[7] Curing is a process to remove bitter phenolic compounds that include oleuropein and ligstroside found in the flesh and skin.

The "California black-ripe" curing method, developed circa 1905–1910,[9] has led to the Manzanilla variety mainly being used for canned black olives.

[11] The process involves lye-curing in an oxygenated solution, that takes approximately 24 hours instead of six to eight weeks, and treatment with ferrous gluconate that fixes the black color.

The traditional cultivation systems have a steady but lower yield than is commercially viable, so newer alternative cultivars are sought that can be adapted to different geographical areas and mechanized harvesting.

With over eleven million trees in Australia covering 35,000 hectares (86,000 acres) the Manzanilla has shown to adapt to the climate.

[15] Manzanilla trees are pest and disease resistant, self-pollinating, and cold hardy to at least 12 degrees[clarification needed].

A severe freeze can kill olive trees, so the best area is north of Laredo and southwest of San Antonio, in the region known as the Winter Garden.