By Sophia Markoulakis
Olive Oil Times Contributor

Acclaim for most is hard earned, but for Joe Bozzano and his award-winning California extra virgin olive oil, his has come fairly quickly. Having just released his third harvest, he’s already garnered several noteworthy awards from the Yolo County and Los Angeles County Fairs. But the Bozzano’s foray into the olive oil business isn’t new. His ancestors supplied olives and olive oil to neighbors and fellow townsmen in Liguria, Italy. Now after four generations of farming and trucking tomatoes and most recently farming cherries in the San Joaquin Valley, Vice President Joe Bozzano and his father Jack decided to return to olive farming and olive oil production.

Today Bozzano Olive Ranch tends to approximately 12,000 olive trees, which are mostly made up of Tuscan varietals. A wide assortment of trees including Ascolano, Maurino, Leccino, Frantoio, Pendolino, Mariolo, Coratina, Bosana, and Casaliva varieties will one day supply them with enough unique flavor profiles to create outstanding blends. Bozzano even has one field of just Taggiasca trees “because it’s a Ligurian variety that my great grandfather had in Italy.”

Selecting Tuscan varietals wasn’t just based on sentimental and familial ties, according to Bozzano. “Even though we do have some Tuscan heritage in the family, the Tuscan varietals were planted mainly because they produce great tasting oils. There is an added benefit that they are hearty trees that have a high oil yield, and are high in polyphenols.”

Whether farming cherries or olives, dedication to the land comes first. In the fall of 2009, the Bozzano Olive Ranch was approved to receive grant funds from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which aids either certified organic producers or those transitioning to organic practices. “We need to be responsible stewards of the land we farm and be involved in all the steps from tree to table”, says Bozzano. The Bozzano Olive Ranch began the conversion from conventional to organic farming back in 2006 with their cherry trees; they are now in transition with their olive trees. “Approximately half of the acres will be converted to organic in the 2010 harvest.”

Currently Bozzano’s trees are harvested by hand, and he looks forward to finding a way to mechanically harvest as long as the process doesn’t damage the fruit. The type of olive trees selected dictated the decision to plant a high-density versus a super high-density planting approach since many of the varietals selected aren’t dwarf trees.

With a relatively young orchard, Bozzano doesn’t expect to attain full fruit production for another three to five years. And as the trees mature, Bozzano looks forward to new blends. In the meantime, Bozzano has been purchasing Arbequina and Arbosana olives from neighboring groves and using them in his current releases. Olives grown on the Bozzano ranch are milled within three to five hours from harvest. Their state-of-the-art Westfalia Olive Mill can handle 2 1/2 tons per hour and is busy even when not milling Bozzano’s olives. “The custom milling service has worked out very well for us. There are many small olive groves in our area, especially up in the foothills, that require our service and there’s only one other mill offering this in our area”, says Bozzano.

Bozzano does all the blending himself, but also relies heavily on his mother’s discerning palate. Opting to offer blends instead of single varietals is mainly based on consistency. “I want to develop the same flavor profile year after year. This is difficult to achieve with a single varietal. With blends, we can adjust the proportions as needed in order to obtain the same flavor profile every year”, says Bozzano.

Currently, there are three blends available:

• A2 is a blend of Arbequina and Ascolano olives with aromas of fresh cut herbs and grass. It finishes with notes of tropical fruit and peach and provides a gentle peppery finish.

• Toscana is a blend of several Tuscan olive varieties, creating a fresh floral and grassy bouquet with a smooth buttery flavor. Also finishes with a bit of pepper, too.

• Generations is a trio of Arbequina, Frantoio, and Leccino olives and gives this oil a fresh herbaceous buttery flavor.

Multigenerational farming has the benefits of learning from past mistakes while invigorating the business and its practices with new and innovative ideas. With father Jack Bozzano’s farming experience and son Joe Bozzano’s culinary background and passion for California olive oil, the future for Bozzano Olive Ranch is looking quite bright indeed.

Bozzano Olive Ranch