UC Davis’ next project: olive oil

Hoping to do for American olives and olive oil what it has done for grapes and wine, UC Davis has opened the first olive research and education centre in North America.

Davis, trainer of hundreds of grape growers and winemakers, has launched the UC Davis Olive Center as part of the university's Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. Through research and education, it expects to help put American olives and oils in the world-class category, matching the status of US wines.

Olive growing and oil production is nothing new to California, which makes the vast majority...