Last week at Fortnum & Mason, Picadilly was a pleasure to meet our customers and to tell them the story behind Morocco Gold. What is so special about Fortnum & Mason is that their customers come from all parts of the world as well as the UK. We made new friends from the USA, Greece, China and a host of other countries. The great thing is, we can ship Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil to customers anywhere in the world, so you don’t have to worry about packing our oil into your luggage!
The Morocco Gold olive oil story
Our love affair with Morocco started 12 years ago, when we renovated a Riad in the centre of Marrakech’s historic medina. Since then we have explored this wonderfully rich and diverse country, discovering less well-known parts of Morocco, included the rich agricultural regions, that have been supplying local markets for generations, including high quality extra virgin olive oils.
Morocco has been producing this ‘liquid gold’ from the time of the Romans and is now the world’s fourth largest producer. However, the quality and unique qualities of Moroccan extra virgin olive oil are still relatively unknown.
From the outset, we wanted to create something special, a high-quality presentation to match the quality of the olive oil itself, to help announce this outstanding new source to the UK and international markets. We also wanted Morocco Gold to be at the forefront of ‘new-world’ internet retailing, enabling this wonderful oil from this great new source to be available – worldwide.
Morocco Gold launched in January 2018, and available on our website from September 2018. Within months of launching Fortnum & Mason became our stockist.
Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil Is Needed
In western markets, there is a growing focus on healthy eating with more consumers exploring new taste and flavour experiences, with provenance, authenticity and quality paramount. The Mediterranean diet has long been associated with healthy eating, with Extra Virgin Olive Oil a key constituent.
Moreover in recent years, adverse weather conditions, proliferation of insects and bacterial blight has led to major crop failure and market shortages within leading European olive growing countries. In contrast, Morocco has increased it’s output of olives and olive oils so that it is now the fourth largest producer in the world.
We aim to share and celebrate the very best of Morocco’s extra virgin olive oil with health-conscious food lovers around the world and promote Morocco as a new, undiscovered source of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
We are passionate about supporting healthy eating and lifestyle choices through Morocco’s all-natural extra virgin olive oil and in educating consumers about the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil, rich in polyphenols and monounsaturated fats.
For instance we are equally passionate about setting a new standard for provenance, authenticity and the guarantee of extra virgin quality in a sector that has suffered from unacceptable practices. Uniquely, we include the results of our annual harvest testing. This is shown on each-and-every bottle of Morocco Gold. Therefore, customers can see at a glance, the assurance of extra virgin olive oil quality.
Environment
However, discerning food enthusiasts are also increasingly environmentally aware and concerned about the food production methods used. A recent article in The Telegraph stated:
“Many (olive) harvesters across Italy, Spain and France suck olives from trees using machines, and do this at night, which means sleeping birds who think they have found sanctuary in the olive branches are dazzled by the bright lights and sucked to their deaths.
An investigation by The Telegraph found that British supermarket shelves are likely stocking olive oils produced in this ecologically destructive method.
Brands which confirmed they hand-pick their olives are mostly the smaller, luxury brand companies including Morocco Gold.”
Daily Telegraph
As a result we are delighted that our ecologically sustainable methods are being recognised.
What’s Different
Morocco Gold is a luxury brand product. It is a superior quality, single estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil from an entirely new source for the UK and international markets.
The oil is produced from olives grown in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, where the unique micro-climate and geology provides ideal conditions for olive growing. Morocco Gold combines centuries of local cultivation and harvesting knowledge, with our rigorous traceability and quality assurance procedures to bring what is locally considered a ‘noble food’ to international markets.
The oil is produced from the Picholine Marocaine olive. Our olives are hand-picked early in the harvesting season when the fruit is young and first cold pressed within 24 hours of picking. There is no mixing or blending with other oils to ensure genuine extra virgin quality.
As a result this gives Morocco Gold it’s distinctive green fruitiness, hints of sweet almonds, fresh turf and a hint of herbs. It has the distinctive ‘pepperiness’ (not too aggressive) of a fine extra virgin olive oil which as a consequence gives Morocco Gold a clean, well balanced finish. Morocco Gold has already won gold awards for taste.
Pure and natural, Morocco Gold is the product of the soil, the sun and rain only.
Healthy Olives
Oil from the Picholine Marocaine is also characterized by its high concentration of polyphenols, over 250mg / kg. This gives Morocco Gold it’s oxidative stability that not only extends shelf-life but also provides the evidence-based health enhancing properties associated with high quality extra virgin olive oils. These include:
- Reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases
- Having a beneficial effect on ulcers and gastritis
- Maintaining the digestive tract in good health.
- Helping to reduce blood pressure
- Helping to control healthy cholesterol levels
- Easing or preventing diabetes
- Lessening the severity of osteoporosis
Morocco Gold is also incredibly versatile. Ways in which it can be used in the kitchen include:
- Using Morocco Gold as a dip for crispy, fresh bread
- Adding a splash of Morocco Gold to salads
- Drizzling over your soup to add a special richness.
- Lamb Tagine With Herb Tabbouleh
- For roasting, a drizzle of Morocco Gold not only helps the food to cook, it also adds a premium, tasty addition to the dish.
- A drizzle of Morocco Gold over your ice cream helps bring out the flavour in the ice cream and adds to the creamy texture.
Morocco Gold Team
We are also proud that Morocco Gold is ethically sourced and supports the employment and empowerment of women in Morocco’s agricultural sector.
Morocco Gold is a team effort, all the way back to the women in fields who harvest our olives. Firstly, women make up, on average, 43 percent of the agriculture labor force. Secondly, empowering women to participate in agriculture gives them greater influence over household income and expenditures which typically helps to reduce household poverty and benefit children.
Morocco Gold is proud to support the employment of women in agriculture. We are also proud to support sustainability and the environment, both at the source of our olive oil, also in how this is delivered to our customers.
At a time when there are so many inter-cultural tensions, our multi-cultural team also demonstrates what is possible when people from different backgrounds work together to deliver meaningful programmes.
…and in conclusion: MOROCCO GOLD TASTES DELICIOUS!!