Green Mission Olives — Flavour, Character and How to Enjoy Them

The Mission olive is one of the most adaptable cultivars on our estate. At Boutique Olive Grove, Mission trees produce both our green table olives and contribute their characteristic fruitiness to the ASCENSION and PROSPERITY oil blends. Understanding the cultivar helps you get the most from both.

What Makes Mission Olives Distinctive

Mission olives are medium-to-large in size and carry a balanced flavour profile: mild fruitiness, gentle bitterness, and almost no harshness. They ripen through green, to violet, to deep purple — and each stage offers a different character. Green Mission olives (harvested early) are firmer and more bitter; fully ripe Mission olives are softer, fruitier, and milder.

As a Table Olive

Our green Mission olives are cured in brine — a traditional method that draws out bitterness over time and develops a clean, clean flavour. They’re not stuffed or marinated; they’re olives that taste of olives, which is the point. Serve them with a drizzle of EVOO, a pinch of sea salt, and whatever cheese or charcuterie is at hand.

In the Oil

As a component of the estate blend, Mission contributes fruitiness and roundness. It’s the cultivar that makes the oil approachable — the one that means a first-time taster isn’t overwhelmed by the intensity of the Coratina before the other flavours have had a chance to develop. A well-balanced blend needs a Mission, or something like it, to carry the front palate.

How to Enjoy Them

At room temperature, straight from the jar with good bread. In a salad with feta and tomato. Roughly chopped into pasta with garlic and EVOO. On a pizza base before baking. Or simply on a board alongside our estate oil for dipping — the Mission olive and Mission-component oil together is a tasting experience worth doing at least once.