General News
22 February, 2023
Biggest mill being built
COBRAM Estate’s Boort olive processing mill be will be largest in the Southern Hemisphere when harvest starts in April. The listed company is investing $25 million and installing new machinery from Italy as its Boundary Bend Boort grove footprint...
COBRAM Estate’s Boort olive processing mill be will be largest in the Southern Hemisphere when harvest starts in April.
The listed company is investing $25 million and installing new machinery from Italy as its Boundary Bend Boort grove footprint grows to more than 3500 hectares.
Joint chief executive officer Leandro Ravetti: “At Boort over the past five or six years we have been investing quite heavily in new plantings and replacing of old groves.
“With better performance in growing, this year we come (for investment) to production to have a milling capacity sufficient to cope with the increase in yield,” he said.
Full vertical integration production capacity at Boort is being increased from 30 tonnes of fruit an hour to 80 tonnes.
“This will be the largest mill in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world,” said Mr Ravetti. “It’s big .... a significant investment that will see the mill and groves fully expanded in the next few years for production.”
New processing equipment for the mill will be more energy efficient. Mr Ravetti said that would contribute to a lower carbon footprint for each litre produced.
Another 415 hectares is being planted with olive trees over the next six weeks and continues a planting program started six years ago.
“The area has a great climate for growing olives. The yield and quality from the farm is clear proof and has given us confidence to keep investing in the farm and the mill,” he said.
“It’s quite exciting and it’s a great sign of a lot of oil to come.”
Olive oil consumption in Australia has more than doubled in the past 20 years to an average of two litres a person.
Mr Ravetti said that more than 40 per cent of extra virgin oil was now produced in Australia and “there’s still scope to grow”.
“We have been barely keeping up with demand and the additional growing and production capacity will be important,” he said. “There’s also potential for export growth into the US and Asia.”
Mr Ravetti said the $25 million investment was the “cherry on the cake” that capitalised on the learning curve of the company.
“We’re not only producing a healthy and delicious product but a sustainable product,” he said.
General manager horticulture Ruth Sutherland said despite a cold and wet spring that had delayed flowering on trees, recent conditions had created good growing conditions ahead of the April harvest.