Oliveglia

Oliveglia Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil from our family grove

Our family grove in Polje, on the northeast of Krk, has 500 olive trees of 10 varieties. They grow 70 metres above the sea and 2 kilometres from the coast, where long summer days and the salty breeze ripen the fruit for the autumn harvest.

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The grove in numbers

500
Olive trees
10
Varieties
70 m
Above sea level
2 km
From the coast

The grove

Our own trees, our own oil

Every bottle comes from our own trees, which our family looks after in three groves around the house in Polje. There are 10 varieties among the 500 trees.

The grove sits 70 metres up, 2 kilometres from the sea. Summers are long and sunny, and the breeze off the water carries salt over the trees until the olives are ripe in autumn.

Aerial view of the Oliveglia olive grove in Polje, rows of olive trees between green fields
The olive grove from the air with the EcoHouse among the trees and the sea and mainland coast behind
A bottle of Oliveglia extra virgin olive oil in dark glass with a white label, standing in the olive grove
The grove in Polje from above, a bottle among the trees, and the EcoHouse with the sea behind.

Our history

How the grove grew

From the first trees in 1960 to 500 today. Scroll through the years.

Hand-drawn plan of the Oliveglia estate in Polje: the east grove planted from 1960, the north grove bought in 2003, the south grove bought in 2005, and the EcoHouse between themEcoHouseNorth grovesince 2003East grovesince 1960South grovesince 2005OlivegliaPolje, island of Krk

  1. 1960

    The first trees

    Our family plants the first olive trees in Polje: about 140 of them, in the rows at the top of what is now the east grove.

  2. 1990s

    The east grove fills up

    The rest of the plot goes under olives. Another 108 young trees take the east grove to 248, still our biggest.

  3. 2003

    The grove by the house

    We buy the small grove to the north-west, with its 96 trees.

  4. 2005

    The long grove

    The south grove joins the estate: a long strip of 156 trees running down to the woods.

  5. Today

    Three groves, 500 trees

    Ten varieties across three groves, with the EcoHouse between them. Every bottle of Oliveglia comes from these trees.

    Walk through it in 3D

Oliveglia Estate

Three groves and a house

Our 500 olive trees grow in three groves around the EcoHouse in Polje. Turn the map, pick a grove, or walk down the rows and back.

Plan of the Oliveglia estate: North grove with 96 trees, East grove with 248 trees, South grove with 156 trees, and the EcoHouse between them North groveEast groveSouth grove

Drag to turn the map. Hold ctrl and scroll to zoom.Drag sideways to turn the map, pinch to zoom.

Drawn from our own map of the land. Stay among the trees in the EcoHouse.

The varieties

What grows in our grove

Ten olive varieties grow side by side in the grove. These are the ones we have named so far. Point at an olive, or tap it, to meet it.

Leccino

Tuscany, Italy

In the oil
A mild, rounded oil. Tasting panels describe medium fruitiness, moderate bitterness and pepper, and a clear note of almond. Picked as the olives start to darken it smells intensely fruity; picked fully ripe it turns softer and sweeter.
Its story
Leccino comes from Tuscany, though its exact birthplace is unknown; the International Olive Council places it very close to Frantoio, another Tuscan variety. It has grown in Istria since about 1940 and is now planted all over the world.
Why it grows here
It takes cold and strong wind well, resists peacock spot and crops steadily. It ripens early, in September and October. Its own pollen cannot set its fruit, so it needs other varieties nearby, and it is a recommended pollinator for Istarska bjelica and Picholine, both in our grove.
Taste its oil: see the Leccino bottle

Picholine

Near Nîmes, France

In the oil
Green and herbal. Around Nîmes, where the local protected oil is mostly Picholine, tasters describe fresh grass, cut hay and raw artichoke, a hint of yellow plum, a light bitterness and a touch of pepper.
Its story
Picholine comes from Collias, near Nîmes in southern France. Its name is said to come from a way of curing green olives credited to the Piccholini brothers in the 17th century. After the 1956 frost killed most olive trees in the area, France declared it a variety of national interest.
Why it grows here
It works twice, for oil and as a cured table olive. It copes well with drought and reasonably with cold, its fruit holds on through strong autumn winds, and young trees bear early. It partly pollinates itself, and Leccino helps.
Taste its oil: see the Picholine bottle

Istarska bjelica

Istria

In the oil
A bold oil with very pronounced pepper and bitterness, the pepper you feel at the back of the throat, and an aroma of freshly mown grass and green olives. In a study of single-variety oils from Istria and Krk it had clearly more phenols than Buža, Leccino or Rošulja, and it keeps well.
Its story
Its name means the Istrian white one. Tradition places its home near Trieste. It spread quickly after the hard frost of 1956, valued for how well it takes the cold, and it is now the most planted olive in Slovenia.
Why it grows here
It is one of the hardiest varieties against cold and the bura, the winter wind that sweeps the Kvarner. It ripens late and is picked from mid-October, often while the fruit is still bright green. Young trees are slow to start bearing.
Taste its oil: see the Istarska bjelica bottle

Cipressino

Taranto, southern Italy

In the oil
Less documented than the others, and the sources disagree. An Italian variety catalogue describes medium to strong fruitiness with almond, grass and artichoke and a firm bitterness; Istria's olive guide calls it delicate and slightly sweet.
Its story
Its names describe the tree: Cipressino means little cypress, and its other name, Frangivento, means windbreak. It grows upright into a dense, column-shaped crown. It comes from the Taranto area of Apulia, in southern Italy.
Why it grows here
It stands up to wind and salt spray, and its upright crown suits the exposed edge of a grove, where it shelters the trees behind it. It ripens late, in November and December, and cannot pollinate itself, so it depends on the varieties around it.
Taste its oil: see the Cipressino bottle

Not yet named

One tree in our grove

Its story
One tree in the grove does not match any variety we know. Its leaves, fruit and stone can be compared with the official descriptions, and a DNA test against a reference collection can name it for certain.
Why it grows here
It could be an old Krk variety, such as Debela, Naška, Rošulja or Slatka, or a tree brought in long ago. When we know, it gets its own olive here.
A bottle of Oliveglia extra virgin olive oil in dark glass with a white label, standing in the olive grove

Drag to turn the bottle

Ekstra djevičansko maslinovo ulje

Our oils

One family blend, and each named variety bottled on its own so you can taste the difference.

Oliveglia The family blend

All our varieties milled together. Green and fruity, with the pepper of Bjelica rounded off by the softer Leccino and Picholine. The bottle to start with.

  • Fresh grass
  • Artichoke
  • Almond

How they compare a guide from each variety's profile, 1 to 5

OilFruitinessBitternessPepper
Oliveglia4 of 53 of 53.5 of 5
Leccino3 of 52 of 52 of 5
Picholine3.5 of 52 of 52.5 of 5
Istarska bjelica4 of 54.5 of 55 of 5
Cipressino3.5 of 53 of 53 of 5
Origin
Croatia
Grade
Extra virgin olive oil
Grove
Our family's own: 500 trees in 3 groves, 10 varieties
Harvest
Autumn
Bottle
0.5 l, dark glass
Keep
In a dark place, at 14 to 18 °C
Producer
OPG Darko Dunato, Lokvišća 6, Šilo
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Good to know

What extra virgin means

Extra virgin is the top grade of olive oil. It is made from olives by mechanical means alone, without refining or chemical treatment, and it has to pass laboratory tests and a tasting panel before it can carry the name.

How to use it

Raw first: on bread, salads, grilled fish and vegetables, where you taste it most. It is just as good for everyday cooking.

How to keep it

Closed, cool and dark, away from the stove. Once open, use it within a few months.

Garden path between olive trees and red oleander under a blue sky

Oliveglia EcoHouse

Sleep in the grove

The EcoHouse stands among the trees that give this oil, 1 km from the nearest beach.

See the EcoHouse

Questions

About our olive oil

Where is the Oliveglia grove?

In Polje, the village where our family keeps its olive trees, on the northeast of the island of Krk in Croatia. The grove is 70 metres above sea level and 2 kilometres from the coast.

What does extra virgin mean?

It is the top grade of olive oil. It is made from olives by mechanical means alone, without refining or chemical treatment, and it has to pass laboratory tests and a tasting panel.

How do I order?

Use the order form on this page, write to oliveglia.turizam@gmail.com or call +385 99 232 3342. Tell us how many bottles you want and where to send them, and we reply with the price and delivery.

How should I store olive oil?

As the back label says: closed, in a dark place, at 14 to 18 °C, away from the stove. Once opened, use it within a few months while the flavour is at its best. The dark glass already keeps the light out.

Can I stay in the grove?

Yes. Our EcoHouse stands in the middle of the olive grove, 1 kilometre from the nearest beach.

Order

Order bottles from the family

We sell our oil directly. Send a message and we will confirm the price, the bottles we have from the current harvest and delivery to your address.

Or write to oliveglia.turizam@gmail.com, or call +385 99 232 3342.

The family reads every message and replies by email. Prefer the phone? Call +385 99 232 3342.