Olive Entrepreneurship in the Southern Hemisphere

Abstract

New Zealand's olive-growing industry has experienced continuous development in recent years; recent reports and success stories not only indicate progress achieved in quantity, but also, and more importantly, in quality. However, to date, research on this industry and particularly from entrepreneurs’ perspective is very limited. For example, little is known about the business goals of olive growers, or challenges they may face while developing their olive groves. The present case study explores these dimensions of olive growing in New Zealand using a quantitative approach. The findings demonstrate the very developmental stage the olive growers are undergoing, as well as several challenges, including marketing issues, that are limiting the further development of olive growers’ operations. Implications include the need to strengthen marketing efforts of the olive oil product, both at a domestic and at an international level, particularly in view of the potential future increase of olive oil production in New Zealand.