Ninety eight per cent of olive oil comes from the Mediterranean basin, with Spain accounting for 38%, Italy 25% and Greece 14%, according to International Olive Oil Council world production figures. The New World accounts for the rest.
Carbonell claims to be the world's leading Spanish brand and the company's general manager, Claire Marsden, says the recent launch of new packs and sizes is one of the reasons for its success.
"We've launched a new one-litre Tetra Pak in both olive oil and extra virgin olive oil, which has proved very successful in the Spanish market and is now being launched on a wider basis. It brings together both the traditional (a brand first established in 1866) and the modern (via its convenient and innovative design). At the same time, we are launching a premium range of 500ml bottles including a special limited edition 'new crop' oil, available at the end of this year."
Despite the fact that Spain leads the way in olive oil production, Remmelt Jongkind, marketing director at Napolina, says UK consumers are sticking firm with Italian oils. "While Greek and Spanish oils are beginning to appear on shelf, they are still considered a speciality," he says. "Few people cook Greek or Spanish cuisine at home, but Italian has long been among the UK's most popular foods. As such, brands in the Italian category are likely to lead the fixture for the foreseeable future."
When it comes to New World oils, New Zealand's largest producer and processor of extra virgin olive oil, The Village Press, is doing very well, having recently announced that it has done a deal to supply Tesco.
Last year, The Village Press supplied Sainsbury with 12,000 bottles of oil and the company's chief executive officer, Wayne Startup, says its ability to supply year-round worked in its favour. "New Zealand olive oil is making its mark in other countries because of its unique and intense flavour, a result of our maritime climate."
Meanwhile, ethics have entered the oil category with the availability of Fairtrade Zaytoun olive oil from Palestine. Such is its popularity that the business is having trouble keeping up with demand.
The Palestinian olives are hand-picked on family farms in the Jenin, Salfit and Ramallah regions, then pressed into oil. They are bottled and exported by a company called Canaan Fair and distributed in the UK by EqualExchange. Thirty five thousand litres of Zaytoun oil were sold last year.
Finally, a new oil on the UK market is Carotino, a blend of red palm fruit and canola oil. Originating from Malaysia, it is described as "a versatile, multi-purpose cooking oil which can be used for most culinary applications".
The name comes from the high level of alpha and beta carotenes (pro-vitamin A) found in red palm fruit oil. The oil is also naturally high in vitamin E, Lycopene, Omega-3 and 6 and Co-Enzyme Q10.
Dan Lawson, MD at Carotino UK, says: "Most British consumers aren't familiar with red palm fruit oil and its health benefits, so our challenge is to encourage them to use it in place of their ordinary oil."
Carotino is listed in Asda and Morrisons nationwide.
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