Thanks for your comments João, but we have a significantly different market
here to Italy (I assume you are in Italy?).

Only 30 years ago Olive Oil in Australia was kept in the medicine cabinet,
almost everybody cooked using butter and there was very little interest in
the health aspects of food. Lamb chops, potatoes and 3 vegetables were the
staple fare.

A lot has changed, but olive oil is still regarded by a significantly large
section of the population as much the same as canola, vegetable, peanut and
sunflower oil - something to fry in. A growing but still fairly small
section of the population is interested in EVOO, but this is a long way from
being the average housewife shopping at the supermarket.

To many EVOO is a gourmet item, although we do as much education as we can -
I run simple oil appreciation classes showing the very basics such as the
difference between a mild and robust, and new and 2 year old oil, a Pure oil
and a faulty oil. I have yet to meet a single person at one of these classes
that knew what Extra Virgin actually means, and what Pure denotes.

Of those people that do buy and use olive oil, a significant proportion were
born in Europe and have lived here for 20-odd years and will only buy their
favourite brand - in a 4 litre tin for $25. The Greeks buy Greek oil, the
Italians buy Italian oil, the Spanish buy Spanish oil. It is almost
impossible to get a little old Greek lady to try an Australian oil, let
alone buy something different!

So we are left with a quite small market - the well travelled, affluent
gourmet. They want big flavours. Subtle, aromatic oils are not popular. I
don't know if you have come across many Australian red wines, but compare
these to the majority of the Italian wines and you will see the sort of
thing I mean - big, bold flavours are what sell. Subtle, elegant, delicate
flavours are almost impossible to find a buyer for. Hence the need to do
something with the delicate oils.

Guido raises a good point about the IOOC and where does Australia fit.
Anthony is right with his comments of sub-standard European oil being widely
available here. If Australia does join the IOOC, will this stop the ocean of
poor quality oil labelled as Extra Virgin coming ashore? I doubt it. Does
the IOOC really want Australia as a member? I have my doubts there, too.
Are we better off sticking to Codex rather than IOOC?

Regards,

Mike Wilson
Hunter Valley, NSW.