PDO olives in Europe

With 29 table olive varieties bearing Protected Designation of Origin status across Europe, this sector – though less high-profile than the olive oil sector – is nonetheless brimming with vitality.

These designations still account for only a modest share of the European geographical indications market – barely 1 per cent of the fruit, vegetables and cereals category covered by GIs, representing a turnover of 18 million euros – but their momentum is very real.

Behind these figures lies a little-known diversity: fleshy or melt-in-the-mouth varieties, green or black preparations, brining, salt-drying… Each designation reflects local expertise, passed down from generation to generation, and a very distinctive Mediterranean terroir, stretching from France to Greece, via Italy and Spain.

PDO: accurate and personalised identification

For each of the table olive production areas covered by the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), the following have been identified:

• The terroirs offering the most favourable conditions for growing table olives, including areas where olive cultivation has continued uninterrupted for centuries.
• The specific variety (or, more rarely, varieties) suited to processing as table olives (size, texture, oil content, etc.), clearly distinct from those intended for oil extraction.
• Traditional cultivation, harvesting and processing practices: date and method of harvesting, removal of bitterness, preservation methods (brine, dry salt, oil), and maturation period. The aim of cataloguing these is twofold — to preserve local know-how and to protect the landscapes and agricultural practices that stem from it.
• The distinctive character of the olive itself: texture, taste, colour. The PDO officially recognises this distinctiveness, which is directly linked to the product’s geographical origin. Compliance with the specifications laid down by decree guarantees that these distinctive characteristics are faithfully expressed, from the orchard to the plate.

Olives under the PDO designation in Europe

Of the 29 PDO table olive varieties found in Europe, 12 are Greek! The sector is therefore largely dominated by Greece, although each European producer country contributes its own variety and expertise.

• 12 in Greece: Elia Kalamatas (Kalamata olives), Konservolia Amfissis (black olives from Amfissa), Konservolia Artas (Black olives from Arta), Konservolia Atalantis (Black olives from Atalanti), Konservolia Rovion (Black olives from Rovies), Konservolia Stylidas (Black olives from Stylida), Throumpa Thassou (Dried olives from Thasos), Throumpa Chiou (Dried olives from Chios), Throumpa Ampadias Rethymnis Kritis (Dried olives from Ampadias, Crete), Konservolia Piliou Volou (Black olives from Pelion, Volos), Prasines Elies Chalkidikis (Green olives from Chalkidiki), Konservolia Kythirion (Black olives from Kythira)

• 5 in Italy: Nocellara del Belice, Oliva Ascolana del Piceno, La Bella della Daunia (Bella di Cerignola), Oliva di Gaeta, Oliva Taggiasca

• 4 in Spain: Aloreña olives from Málaga, Mallorcan olives, Manzanilla olives from Seville, Gordal olives from Seville

• 2 in Portugal: Canned olives from Elvas and Campo Maior, Negrinha de Freixo canned olives