We didn’t set out to follow trends.
We followed the source.
At a time when most Australians were still treating olive oil as a generic cooking fat, we went to where olive oil is treated as culture, agriculture, and craft — Italy.
We immersed ourselves in the epicentre of global olive oil excellence, training in regions where olive oil knowledge is generational, not theoretical.
Trained where olive oil is taken seriously
We are accredited EVOO professional tasters and olive oil sommeliers, completing formal training in Milan and Tuscany, where oils are evaluated not by marketing claims, but by:
- chemical analysis
- sensory panels
- freshness, cultivar expression, and phenolic structure
This training sharpened our ability to detect defects, assess quality, and understand what truly defines premium extra virgin olive oil — skills rarely found outside producing countries.
Learning from the land, not the label
Our education didn’t stop in classrooms.
We spent time:
- walking olive groves with multi-generational producers
- standing inside mills during harvest and extraction
- tasting oils at different stages of maturity and storage
- learning how climate, cultivar, harvest timing, and milling decisions shape flavour, health properties, and longevity
We saw first-hand how extra virgin olive oil is a fresh food ingredient , not a shelf-stable commodity.
Hand-selecting, not wholesaling
Rather than buying from brokers or catalogues, we:
- work directly with award-winning Italian producers
- taste oils on site, at the time of harvest
- assess polyphenol levels, balance, bitterness, pungency, and food pairing potential
- import oils chosen for freshness, provenance, and integrity, not volume
Every oil selected for The Good Oil Club is one we would — and do — use at our own table.
Translating olive oil culture for Australia
What sets us apart is not just knowledge — it’s translation.
We’ve made it our mission to:
- explain olive oil clearly and honestly
- demystify labels, smoke points, bitterness, and the “peppery burn”
- educate Australians on how to taste, store, cook with, and enjoy EVOO properly
- build a community that understands why oils are different — not just that they are
The result
Today, we’re recognised for bringing:
- world-class olive oil education
- direct-from-the-source EVOO
- and a Mediterranean respect for food culture
to Australian kitchens through The Good Oil Club.
Not influencers.
Not marketers.
Students of the grove — turned trusted guides.
Ben & Lee
The Good Oil Club
The good oil, the good life
