Why not have fun while you shop? Nearly anything from the Queen Creek Olive Mill makes a great gift. The upscale olives and oils are available at most farmers’ markets around the Valley, select retail markets, and at the mill. At the showroom in Queen Creek visitors can see the products, have lunch at del Piero, take a tour of the pressing operation, and taste a few samples. Their motto is “Tour, Shop, Eat, Repeat.”
Visitors enter the store and peruse the shelves of olive oil, olives, wines, breads, and olive related gifts. The tasting table allows a sampling of some of the flavors, such as White Truffle oil, Blood Orange Olive Oil, or Vanilla Bean Olive Oil. At the restaurant, guests might try a Panini or a bowl of soup. The guides of the 30-minute tours ($5) explain about the different types of olives, show the olive press, the bottling operation, and tell about how the olives are picked. Then, there is the shopping. Great gift ideas include the obvious olives and olive oils, but also wines, kitchen items, and bath and body products including body oils, lotions, and lip balms. For the real olive lover, t-shirts that say “Olive You”, “Extra Virgin”, and “I got stuffed at the Olive Mill” are available at the store and online.
The Queen Creek Olive Mill always has great gift baskets, especially during the holidays. “Our gift boxes are something we feature each year and we have a Vino gift box with a Holiday wine inside for 64.99,” said Rob Holmes, Marketing Director and General Manager. Featured December products include sweet red pepper tapenade, Chili Extra Virgin Olive Oil, garlic pistachios, Mrs. Poppy’s caramel corn, coriander almonds, mesquite smoked olives, holly soap, and Beaujolais nouveau wine. The Tuscan Special is White Balsamic Vinegar with Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The Queen Creek Olive Mill is the only producer of olive oil in Arizona and they are dedicated to sustainable farming. The Arizona environment is excellent for growing olives, and they are not affected by the olive fly or olive tree molds that affect olive trees in other parts of the world. Therefore, no pesticides are necessary and the olive grove is pesticide free. Over sixteen types of olives are grown in the grove, including the Frantio, Grappelo, Pendelino, Maurino, Moraiolo, Coratina, Taggiasca, and Mission olives.
To find them a farmer’s market near you, see Downtown Phoenix Public Market or www.arizonafarmersmarkets.com. Select products can also be found at local AJ’s Fine Foods, and the Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery. The Queen Creek Olive Mill is located 25062 S. Meridian Road, Queen Creek, AZ 85242, three miles south of Ellsworth at the intersection of Combs Road and Meridian. For further information, see their website at www.queencreekolivemill.com or call 480-888-9290.
Special holiday hours December 14th through the 23rd open until 7 p.m.
Normal hours: Mon-Fri: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday: 8:00am – 4:00pm
This is the second article in a series about holiday gifts available at your local farmer’s market. Click here to see the article about Terra Verde Farms.
Click here to see a previous article about the Queen Creek Olive Mill at Great Arizona Wine and Olive Oil.