How to Choose a Good Olive Oil as a Gift

A good bottle of olive oil is one of the few gifts that gets used right down to the last drop. The catch is that supermarket shelves make every bottle look the same. Here's how to choose olive oil as a gift that tastes fresh, suits the person you're buying for, and doesn't end up at the back of the pantry.

We grow, harvest and bottle extra virgin olive oil from groves across the Geelong region, so we get asked this a lot in the lead-up to Christmas. The short version: buy fresh, buy extra virgin, know where it was grown, and match the flavour to how they cook. The longer version is below.

Why olive oil makes such a good gift

Most food gifts are a treat you have once. Olive oil turns up every day: on toast, in a salad dressing, over roast veg, in a pan of eggs. A bottle from a small grove gives someone a better version of something they already use, and they think of you every time they reach for it.

It also travels well, keeps for months once opened if it's stored properly, and suits almost anyone. Teachers, neighbours, the in-laws, a mate who's just moved into their first place, the friend who already owns every kitchen gadget. A good oil fits all of them.

Start with the person, not the bottle

Before you look at labels, think about how the person actually eats. That one question narrows things down faster than anything else.

The everyday home cook

They cook most nights and go through oil quickly. Size matters more than packaging here. A 1 litre can or a set of cans will get used and appreciated. The MMO Pantry Pack (three 1 litre cans of Mediterranean, Tuscan and Spanish) is the one we point these people towards.

The entertainer or foodie

They love a cheese board, a long lunch and something new to talk about at the table. Give them contrast. Two or three oils with different characters let them taste side by side, which is half the fun. The MMO Table Set, three 500 ml bottles in a gift box, was made for this.

The person who has everything

Go small-batch and specific. An oil from one variety, one grove and one region has a story they won't have heard before. Our FORTE range is exactly that: FORTE 559 is made from Corregiola grown on the Bellarine Peninsula, and FORTE 507 is Frantoio from Bambra in the foothills of the Otway Ranges.

Five things to check on the label

You don't need to be an expert. These five checks will steer you clear of most disappointing bottles.

1. It says "extra virgin"

Extra virgin is the top grade. It's made only by crushing olives, with no chemical refining, and it has to pass taste and lab tests. "Pure", "light" and plain "olive oil" are refined blends and won't give the flavour you're paying for in a gift.

2. You can tell when it was harvested

Olive oil is a fresh product and is at its best in the first year or so after harvest. Look for a harvest date or season on the label, not only a best-before. Every GRO oil is labelled with its season, and the bottles in our store right now are from the 2026/27 season.

3. You can tell where it was grown

Around two-thirds of the olive oil sold in Australia is imported. If you want to give something local, look for a specific region or grove rather than "packed in Australia" or "made from imported and local oils". Our oils name the grove on the label, from Mt Moriac in the Surf Coast hinterland to Barwon River above Lake Connewarre and Mason's Creek at St Leonards.

4. The packaging keeps light out

Light and heat are what wear olive oil down. Dark glass or a tin is what you want. Clear bottles look lovely under the tree but are hard on the oil. We wrote more about why tins are such good packaging for olive oil if you're curious.

5. The size suits how they cook

A 500 ml bottle is a nice gift for someone who uses oil for finishing and dressings. Keen cooks will happily take a litre or more. If you're unsure, two 500 ml bottles in different styles is a safe middle ground.

Gift set or single bottle?

A set is the easy win when you want the gift to feel generous and complete. It gives them a few styles to explore and looks the part straight out of the box. A single bottle works when you know their taste, want something to pair with another gift (a cheese board, a cookbook, a loaf from their favourite bakery) or need a few smaller gifts for the office or the street.

Olive oil gift ideas by budget

Around $30MCO Estate Blend, 500 ml. Fresh, grassy and lively. A neat teacher or Kris Kringle gift.
$30

$30 to $45MMO Estate Tuscan, from the grove where our story started. 500 ml or 1 litre.
From $30

$60FORTE 559 or FORTE 507. Single-variety, single-region oils for the person who has everything.
$60 each

$80 to $120MMO Table Set (three 500 ml bottles, $80) or MMO Pantry Pack (three 1 litre cans, $120).
From $80

Want both FORTE oils? Buying 559 and 507 together makes a lovely side-by-side of two regions: the coastal Bellarine against the Otway hinterland. You'll find all of these in one place in our Christmas olive oil gifts collection.

Making it feel like a gift

A few small touches go a long way:

• Pair it with something to eat it with. A sourdough loaf, a wedge of local cheese or a bag of good salt turns a bottle into a ready-made long lunch.
• Write a tasting note. Tell them which style it is and one thing to try it on. "Have this over ripe tomatoes with salt" is more useful than any gift tag.
• Tell them how to store it. Cool, dark cupboard, lid on, away from the stove. Once opened, enjoy it within a few months while it's at its best.

One practical note for now: our online orders ship to the address on the order, and we can't add gift messages at checkout yet. Most people order to home, then wrap it up and hand it over in person. Orders go out with Australia Post within 1 to 3 working days, with free delivery on orders over $50 to Greater Geelong postcodes and $10 flat-rate delivery on orders over $75 to Melbourne postcodes (full shipping details). Order early in December so it arrives with time to spare.

Where our oils come from

Geelong Region Olives started at Mt Moriac Olives in Modewarre, a grove planted in 2000, and has grown into a collaboration of groves across the Surf Coast, Bellarine, Golden Plains and Greater Geelong. We look after the trees, harvest them, bottle the oil and sell it under each grove's name, so you can see exactly where your bottle grew. You can explore our olive regions or read our story.

Oils from our groves have a strong record at the Australian International Olive Awards. Bundara View Koroneiki from the Golden Plains was named Best Australian EVOO and Best EVOO of Show (commercial volume) in 2023, and FORTE' Frantoio was named Best EVOO Victoria in 2025. Those awards belong to those particular oils and seasons, and the oils on sale today come from the same network of groves and the same team.

Olive oil gift FAQs