Why Organic?
Coolmunda is the only grove in the State to have Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accreditation for our environmentally sustainable growing practices. We are also certified organic by NASAA. We hand-pick the very best olives and then ferment them in natural brine, without preservatives or other additives. Then, they are ready for bottling and labelling all done by hand. The fruit not destined for the table becomes premium quality extra virgin olive oil. Staying true to our maxim, Coolmunda Olives Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a cold first-press only, which preserves the natural flavours and goodness of the oil. Heating and repressing the pulp may deliver greater yield, but at the cost of the oil’s taste and nutritional content. Instead, our leftover pulp becomes cattle feed and organic fertiliser for our plantation – all part of the olive’s natural cycle of life. All the processing takes place in our own solar-powered plant, set amidst 100 acres of native forest, a natural reserve for local wildlife.
Because organics is much more than production, market access and profit margins. Organics is a way of thinking. People involved in sustainable and/or organic production seek to find modern solutions to produce food, fibre and cosmetic. While taking into consideration the impact on the health and wellbeing of people, the environment and the wider community. Organic farming, pastoral and wild harvest systems are designed to fit the cycles and ecological balance in nature. Organic food production is founded on the principle of producing food in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible way. Through soil regeneration, water conservation and animal welfare; and minimising the known negative or reasonably possible impacts.
Certification practices include and are not limited to:
- promoting biodiversity by growing a variety of crops
- preventing soil erosion and improving soil quality
- conserving energy
- protecting wildlife, stream banks and watersheds
- avoiding the use of synthetic or artificially produced insecticides, herbicides, fertilisers and GMOs (genetically modified organisms/transgenic life forms).
As with natural systems, external inputs are reduced by reuse, recycling and the efficient management of materials and energy within the system in order to maintain and improve environmental quality and conserve resources.
At Coolmunda Olives, we try to tread softly.