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Pukara Estate was founded by Bruce Eglington, who planted the first olive trees in 1999. The location for the estate was selected as the combination of climate, position and terroir (soil) provided excellent conditions to grow premium quality olives.
The 200 acre estate is bordered by the Barrington Tops National Park to the north and the world heritage listed Wollemi National Park to the south.
We take the greatest care in handling our olives, from harvest, through production, to every bottle of Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil we produce. On estate processing, storage and packing guarantee the freshest product, throughout each season.
Pukara Estate is carefully managed to world best practice standards by Steve Goodchild, one of Australia's new breed of dedicated olive growers.
Olive Varieties
Varieties grown on the Estate include the Italian favourites Frantoio, Leccino, Correggiola and Coratina as well as the popular Spanish variety Picual, Barnea from Israel and Koroneiki from Greece.
Production of Extra Virgin Olive Oils
- At Pukara Estate, the process starts by monitoring our olives for oil accumulation, to ensure we pick them at the optimum time – this is when the olives have the highest yield of oil and quality is at its best.
- Harvest generally takes place in April - May using an over-the-row straddle style machine, which "combs" the olives from the tree. This harvesting method avoids bruising the fruit and keeps the olives off the ground, ensuring they are clean and in prime condition.
- The olives are then taken directly to our press. Quick pressing is important for quality, as the longer the olives remain off the tree, the more they deteriorate.
- They are washed and then crushed in two stages, which is less aggressive, giving us an optimum crush without losing quality through excess heat and friction. Pits are crushed along with the flesh, to assist in the extraction process as well as contributing a small amount of oil.
- The paste produced is then put into malaxing tanks. These are similar to large food mixers with paddles, which gently mix and turn the paste. Mixing lasts for as long as necessary, typically 20-25 mins, when we begin to see the oil separating from the organic matter.
- Oil is then passed to a decanter, which separates the residual pomace from the oil by means of a centrifuge. After separating all the oil, the pomace is removed and spread through the grove as a fertiliser.
- The oil fraction, which still contains some water, is passed to a vertical separator which removes any residual water. What is left is fresh oil, or effectively fresh olive fruit juice.
- The fresh oil can be enjoyed immediately; however, we settle the oil in special tanks to remove any tiny residual organic matter or moisture. The oil is then transferred to storage tanks and kept at a steady temperature with a nitrogen “blanket” on top of the oil to prevent oxidation.
- All Pukara Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oils are then bottled “on demand” to ensure the oil is as fresh as possible.
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