This article is part of our Supplier Stories series, where we share the people and stories behind the products in our gift boxes.
Some of the best things in life happen when you’re not looking for them. For Chris and Linda Smith, that moment came during a bicycle ride through the Mangawhai countryside in 2012. They spotted a paddock of olive trees that, in their words, “looked like they needed someone to love them.” That chance encounter changed everything.
From neglected grove to liquid gold
The Smiths purchased the grove in April 2012 and gave themselves just six weeks to prepare for their first harvest. A second-hand tractor, a shipping container, crates for hand-picking, and hours of research into olive varieties got them started. Friends and family pitched in to help, and as Linda recalls, “lunch in the grove and some of our first pressed oil was their reward.”
The trees had been planted around 2000 by local olive expert David Prankard, but after years without care the grove was in rough shape. Waist-high grass, dead wood on every branch, rows you couldn’t walk through. Chris spent months pruning and opening up the tree canopies. In an interview with the Northern Advocate, Linda said the grove looked like “a war zone for a bit.”
That patience paid off. Today, Olives On The Hill produces certified extra virgin olive oils from their estate at the foot of the Brynderwyn Mountains, where warm Northland sunshine and Pacific sea breezes create a Mediterranean-like microclimate perfect for growing olives.
Five varieties, one grove
The estate grows five olive varieties: Frantoio (their flagship, a fruity Tuscan variety), Leccino, Ascolano, Pendolino, and Manzanilla. The Ascolano is especially rare, making them one of very few groves in New Zealand growing this variety.
Chris and Linda picked up their first medals at the NZ EVOO Awards in 2012, the same year they harvested. Over a decade later, the medals keep coming. Their Grove Blend took silver in 2023 and again in 2025, and the Frantoio continues to impress judges year after year. All their oils are cold-pressed and certified by Olives New Zealand to the highest international Extra Virgin standards. This is some of the finest olive oil produced in New Zealand, full stop.
“We cannot compete with volume on a global scale, but we can compete on quality.”
Pioneers in the paddock
In a mark of industry trust, Olives On The Hill was selected as one of five official Focus Groves for Olives New Zealand’s national research project, funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries. The three-year programme studied how to increase consistent olive yields across the country. The results were dramatic: the Smiths’ harvest grew from 10kg per tree to between 25 and 35kg per tree by applying New Zealand fruit tree management techniques. That research has gone on to benefit olive growers across the country.
The harvest itself remains a community affair. Each year, friends and family still gather to help pick, processing over 600kg of olives in a day with dappled sun streaming through the foliage. Chris also attends the Mangawhai Tavern Market every Saturday, offering tastings and sharing stories from the grove.
We reached out to Chris and Linda after discovering their story online, and their olive oil quickly became a staple in our Notable Northland Gift Box. You’ll also find it in our Vegan Gift Box and through our corporate gifts range. Every purchase supports artisan producers like Chris and Linda and helps grow New Zealand’s regional economies.
