Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained by pressing whole olives, the fruit of Olea europaea, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, and extracting the oil.

It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods or as a salad dressing. It can also be found in some cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soaps, and fuels for traditional oil lamps.

The composition of olive oil varies with the cultivar, altitude, time of harvest, and extraction process. It consists mainly of oleic acid (up to 83%), with smaller amounts of other fatty acids including linoleic acid (up to 21%) and palmitic acid (up to 20%). Extra virgin olive oil is required to have no more than 0.8% free acidity, and is considered to have favorable flavor characteristics.

Olives are grown throughout temperate Southeastern and Southwestern Seaboard regions of the continent. However, two regions in particular account for an estimated 70 per cent of Australia’s current production i.e. north-central Victoria and north of Perth Western Australia.

Australian Industry estimates around 10 million trees are grown on 450 commercial groves covering more than 30,000 hectares, with 70 per cent of the olive trees concentrated in 20 groves.