Family farm part of new Texas (olive) oil rush

About 13 years ago, Curtis Mickan was debating whether to turn his family's farmland near Walburg into an olive orchard or a winery.

"I felt that it was necessary for us to find a better product to grow on the farm other than corn or wheat, which [were] basically the staples," Mickan said. "It was not only just for us—for our family—but for all the families around here to develop something that would give everyone a better product and a better return on their investment."

Mickan studied the two options with his grandson Joshua Swafford, who was a junior at Texas A&M University at the time. After speaking with a friend who had recently had difficulty with his grape crop, Mickan and Swafford settled on olives and planted 23,000 trees in their olive orchard in 2009.

Central Texas' climate and its rocky soil made for the perfect olive-growing conditions, Swafford said.

"The two [universities] that monitor this grove have told me for the last three years that they have tested here that this is actually the most ideal location to grow olive trees because of the rocky soil and the nutrients that the rocks give off," Mickan said.

With the olives grown at their ranch, and some grown from surrounding orchards, Mickan and Swafford press the fruit to produce olive oil, which is then sold at local farmers markets.

Once the trees mature, which could take another four years, Central Texas Olive Ranch will be able to produce 53,000 gallons of oil, or about 800,000 bottles of extra virgin olive oil annually, Swafford said.

"Right now we are at the old ranch house. We converted a three-car garage to meet the state health requirements, and we have a bottling operation there that's climate-controlled," Mickan said.

While preparing for this year's harvest, which will most likely happen in late September or early October, the family-owned and -operated company is planning to update operations at the ranch with a new barn that will house new presses from Italy, Swafford said. The new presses and bottling machinery are expected to be operating by the end of September, he said.

The olive oil produced is bottled every two weeks at the ranch, Swafford said.

"Olive oil really tastes best if it's bought and consumed within two years, which is why we bottle every couple weeks, just to keep it fresh," he said. "It's not like wine where it gets better with age. It's best right out of the machine,."

Along with bottles of oil, customers can purchase olive trees, and the ranch also offers orchard installation and management services, Swafford said.

"Most people like it because it's local; it's right here," he said. "People can drive by the orchard. They can see the trees. They know where it comes from."

Bottles of Olive oil can be purchased at farmers markets and The Monument Market in Georgetown.

Central Texas Olive Ranch, 5251 FM 972, Granger, 863-7194, www.txolive.com