Getting festive (and reflective) - 2020 in review

We woke on 1 January in Baeza, a tiny village surrounded by olive groves and full of charm, in Jaen, Andalusia, Spain which is known as the world capital of olive oil.  On our visit, we got the chance to see trees that were hundreds of years old and still producing. We met farmers, tasted lashings of olive oil and saw so many different varieties of olives. Of course, we ate them at every opportunity and are now addicted to tapas-style eating!

We arrived back in Australia on 10 January just prior to the Covid-19 outbreak and were shocked as we watched the pandemic unfold in places we had been only weeks before. In March, we were devastated to see the closure of the cafes and restaurants we supply as we all braced for the impact of Covid in Australia.  Fortunately our farmers’ markets remained open. In fact, we started to see new locals getting out and about and enjoying the amazing produce available.  

Our twin fur babies turned 8 in March and seem to be enjoying life on the farm!

In May, we expanded our production room to increase our capacity and our efficiency. We still have a wonderful view but a bit more room to get around!

The big event of the year happened on 27 July when our first grandchild, Rubi Jean, was born.  She is the most beautiful girl ever!!  Our only sadness is that the family is based in Norway and because of Covid we have not yet been able to hold her.  We are managing with Facetime and lots of videos sent in the middle of the night. Hopefully, restrictions will ease next year and the kids can come home for a few months.

Things are getting a bit dry now as we head towards Christmas. Thankfully, there can be no comparison with last year when bushfires were a bit too close for comfort! Our olive trees are looking healthy and our region has made a great comeback. Most of our cafes’ and restaurants are returning to normal and a few new ones are emerging. At home, we’ve been trialing tapenade recipes and getting ready for the last push before Christmas.

What’s on the agenda for 2021?  New plantings will be going in from May, we’ll be looking at alternate packaging options, trialing some new products and crossing our fingers that we will meet our first grandchild in person.

We wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy Christmas season and thank you all for your support during 2020. We look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Tim & Lynne