All about the Olive Boutique in Riebeek Kasteel

The Olive Boutique is a proudly South African, Olive Oil, Olive and Vinegar Tasting Bar located in Riebeek Kasteel, in the Riebeek Valley, offering a range of high quality, boutique, extra virgin olive oils, fermented fruit vinegars, gourmet table olives, olive pastes, seasoning salts and olive oil based body care products.

Each season we bring in raw table olives from selected local farmers groves to make up starter or DIY olive curing kits with home curing recipes for hobbyists and new market entrants.

The tasting bar aims to grow the market for high quality extra virgin olive oil and table olives by offering tastings, workshops and tours. Interactive experience, accurate information, tastings and education change the way consumers understand the culinary, sensory and performance capabilities of olive oil and cured olive products.

Our Operating Philosophy

Over the past 20 years, the Riebeek Valley has established itself as one of the primary olive oil and olive producing regions in South Africa. The Boutique has been part of this evolution. Our operating philosophy is to facilitate the ongoing growth of independent artisanal producers and garagiste blenders within the olive oil industry in the Swartland Region.

We contract ‘mill’ olives to produce extract extra virgin olive oil, which we rack and filter for local Valley and Swartland regional olive oil enthusiasts, hobbyists and emerging commercial olive farmers. We support new entrants, micro, small and medium sized olive growers with oil blending, bottling and marketing services.

Farm Background

Our oil olives are grown on Zonquasdrift, a 360 hectare farm situated on the banks of the Berg river in the Riebeek Valley, which is owned by the Mettenheimer family. The land is leased and farmed by Freddy Kirsten (Kirsten Boedery) producing citrus for export and Chardonay, Chiraz and Chennin grapes for local wine production. The farm has a well established (12 year old) 3 hectare olive grove with 800 Frantoio, 300 Leccino and 300 Coratina trees

By way of historical background, the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), the Dutch company which established the initial Cape settlement as a refreshment station for passing ships, made land available to farm in the early 1700’s. Land near rivers was the most sought after. The Zonkwasdrif farms (East and West) located on the Berg river were made available and allocated to Stellenbosch farmers in 1704 and 1715 respectively.

The Riebeek Valley Olive Festival

Together with other key Valley olive, wine and community stakeholders the Boutique plans, markets and participates in the annual Riebeek Valley Olive Festival (voted by the media as one of the three best food festivals in the Western Cape, South Africa), which celebrates award winning olive oils, cured olive products and wines from the Swartland region. Now the largest of its kind in Southern Africa, the Festival is hosted by the beautiful twin hamlets of Riebeek West and Riebeek Kasteel on the first weekend of May each year (circumstances permitting).

QUICK LINKS >> www.olive-boutique.co.za | Tel: +27 22 448 1368 | www.riebeekvalleyolivefestival.co.za