United States

2024 United States harvest report

Olive oil production in the United States rebounded to slightly exceed an estimated 10,400 tons after consecutive low harvests in the 2023/24 crop year. Virtually all U.S. olive oil production comes from California, with small quantities also produced in Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Oregon. Texas was previously the second-largest producer, but the state’s olive groves have yet to recover from the severe winter freeze in 2021. After years of drought, olive growers in California enjoyed a wet winter, replenishing reservoirs and recharging underground aquifers. Many growers reported higher fruit sets and good oil accumulation. However, others said that damp weather in the spring prevented some groves from being fully pollinated, which lowered yields. Some experts anticipated California olive oil production to increase over time as the largest U.S. producers and some Spanish olive oil giants have invested in new high-density and super-high-density olive groves. Their goal is to close a small portion of the gap between production and consumption. In 2023, the U.S. overtook Spain to become the world’s second-largest olive oil consumer. Experts in Spain and the United States anticipate this trend will continue and forecast that the U.S. could be the world’s largest consumer by 2030. The increase in consumption is widely attributed to increasing awareness of the health benefits and organoleptic characteristics of extra virgin olive oil, and more market research from the largest importers to learn what American consumers are looking for and meet that demand. The Mission olive variety is the only one native to the United States, but the most popular Italian, Spanish and Greek varieties are also widely grown. Arbequina, Arbosana, Coratina, Frantoio, Koroneiki, Leccino and Picual are among the olive varieties that are widely grown. Find out more about the latest developments in the United States olive oil sector here.