Olive Sizing Chart

Or how big is that olive? Here's a chart...

Where are those Olives From:

We are often asked the above. Here it is ... Look and it is provided... Free consulting on this site...

Or you get what you pay for....

BTW...

Now, in light of the Mortgage, oh wait... now the so-called "Credit Crisis", doesn't anybody have the courage anymore to say, "Hey, Boss. That's a lousy idea"?

Loaning out using pyramid schemes, unsigned and unchecked loan apps, without a clue as to the details leads to very bad things... Where'd common sense go?

For those who have asked this information. Thanks for being interested enough.

Anchovies... Good for you & the seas!

Here is an interesting article addressing one of the many reasons why fish stocks are becoming depleted... And a plea to eat smaller fish that feed on the bottom of the sea beds as the best way to Omega 3 as well as good health and good eating from the Globe and Mail in Canada...

My favorite new meal is decribed here: "And though Mr. Grescoe's usual weeknight dinners - anchovies on buttered toast with scrambled eggs - might elicit a smirk from harried North American mothers attempting to plan kid-friendly suppers, he insists that anchovy filets canned in olive oil are plain enough for even the fussiest eaters. (The oily fish are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are said to promote brain development, especially among children.)"

Spain Lifts Sunflower Warning - Olive Oil Impact

The recent alert on Sunflower oil in Spain has caused the price of Olive Oil to rise in recent days. Here's the article in the link (title) above.

Ripe Olives From Spain

Ripe Olives... Seems that yields are not as good as usual putting pressure on Spanish Ripe Olive Costs and offers as we head into the midway point of the production year. This coupled with the Strong Euro are resulting in further upward pressures.



"The strong euro has been weighing heavily on companies in Italy and Spain for some time, since their greater focus on making consumer goods leaves them more exposed than Germany to low-price competition from developing countries such as China. "WSJ April 25th 2008 -AEW 4/25/08 2:24 PM



Spain has taken a very hard hit in the Mortgage Crisis and the resulting credit crunch. The IMF projects less than 2% growth in GDP, which may be optimistic. The new Zapetero government had made a campaign promise to inject 22 Billion Euros ( á la USA STYLE ) via a stimulus package during the next 4 years. And just now the new government has introduced for this year €10 billion ($15.9 billion) worth of tax cuts and new spending as the Official Jobless rate in Spain jumped to 9.8% the highest jump from the previous quarter in 15 years!



Housing prices had tripled in Madrid over the last 3 years. The collapse there is breath taking. Hear NPR’s REPORT if you have 4 minutes.

Legislation Impacting Food Imports and FDA

The bill which passed the House would require all US Food Manufacturers and EXPORTERS to the USA to pay $2000 for each facility.

This Link is to the Bill where you can follow and get the details…

The devil is surely in the details. And small companies are penalized…

The FDA needs to have the flexibility to use resources where there are issues and concerns... Not on visiting plants each 4 years that are not risks...

It is clearly a complicated world but the "Blow Back" effect is too often ignored. What we really need is for honest people to do honest work. The problem is that percentage of people who want to cheat and how do we protect ourselves from them?

Speaking of Deception

Not how but how easily the public is deceived. And why????????

Well, its the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.


No sooner posted about less scrupulous practices then did this appear. Click the link for a listing of some common scams and why quality suffers...

How is trust built?

Over long periods of time....

How's it destroyed?

In an instant...

Economy and Prices

The US $ needed 1.60 + to buy one euro yesterday. And $118 was now the price of a barrel of Oil. Food shortages (caused by short term political subsidies such as corn for ethanol)are resulting in greater hunger than ever among not only poor countries but in the USA as well where prices skyrocket at the grocery stores.

So while in a normal year we raise prices once (with the new season) this year has seen upward pressure like none I have experienced in my 30 + years of following the international food business.

What does this mean?

Well for example, I just received the interim saffron price. Prices jumped 15 % in euro terms and the Dollar weakness was another 10 % from last entry earlier this year. That means that saffron prices have to go up... Harvest this summer is not offering the hope of much relief.

It is clear that this also will mean that adulteration to reduce costs will become more prevalent. This sad result is due to the market force being driven by "price perceptions" more than knowledge of a product's quality.

I have seen this before ruin markets. For example, Anchovies were once a fine tasting product. Raw material was fresh tasting and never fishy. Now people hate eating anchovies because they have never tasted a decent one. They know only strips of foul smelling low end raw material that price perceptions brought to market as lower quality was offered with raw material that is not the real thing. This drove good product from the shelves.

Will this happen to Saffron? This is possible but it is likely a chef will find that adulterated product does not perform as well as the real thing(less flavor, even off flavor). And unlike the optional anchovy, if you need saffron, you gotta have saffron!

Another Olive Oil Site

We love to share good sites... This one popped up due to Grupo SOS and their Morocco Olive Oil efforts. The group is one of the few bright stars on the Spanish Stock Exchange. But with such a weak US $ how long can the growth go on?

Another Olive

Global Food Crisis vs. Global Mind Benders...

The irony of this article and many like it reporting the French National Assembly moving to "attack ultra thinness" contrasts too much for me to the increasing (albeit hidden in USA news outlets) level of disaster of starvation and famine in many places around the world. If you have not seen these reports that gauge the reactions globally in LDC's and elsewhere that are gaining attention as food prices escalate at an alarming rate, I suggest you goggle "Global Food Riots".

And as you know, Oil Prices are closing in on $114 per barrel.

FOREX Woes, Economic Fears

Some think the US $ has reached peak levels (1.59 to 1.60) and that we may see a decline in the summer and an accelerated improvement as we get closer to the new year 2009 (post elections?).

Just a review of today in time:

April 2006 = 1.21
April 11 2007 = 1.34
April 11 2008 = 1.59

If my math skills don't fail me, that's fully 31% weaker then 2 years ago. And that’s only exchange rates not cost of goods, oil or other things...

I heard the other day on PBS NEWS HOUR Lisa Margonelli author of "Oil on the Brain: Adventures from the Pump to the Pipeline" remind us that in 2003 we were spending $600 million per day on gas for our cars... Today we are paying twice that ($1.2 Billion PER DAY!).

She points out that we are getting the exact same thing for twice the price!

From where do people get that money?

Things are dramatically changing as we get into this new century. I am just back from a trip visiting friends and associates... To a person, the look into the future is gloomy and down. Their buying habits reflect this.

I personally think that when things are going really well, we all think they are better than what the reality is... People are still poor and hungry, homeless and sadly invisible... Things are a long way from good on any given day...

And the same in reverse... It is never as bad as we think...

I hope that the FOREX feeling of some turns out to be true...