Commercial Olive Leaf Extract Manufacture

by Roger
(Kenilworth QLD, Australia)

Question:
I have a 32 acre organic olive farm at Kenilworth in country Queensland Australia and wondered whether anyone can tell me if it is likely to make commercial sense to start making olive leaf extract (bottled) or olive leaf powder capsules.
We have made and distributed our own olive leaf tea for a number of years but not too many people are excited about the taste.
Is it possible to comply with Australian hygiene standards by starting at home on the farm with making either powdered capsules or bottled extract and if so what equipment should I invest in to (a) get started and (b) move to commercially larger capacities for either / both .

Answer:
There may be readers more familiar with the Australian regulations than I am but they will also be available from your health department.
The factory where my products are made is required to maintain GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and a certificate is awarded annually by the government health department after an audit by inspectors. They are also legally required to employ a qualified industrial pharmacist who is accountable as the "responsible person" for the safety and compliance of the products to the applicable safety standards.

I imagine most countries have a similar set-up and the legal requirements are probably harder to achieve than the making of the products.

It may be easier initially to team up with an existing manufacturer by supplying the leaves, "learn the ropes" and grow from there before investing in expensive equipment.
One could also supply manual capsule-making equipment with your leaves to customers who wish to make their own capsules.
It is a highly competitive market but with the decline in efficacy of antibiotics and the increase in resilient "superbugs" I can see the market grow in the future. (That is, unless the pharmaceutical giants manage to lobby governments to regulate the industry into oblivion altogether).