Moroccan extra virgin olive oil is gaining popularity amongst health-conscious consumers and for good reason. This olive oil is produced from the finest olives, grown in the lush and bountiful terrain of Morocco. With its rich flavor and numerous health benefits, it has quickly become a staple in many kitchens.
Extra virgin olive oil is an essential ingredient in many cuisines, and Moroccan olive oil is no exception. It has a distinct nutty flavor that is a perfect ingredient for salads, dips, and marinades. Not only is this oil delicious, but it is also rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. No wonder health-conscious consumers are turning to Moroccan extra virgin olive oil as a healthier alternative to other oils. The demand for this oil continues to grow, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down.
There’s a lot of debate about what makes the best olive oil. Some people swear by oils that are cold-pressed, while others prefer those that are harvested early in the season. But the quality of production is one of the most important factors that contribute to the quality of the oil.
Building on its history and natural assets, Morocco is committed to producing high quality extra virgin olive oil rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, with a low level of acidity that preserves the organoleptic sensations that allow the appreciation of taste. To achieve this outstanding quality goal, the production process combines ancestral know-how and cutting-edge technology.
Harvesting olives in Morocco
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Factors Influencing Olive Oil Quality
The high polyphenol content of Morocco Gold Extra Virgin olive oil is dependent on three factors:
- The variety of the olive.
- The climate and terroir of the growing region.
- The specific soil conditions of Morocco’s Beni Mellal region, together with the mild winters and summers, caressed by hot winds from the Sahara, make ideal growing conditions for Morocco Gold olives.
Considered the 5th world largest producer of olive oil (200 thousand tons per season), Morocco’s olive oil benefit from a rich and fertile soil and ideal weather conditions, Moroccan olive oil can only thrive with this winning combination.
Global Olive Oil Production
Cultivation and Harvesting
Planting is done at the beginning of spring. Fruiting sizing and assessment of the maturity of the olive is carried out annually. The planned date of harvest is agreed based on the maturity index of the olives, also the generations of experience of the olive farmers.
Morocco Gold olives are harvested by hand using flexible combs. Nets and tarpaulins are placed on the ground to avoid contact between the olives and the ground. Our olives are picked when the fruit is young and green. As the olives age on the tree, the colour of the olive changes to red and then black. The olive increases in size producing more oil, but the polyphenol level decreases. Within the farming community there is long experience.
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Aerated boxes are used for the immediate transport of the harvested olives from the orchard to the crushing unit. On receipt, the olives are checked to ensure their quality, in particular color and appearance, any defective or malformed olives. The olives will then pass through a stripper to removes any impurities. They are then washed and drained before processing.
Leaf stripping and washing eliminate impurities, whether of vegetable origin such as leaves, twigs or mineral matter such as dust, earth, stones and other solids. Washing not only improves the quality of the product but also extraction efficiency.
Production Process
Extraction of oil is carried out in a two-phase continuous process. This minimizes handling of the olives and maintains strict control of hygiene. Grinding of the olives is carried out using a metal hammer mill which is made of stainless steel. The paste obtained then undergoes a kneading or malaxation process which is the fundamental operation to separate the solid and liquid phases. This kneading operation is carried out for 40 to 50 minutes at temperatures not exceeding 28 ° C. The time between harvest and pulping does not exceed 48 hours.
Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is unfiltered to retain all of it’s natural properties and goodness.
The optimal season to harvest olives in Morocco is November to the end of December but could extend to mid February. Although harvesting is mainly manual, the milling is 100% mechanical and done within 6 hours to ensure an extra virgin olive oil, obtained from the first press of the olives.
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Harvested olives are transported to oil mills for processing in plastic boxes to ensure good ventilation and prevent temperature rising. The kneading of the olive paste is done so that the oil is extracted from it by centrifugation, in the form of fine droplets which agglutinate together to be collected.
Moroccan Olive Oil Production Process
Oil Storage and Analysis
Olive oil is then stored in a dry environment with no oxygen away from heat and light. All operations involved in the production of the oil, from the reception of the olives to bottling, are subject to strict traceability.
The network of MOROCCO FOODEX laboratories is constituted of eight laboratories, three of which specialize in olive oil analysis. These three laboratories have the equipment and human skills necessary for the analytical control of olive oils required by international regulations.
After bottling, filling levels are checked, and foreign objects are detected. The traceability of food products is a major requirement for Moroccan olive oil exports. The consumer must be informed of the nature of the products and how to handle them by way of appropriate product labeling.
Precise records are kept at each stage of the production process, to ensure transparency and traceability : plot number where the olives were harvested, nature of the soil, quantity of water given, handling of trees during the campaign, the temperature in the mixer and in the decanter. On the eve of each olive growing campaign, each Moroccan olive producer sends, directly or through their association, a request to join the traceability system at the crushing unit.
Moroccan producers and exporters efforts, are endorsed by the Moroccan authority Morocco Foodex, in charge of quality control, coordination, operational monitoring of Moroccan agri-food exports. This post is sponsored by Morocco FoodEx.
Economic and Social Impact
The Moroccan olive tree culture has cultivated an unprecedented interest for several years. The sector covers 55% of the Moroccan arboreal area and provides more than 51 million working days per year. This is equivalent to 380,000 permanent jobs, of which 20% are held by women. The role of women in olive culture is particularly important as they are involved throughout the entire hierarchical structure.
Since the Green Morocco Plan (GMV) was launched in 2008, the Moroccan olive sector has been subject to several actions aiming to support small-scale farming in order to increase the income of rural populations. The Millennium Challenge Account is intended to fund initiatives to help developing countries improve their economy and raise the living standards of their populations.
The Fruit Arboriculture Project of the MCA Program carried out by the US AID has enabled Morocco to plant 80,000 hectares of olive trees, to construct 20 olive crushing units with a daily capacity of 60 to 80 tons and an overall storage capacity of 600 tons of oil each. This large-scale project is of great interest to rural populations in highland areas, by the scope of its achievements and its positive socio-economic and environmental impacts.
Infrastructure and Logistics
The Moroccan port network is made up of 40 ports, including 13 devoted to foreign trade. Considered as the leading port for container transport on the continent, Tanger Med is an integrated logistics and industrial platform, connected to a multimodal transport network (rail, motorway and expressway connections) for the transport of goods. As for the port of Casablanca, it is currently ranked first in the country. Covering 450 HA and offering more than 8 linear KM of the dockside. It can accommodate and process up to 40 vessels at a time. The total length of the classified road network is 57,334 km of which 43,318 km are paved.
Market Trends and Exports
Favorable weather patterns are expected to lead to a record olive production in Morocco, with estimates suggesting a potential harvest of two million tons of olives and 200,000 tons of olive oil. The surplus of olive oil may lead to increased exports to foreign markets, particularly the United States, where Moroccan olive oil faces lower tariffs compared to European and Tunisian products. Favorable weather patterns during the most significant times of the olive season are bringing new hope to Moroccan olive growers.
The current estimates for the new olive harvest and olive oil campaign are more than optimistic. Local experts, institutions and associations see the potential for a record olive production in the country.
“Morocco is poised to swiftly reclaim, and even exceed, its record olive oil production levels,” Ghizlane Tazi, general manager of the multi-awarded Moroccan olive oil producer Noor Fès, told Olive Oil Times. “This momentum is fueled by expanding plantations, recent investments in state-of-the-art milling facilities, the surging demand from international markets and the favorable weather conditions of 2025,” she added.
The Moroccan Federation of Olive Production estimated a potential of two million tons of olives to be harvested in the 2025/2026 campaign, compared to the 950,000 tons harvested in the previous season. Given the rainfall in March and April, it is believed that such a harvest could yield up to 200,000 tons of olive oil.
According to figures released by the International Olive Council (IOC), Morocco’s harvest reached a record 190,000 tons of olive oil in 2021/2022. Average volumes almost halved in the following years, primarily due to persistent drought conditions in the country.
Morocco’s Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch announced that the bountiful season is expected to ease olive oil availability on the local market primarily. The impact of an expected optimal yield and increased availability of olive oil from foreign markets is already fueling a considerable drop in the prices of local products.
According to the Moroccan Interprofessional, prices in some areas are already halving from the record prices of 120 dirhams per liter (€11.31), with expectations for a further drop. A local reseller of olive oil, Mohammed Chouibat, told the local Hespress news that good olive yields are expected across all regions of the country, with estimates predicting prices to drop to 40 dirhams per liter.
“There is a very significant difference between the last season and the campaign that is opening now,” said Rachid Benali, president of the Moroccan Federation of Olive Production. According to Benali, among the reasons for the surge in expected yields are the impacts of the Green Morocco national plan, which places the development of modern and irrigated olive farming at the heart of the national agricultural strategy.
Regarding the prices of olive oil that Moroccan consumers will face, Benali expressed optimism, albeit with some caution. “The price of a liter of olive oil will not exceed 52 dirhams,” Benali noted, warning that weather patterns will play a crucial role in the coming weeks and during harvest. Benali acknowledged how irrigation restrictions due to scarce water availability affected some farming areas, but noted the resilience shown by modern olive groves planted in recent years.
Hamid Sabry, president of the Moroccan olive oil producers association, said that modern olive farms are expected to yield up to 40 tons of olives per hectare, a volume that he deemed “historic.” Local experts noted that these volumes of olives will put stress on olive oil mills that are not yet prepared to manage such yields.
Those mills that have already benefited from the ongoing national efforts to increase olive production and adopt new technologies and machinery will be in a better position. Should the expected yields be confirmed, Moroccan producers may end up with a substantial surplus of product, exceeding the needs of the internal market by far, as internal consumption is estimated at approximately 140,000 tons of olive oil annually.
This is why several local companies are exploring new avenues of trade in foreign markets, primarily the United States. The trade tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on olive oil imports from Europe (15 percent) are higher than those to which Moroccan olive oil will be subjected (10 percent). Furthermore, a major olive oil producer in the area, Tunisia, will be subject to tariffs between 20 and 28 percent, a scenario that could favor Moroccan exporters targeting the North American market.
According to exporters, a higher quality of the national product will also be of interest for E.U. olive producers, which figure among the largest producers as well as among the most significant importers. Exports from Moroccan high-quality olive oil producers will also be favorably impacted.
“Noor Fès is stepping into the new season with confidence.
Olive Oil Production in Morocco
Table: Moroccan Olive Oil Production and Trade
| Year | Olive Oil Production (tons) | Imports to the U.S. (tons) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021/2022 | 190,000 | N/A |
| 2023 | N/A | 1,500 |
| 2020 | N/A | 4,500 |
| 2024 | N/A | 3,800 |
| 2025/2026 (Projected) | 200,000 | N/A |
