Olive Oil Production in California

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Olive oil production in California dates back to the early 1800s, following the Spanish missionaries planting groves of olive trees at each of the 21 missions they established ranging from San Diego to Sonoma in the 1700s. California provided an ideal climate for the olive and there was a thriving olive oil industry in California by the mid nineteenth century. Although the industry had diminished by the early twentieth century, increased customer demand and a resurgence of interest in olive oil production in California in the late twentieth century emerged and now the United States is producing 71,200 tons of olive oil (vs. 5,000 tons in 1999) and is steadily increasing . Although the United States only produces approximately one percent of its domestic consumption (99 percent of that is produced in California), to this day California olive oils are considered among the best in the world, consistently winning in international competitions over other olive oil producing countries. 

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