By Reed Fujii
Record Staff Writer
June 28, 2009 6:00 AM
Maybe there's something in the local climate and soil. Or maybe it's inspired by the boom in boutique wineries around Lodi. And it might simply be that farmers, discouraged by low grape and row crop prices, are diversifying their options.
Whatever the reasons, there are a half-dozen or so small olive oil producers in San Joaquin County today, where there were none just several years ago.
Ed Rich and his Calaveras Olive Oil just over the county line in Copperopolis was close, but now there are the Cecchetti Olive Oil Co., Coldani Olive Ranch and Lodi Olive Oil Co. in Lodi; the Bozzano Olive Ranch in Stockton; and the Bava Family Grove in Escalon, among others And that's not to mention Corto Olive, a large-scale producer of extra virgin oil in Lodi, which also has begun offering its products in retail packaging.
"The industry is really exploding," said Joe Bozzano, a principal of Bozzano Olive Ranch. "It's kind of a real exciting time for the California olive oil industry. There's a lot of hurdles to overcome out there, but things are real exciting, and the future looks really good."
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