Europe is, in fact, the largest producer, consumer and exporter of extra virgin olive oil in the world.  Five European countries dominate the extra virgin olive oil market - Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal and France.  Together they produce over two million tonnes of extra virgin olive oil annually, of which over 60% comes from Spain.

Over 1,000 different varieties of olive trees are growing in Europe, and the rest of the world.  Depending on the method of production, the taste of extra virgin olive oil differs from one region to another. The fruitiness in the olive oil comes from the flavour of the fresh olives and the olives themselves reflect the climate and soil of the region where they are produced, as well as the local know-how.  This offers a wide range of flavours to delight the discerning food lover.

Interesting facts -

• Ø Spain is the largest producer of extra virgin olive oil. The province of Andalusia is ranked at the top of global olive oil production, closely followed by other Spanish provinces such as Castilla - La Mancha, Extremadura and Catalonia.
• Ø Olives are produced in thirteen of the seventeen autonomous provinces of Spain, though most of the production is concentrated in the southern half of the Peninsula.
• Ø Portugal produces extra virgin olive oil mostly from the Galega olive variety.  
• Ø The cultivation of olive trees in France dates back to when the Greeks arrived there, and was further developed by the Roman Empire. 
• Ø Olive trees are present in eighteen of the twenty Italian provinces and 85% of production takes place mainly in the southern regions.
• Ø The third largest olive-growing country is Greece, whose inhabitants consume the largest amount of extra virgin olive oil in the world, with an average consumption of about 25kg, per capita, per year.