South Australian olive operation hits the market

The Karte Olives and Viva Olives operations and four associated landholdings totalling 1,705ha in the Riverland and Mallee regions of South Australia have been listed for sale.

Owned by the current family-run business since 2018, Karte Olives and Viva Olives is a ‘tree to table’ enterprise, selling table olives and extra virgin olive oils to retailers and wholesalers.

Olives are grown on a 1,700ha property in Karte, then processed and packaged at a facility on 5ha in Loxton, with each site consisting of two separate titles.

In Karte, the olive grove is a 772ha parcel with a 320ha orchard of 81,000 olive trees planted in 2001, growing Manzanilla, Frantoio, Kalamata, Barmea and Picqual varieties.

Production reached a historical high of 4,000 tonnes in 2011, with the grove supported by a Mallee Prescribed Wells Area water licence for 1,700ML and reliable annual rainfall in the region of 320-330mm.

That is accompanied by an adjoining 928ha farm with grazing and irrigation land that’s also suited to cropping, with historical use for potato production and broadacre farming. It features eight useable centre pivot sites totalling 280ha, and four homes. 

In Loxton, the 2ha property at Lot 101 Starcevich Road is home to the olive processing plant, which can process 400 tonnes of table olives per annum, and has an olive oil line capable of pressing 5 tonnes of olives per hour.

The adjoining Lot 102 Mcfarlane Ave, Loxton, is a vacant, 3ha development site zoned Strategic Employment. 

CBRE’s Phil Schell and Angus Bills have been appointed to manage the sale campaign on behalf of Karte Olives and Viva Olives, with the properties available in one line or as four separate parcels and Expressions of Interest invited by December 7. 

“Viva Olives is an award-winning, vertically-integrated olive operation with a proven track record,” Mr Schell said.

“We’re expecting interest from existing olive industry participants and investors, while individual elements could also appeal to potato producers, land bankers and developers.” 

Near the South Australia-Victoria border, the Karte landholding is 38km from the township of Lameroo, 129km from Murray Bridge and 240km from Adelaide, with the Loxton processing facility located 100km north.

Other improvements across the properties include olive horticultural machinery, shedding and irrigation infrastructure in Karte, and warehousing with a showroom, office space and cool rooms capable of holding 422,000L of olive oil in Loxton.

“The current owners have worked hard to restore maximum production to the operation in recent years, after a period of neglect,” Mr Bills added.

“They have been advised by a horticultural specialist that with appropriate irrigation, fertiliser, and horticultural practice, this grove could achieve an average yield of 2,500 to 3,000 tonnes of olives per annum.”