AP: California olive oil producers eye growing market

AP: “California olive oil producers eye growing market”

Health-conscious and food-savvy Americans are increasingly turning to olive oil, and U.S. sales have doubled over the past decade, now accounting for a third of all cooking oils used at home. But California, the leading U.S. producer, is the new kid on a very old block.

The state accounts for less than 1 percent of a world market dominated by Mediterranean countries that have been producing the oil for millennia, the climate here is well-suited. Acreage is increasingly being devoted to growing olives specifically for oil….

See also the California Olive Oil Council (COOC).