Rio Largo - Bambi Ray
When I think of South Africa, my mind conjures images of mischievous baboons, great white sharks, majestic mountains and scenic vineyards. So if learning that olives grow here is a pleasant surprise to you, then join the club! While grapes and olives are synonymous in many of the world’s agricultural regions I somehow didn’t piece these crops together at the tip of the African continent, but the Western Cape’s Mediterranean climate is conducive to a broad range of agriculture, including olive production. Just inland from the well-known urban coastal areas of Cape Town and Stellenbosch you’ll find the country’s most award-winning olive oil producer, Rio Largo.
For many visitors the striking topography of Cape Town is the point of entry to the nation itself, as well as the gateway to South Africa’s world renowned wine growing regions. Just inland from this historic city you’ll find a thriving agricultural region that includes grapes, stone fruit orchards, various vegetables and yes, olive groves. Stellenbosch is 33 miles (53 km) east of Cape Town and the second oldest town settled by Europeans in South Africa (1679). Grapes were planted near Stellenbosch in 1690 and it quickly became the center of South African wine production. Its university boasts the country’s premiere winemaking program along with other agriscience offerings. Today South Africa ranks seventh in worldwide wine production and visitors can follow the scenic Stellenbosch Wine Routes, established in 1971, to explore the bounty of the region’s contemporary offerings.
Olives in fact preceded the arrival of wine grapes, documented by Dutch Colonial Administrator Jan van Riebeeck in 1661 as ‘growing successfully at the Boescheuvel farm,’ but widespread cultivation didn’t take place until the 1900s. Since the end of apartheid, olive groves have flourished and today 95 percent of olive cultivation occurs in the Western Cape. Unlike the European olive industry little generational establishment exists, but this allows South African olive farmers room to experiment and improve their products with greater ease.
Rio Largo, arguably South Africa’s foremost olive oil producer, lies along the Southern banks of the Breede River just over the Boland Mountains from Stellenbosch. The farm, owned by Brenda and Nick Wilkinson since 2010, provides superlative oils rivaling those from the world’s top olive oil producing nations.
Nick began his career as a chartered accountant with a deep interest in farming, and turned his attention specifically to olives at the turn of the twenty first century. Today he is a certified master miller with an excellent palate, blending his oils as if he were a winemaker. Brenda uses her background in education and marketing to familiarize consumers to their brand. Believing that direct connection with potential buyers was the best way to build loyalty, Nick and Brenda have attended trade shows worldwide since 2014 to introduce their oils to new consumers, and consistently win awards for Rio Largo’s high quality and flavor profile.
Brenda’s involvement with Women in Olive Oil, an organization focusing on women in the olive industry, as well as Rio Largo’s participation in SAOlive, a South African association focused on promoting the common interests and development of the olive oil industry there have also opened doors for engagement with other growers and consumers the world over.
Rio Largo’s biggest strength is its unique taste, but what are the contributing factors? Passion, precision and meticulous attention to every aspect of production. With strong convictions that the soil must be left with more than is taken from it, Nick incorporates biodynamic farming practices, and operates a state-of-the-art production plant. Four cultivars are grown on the farm and after each handpicked harvest they are pressed separately and stored under liquid nitrogen. The fruit is often picked greener to guarantee higher polyphenolic content. The oils are blended to create Rio Largo’s consistent flavor profile and only bottled to order, ensuring the freshest taste possible, no matter where the oils are shipped worldwide. As a mark of quality you’ll always find the harvest date printed on the label, and all of Rio Largo’s packaging protects the liquid gold from its enemies - heat, light and oxygen.
Cape Town and Stellenbosch heavily promote agritourism and you’ll find tasting rooms for wine, olive oil and other agricultural products, but Rio Largo’s location in the Scherpenheuwel Valley is somewhat off the beaten path. If you plan to be in the area, though, Nick and Brenda will happily open their doors by appointment for a tasting! If a South African holiday isn’t on your agenda you can always transport yourself to their little corner of paradise by drizzling Rio Largo’s outstanding oils on just about anything for a zesty pop of flavor.
