People

Employee Health & Wellbeing

The physical and mental health of employees at Cobram Estate Olives is paramount and there are various initiatives in place to look after our staff in terms of rewards, health awareness and other wellbeing activities, such as:

• Employment Assistance Program (EAP)
• Product giveaways
• RUOK Day
• Additional leave on birthdays
• Free on-site flu vaccinations
• Free bowel cancer screening tests
• Service and recognition awards
• All staff provided with environment, health and safety training

Community & Partnerships

We have a strong belief in the importance of supporting the community and the power of collaborations to improve outcomes for society and our planet.

Local support

Our Australian olive groves are in small regional towns where the sense of community is incredibly strong. Led by our staff who live in these regions we are always happy to support local causes through financial and product donations. In Boort (North Central Victoria) we provide an annual scholarship to the Boort District School and sponsor local sporting clubs such as the Boort Football Club, Boort-Yando Cricket Club and the Boort Bowls Club. 

Similarly, at our Boundary Bend grove we support local causes such as the Mildura Lions Club, the Boundary Bend Progress Association, The Kooloonong Natya Landcare Group, and various sporting groups in the Robinvale/Euston District. 

In the U.S our support for local initiatives includes the Yolo County Spring Show, Yolo County Young Farmers and Ranchers, and the Zamora Fire Department. 

At our headquarters in Lara, Victoria, we support causes that are important to our staff. Such as Geelong Connected Communities, Geelong Food Relief Centre, The Geelong West Fire Brigade, Geelong’s Longest Lunch, plus much more. 

Strategic Partnerships

As our sustainability strategy evolves, we will seek to partner with organisations that align with our strategy and have the scale and reach to assist us with our objectives.

Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group
To support our efforts on biodiversity, in 2022 we commenced a partnership with the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group (VMRG) to protect the threatened Malleefowl species. Our sponsorship has provided their volunteers with first-aid kits for their monitoring activities in remote areas and will go towards establishing a live camera monitoring station. 

Clean Up Australia

In support of our ‘Towards Zero Waste’ ambitions, Cobram Estate has sponsored Clean Up Australia and in addition our staff volunteer their time to clean up litter in the local community.  

Responsible Dietary Patterns

Olives and olive products are a proven healthy and nutritional food source that as part of a balanced diet can bring joy and improve health outcomes for individuals. Dr Mary Flynn, Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University, states that “no other food comes close to extra virgin olive oil for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.” 

Our organisation focuses on delivering products with health-promoting properties that form part of a healthy and sustainable dietary pattern. We actively educate others on extra virgin olive oil and other olive products through our Healthcare Professional Education Program and the Olive Wellness Institute^®

Our Healthcare Professional Education Program is run by dietitians in our Health & Nutrition team and involves activations including attendance at conferences, running webinars, hosting events and partnering with like-minded organisations with the aim to educate dietitians, nutritionists, naturopaths, herbalists, doctors and other healthcare professionals on the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil and the Mediterranean diet.  

The Olive Wellness Institute^® began in 2017 with a mission to promote the dissemination of credible science related to extra virgin olive oil and other products derived from the olive tree. The institute is guided by an independent scientific Advisory Panel comprising of experts from around the world and is helping to educate, empower collaboration and grow the body of health-related evidence for olive products.

We have produced new functional food products under our Wellgrove® brand, including plant-based protein powders, olive leaf extract capsules and more. Another example of product development to contribute to responsible diets is our Stone & Grove^® olive leaf teas that are 100% natural and contain unique antioxidants.

We partnered with Monash University to have all our Cobram Estate infused extra virgin olive oil products approved as Monash University Low FODMAP Certified^TM – to suit those on a Low FODMAP diet. 

Cobram Estate Olives regularly provides support for research projects on extra virgin olive oil, olive leaf extract and other olive products to encourage a strong and evolving evidence base on the health benefits of these products. Some of the research we have supported, through either financial support or providing product, includes:

• Investigating the effectiveness of a combined Mediterranean diet and walking intervention (MedWalk), on cognitive decline in an older population, living independently without cognitive impairment with researchers from five Australian universities in 2021
• The effect on high polyphenol extra virgin olive oil on markers of cardiovascular disease risk with La Trobe University in 2018
• Post-prandial effects of high-polyphenolic extra virgin olive oil on endothelial function in adults at risk for type 2 diabetes with the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Centre in 2020
• A quantitative phytochemical comparison of olive leaf extracts on the Australian market with researcher Ian Breakspear in 2020
• Busting the myth that cooking in olive oil will ruin your pans with Modern Olives Laboratory in 2021
• Evaluation of chemical and physical changes in different commercial oils during heating with Modern Olives Laboratory in 2018

For information on the health benefits of olives and extra virgin olive oil visit:
http://cobramestateolives.com.au/olive-oil/health-benefits/
https://olivewellnessinstitute.org/