromas are just amazing,” Séka Hills Director Jim Etters said.

 

A Blend of Two Oils

Under this collaboration, Séka Hills will blend and bottle multiple olive varieties from the college’s Wolfskill Experimental Orchard and Arbequina olives from the tribe’s ancestral lands in the Capay Valley.

The Olive Center will offer tasting events, an olive gardening workshop and sale of the 2021 limited edition oil during an Olio Nuovo Festival in Davis and on campus Nov. 20. About 600 bottles will be available this season for $19.50 per bottle.

The Olive Center has not produced Olio Nuovo for at least a decade and it’s one of many initiatives new Executive Director Javier Fernandez-Salvador has set in motion since joining the college in June.

 

An Oil Like No Other

Olio Nuovo is popular with connoisseurs and one reason Fernandez-Salvador sought to produce it this year is a desire to educate the public and recognize the long, fruitful relationship the center has had with Séka Hills.

“The general public consumes many kinds of olive oil from the store,” he said. “But once you start learning about specialty and high-quality olive oil, like our Olio Nuovo, it pulls you in.”  

Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which first planted olive trees in 2008, can attest to that.

“Our customers look forward to it all year long,” Etters said. “There’s really a buzz about it come harvest time.”

Before coming to California Fernandez-Salvador was an assistant professor at Oregon State University where he led a team of researchers studying olive propagation, crop production and management in colder climates.

He has a history of working with growers and processors on research for a variety of crops.

 

New Education, Outreach Planned

That tradition will continue here, where Fernandez-Salvador has already offered classes in Spanish for Latino workers and plans to update educational offerings, including expanding on internship opportunities and offering workshops around the state based on regional needs.

“I want to bring some innovation to our educational opportunities,” he said. “The industry is all around the state so we want to have some classes that rotate around.”

As in Oregon, he wants to continue working with Native American communities, something Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has noticed.

“The Olive Center has been instrumental in educating the growers and processors and educating the consumer about what true olive oil should be,” Etters said. “I think that Javier seems to be really focused on the growers and processors. We’re really excited about having Javier on board.” 

Since its founding in 2008, the center has contributed to research and education resources in California. Nearly 60 faculty members, researchers and farm advisors focus on the research and education needs of the state’s industry.

The center, which also collaborates with institutions around the globe, is supported by campus-grown product sales, course revenue, research grants and donations.

 

Olio Nuovo Festival

The Olio Nuovo Festival is from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 20 and starts at the UC Davis Downtown Bookstore at 630 2nd St.

It includes a self- guided walking tour of olive trees from downtown Davis to the Olive Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at 392 Old Davis Road on campus.

A workshop on growing olive trees at home and a food paring and Olio Nuovo oil tasting will also be offered in the Good Life Garden at the institute.

There will be a special promotional sale sponsored by Novavine’s olive nursery, where you can get a free tree with the purchase of three Olio Nuovo bottles.  

To register for the event or for more information, visit the Olive Center website.