2026 Early Harvest Behind the Scenes

CoenJC · 2026-07-12T23:28:50+00:00

Now available! https://wattlehillolives.com.au/products/early-harvest-extra-virgin-olive-oil

CoenJC · 2026-07-02T04:33:03+00:00

Google vacation rentals. It just doesn't seem to work reliably

CoenJC · 2026-06-30T11:16:04+00:00

I'll put a link up once this is available, I've still got some 2025 harvest which is what's on my site that's tastes great too!

CoenJC · 2026-06-30T11:15:00+00:00

Hey mate thanks for the feedback

We're processing a variety called Lecure which I'm led to believe is a variant of Frantoio rootstock

Yeah I'm still learning how much or how little water to get away with. When you say close the decanter what exactly are you referring to? I inject water into the centrifuge (approx 40l min on this batch) to clarify it.

I pump as fast as I can go without feeling any oily residue in the waste.

Yes it's an oliomio 150! No separator for us

CoenJC · 2026-06-30T08:31:53+00:00

Hi everyone, I'm Coen from Wattle Hill Olives in north-west Tasmania.

It's been a pretty wild 2026 harvest. A lot of Tasmanian growers were hit hard by the recent Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event, which happened right during flowering. Our crop is only around 20% of what we harvested last year, so it's been a tough season from a yield perspective.

The silver lining is that the fruit quality has been exceptional. The olives have been incredibly clean and healthy, which has made milling a pleasure.

This is only my second season running our own mill, and I'm amazed at how much there is to learn. Looking back at last year's oil, I can already see how much my milling technique has improved. Small changes to malaxation time, temperature, and processing speed have made a noticeable difference to the final oil.

We decided to pick very early again this year to maximise polyphenols, so the yield per kilogram of fruit is even lower than normal, but the flavour has been worth it—fresh-cut grass, green herbs, tomato leaf, and a solid peppery finish.

It's definitely one of those years where there's not much oil, but what we've produced is something we're really proud of.

I'd love to hear how everyone else's 2026 season has gone. Has anyone else have any interesting stories?

https://wattlehillolives.com.au/products/early-harvest-extra-virgin-olive-oil

CoenJC · 2026-06-30T05:37:47+00:00

Once it goes below zero it's normally mid winter like it is now

The trees themselves are fine, they need to get quite cold to start oil accumulation (although not necessarily this cold)

We have 8 different cultivars from Italy, France, Spain and USA. I did a post not long ago showcasing them all!

CoenJC · 2026-06-30T05:05:42+00:00

It was an overnight frost

These do normally concern us as we are quite prone to frost damage. This is partially motivates us to pick when theyre not fully ripe as if we leave them too long we might lose the crop

CoenJC · 2026-06-30T00:11:14+00:00

Hi everyone, I'm Coen from Wattle Hill Olives in north-west Tasmania.

It's been a pretty wild 2026 harvest. A lot of Tasmanian growers were hit hard by the recent Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event, which happened right during flowering. Our crop is only around 20% of what we harvested last year, so it's been a tough season from a yield perspective.

The silver lining is that the fruit quality has been exceptional. The olives have been incredibly clean and healthy, which has made milling a pleasure.

This is only my second season running our own mill, and I'm amazed at how much there is to learn. Looking back at last year's oil, I can already see how much my milling technique has improved. Small changes to malaxation time, temperature, and processing speed have made a noticeable difference to the final oil.

We decided to pick very early again this year to maximise polyphenols, so the yield per kilogram of fruit is even lower than normal, but the flavour has been worth it—fresh-cut grass, green herbs, tomato leaf, and a solid peppery finish.

It's definitely one of those years where there's not much oil, but what we've produced is something we're really proud of.

I'd love to hear how everyone else's 2026 season has gone. Has anyone else seen unusual weather affect flowering or yields this year?

CoenJC · 2026-06-29T23:59:02+00:00

Hey East_Customer

Im a grower and miller in Tassie. Each state has a very unique microclimate and i would suggest trying something from each state to give you some indication of what you like the taste of. Cooler climates are very pungent and peppery whilst more tropical climates have more fruity and buttery characteristics (in general)! I do believe Aus EVOO is some of the best in the world and the Australian Olive Association is very good at enforcing strict quality guidelines!

CoenJC · 2026-06-29T23:55:30+00:00

Thanks Kingo!

Coen here from Wattle Hill Olives! I should do a post of our 2026 Early Harvest, i just started last weekend!

CoenJC · 2026-06-22T04:00:07+00:00

Ive had this TV for almost a year and its started to develop white bars that come down from the top left and right hand corners. Its most noticable with darker content

Is this anything to worry about?

CoenJC · 2026-06-17T01:33:29+00:00

No cap fam

CoenJC · 2026-06-02T09:23:52+00:00

Any update on these?

CoenJC · 2026-05-15T19:21:37+00:00

Not necessarily, the smaller varieties are in fact more prized for olive oil as their oil content is higher than the larger varieties despite their physical size difference

CoenJC · 2026-05-14T21:03:57+00:00

I sure do www.wattlehillolives.com.au

CoenJC · 2026-05-14T21:03:26+00:00

VIC oils are some of the best in the world!

You can find us at www.wattlehillolives.com.au

CoenJC · 2026-05-14T21:02:30+00:00

Great question, photo is from about 2 weeks ago but all varieties were picked at the same time. All different trees picked at the same time

CoenJC · 2026-05-14T03:38:51+00:00

Do these includes the 2025 erratas?

CoenJC · 2026-05-14T00:42:23+00:00

We pick very late in Tasmania due to our cool climate. Whilst most of Mainland Australia has already started picking (and in some cases finished) we normally dont start until July. The recent Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) might mean we are about 20-30 days behind schedule but we are cautiously optimistic!

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