Mill expansion includes olive tasting room, gift shop

A new olive oil tasting room in Maxwell may be drawing more travelers off of I-5 as soon as this summer.

Polit Farms is planning to expand its recent investment in an olive mill to include a tasting room and gift shop.

"We are going to have a sampling room and we're excited about that. We're hoping to start that this summer," said Sherry Polit.

The company built a warehouse and installed an olive mill and storage facility in late 2012 on their property north of Maxwell on old Highway 99 near the I-5 overpass.

"We do everything now: grow it, harvest it, process it and soon they'll be bottling it," said Sherry Polit.

"Hopefully this year," said her son, Lukas Polit.

The plan for a tasting room and gift shop was considered in the design and construction of the warehouse, which includes an open area near the mill and large portrait windows.

Olive mills in Corning offer olive oil tastings and Granzella's provides tasting of other company's olive products, but Polit Farms will be the first in Colusa County to offer samples of their own olive oil.