The Owens Creek Story
Owens Creek Company, LLC has 5,250 olive trees under cultivation on 35 acres of orchard land at Redington Ranch in Mariposa County. Bordering the golden foothills of the Sierra Mountains with beautiful Yosemite Valley lying just above, this area of California’s Central Valley has long been known for agricultural activities. The first olive trees in California were planted by the Mission Fathers well over a century ago. Inspired by their example, Owens Creek began planting olive trees in Mariposa County in the spring of 2005. Our first harvest was completed in the fall of 2007. Since then we have found that the hot dry summers at our ranch near the Sierra foothills are an excellent environment for olive trees. Note: Owens Creek Company's products always display the true harvest date on the bottle label. This is seldom the case for imported olive oil which may instead substitute a deceptive "use-by" date which hides the actual age of the oil in the bottle.
Today the nine separate olive varieties currently being grown by Owens Creek Company are all Italian varieties, five from Tuscany and four more from Sicily. Each variety was carefully selected for the superior quality and taste of its oil. Unlike the "low vigor cultivars" used by high density olive farmers in northern California, the traditional Tuscan and Sicilian olive trees at Redington Ranch are widely spaced and are harvested entirely by hand. The resulting fruit is milled within twenty-four hours to insure that the resulting oil has only the freshest possible fragrance and taste. Our trees receive water via a sophisticated drip irrigation system that makes economical use of the precious water drawn from water wells located on the ranch property. These wells are recharged each spring by underground streams flowing from the annual Sierra snowpack.
Award Winning Olive Oils
Owens Creek Company is proud to offer two award winning artisan olive oil blends, one based on the Tuscan varieties grown at our ranch and a second based on our Sicilian varieties. Our Tuscan blend is entitled “Quartetto Classico” and our Sicilian blend is “Quartetto Viola.” Each blend has its own unique properties and flavor: the smooth, buttery taste and mildly tart finish of the Tuscan blend is contrasted by the grassy, complex flavor and slightly bitter finish of the Sicilian blend. The taste of each blend will vary slightly from year to year due to changing growing conditions, but the superior characteristics of both our Tuscan and Sicilian varieties will remain constant down through the years. The extra virgin quality of our oil is certified with annual testing by The California Olive Oil Council.
The names for our two distinctive olive oil blends were inspired by our Manager Walter B. Hewlett’s affection for fine food and his passionate appreciation of the world’s greatest music. He feels that the best examples of the musicial and culinary arts naturally complement one another to offer an experience greater than the sum of its parts. At Owens Creek Company, we are hoping that you and your family will employ both of our delicious Quartetto® olive oil blends in your appreciation of the best things, both culinary and musical, that life has to offer. Enjoy them in good health!
Our Awards
- 2014 California Olive Oil Council (COOC) CompetitionSILVER MEDAL (Quartetto Viola)
- 2014 California Olive Oil Competition - Yolo County FairBRONZE MEDAL (Quartetto Classico)
- 2014 California Olive Oil Competition - Yolo County FairBRONZE MEDAL (Quartetto Viola)
- 2013 California Olive Oil Council (COOC) CompetitionSILVER MEDAL (Quartetto Classico)
- 2013 California Olive Oil Council (COOC) CompetitionSILVER MEDAL (Quartetto Viola)
- 2013 California Olive Oil Competition - Yolo County FairSILVER MEDAL (Quartetto Classico)
- 2013 California Olive Oil Competition - Yolo County FairSILVER MEDAL (Quartetto Viola)
- 2012 California Olive Oil Competition - Yolo County FairGOLD MEDAL (Quartetto Classico)
- 2011 California Olive Oil Council (COOC) CompetitionGOLD MEDAL (Quartetto Viola)