History states that the olive tree is the oldest tree in the world.  An olive branch is used as a sign of peace throughout the world.  Peace and the island of SOLTA go hand in hand.

It is estimated that towards the end of the 19th century, there were approximately 300,000 olive trees growing on the island of SOLTA; each tree giving 1 to 2 litres of oil.  Although the Industrial Age saw the decline of traditional family farming in many agricultural based societies, today olive oil production(like winemaking) is again very active and going strong on the island of SOLTA.  Old family plots have people returning to the island and either planting new trees or rejuvenating existing ones. 

Like wine, olive oil has many health benefits.  It contains oleic acid.  The old traditional saying of "a spoonful a day keeps the doctor away" certainly seems true throughout the Mediterranean region where it is used almost exclusively for cooking and the base of salad dressings.  Research today claims that using olive oil can reduce cholesterol levels, improve heart conditions, and that it's use can be a preventative in cancer. 

Olive harvesting starts right after the grape harvest, towards the end of each year now, as global warming has pushed further ahead the ripening periods.  The Croatian olive tree does not do well with too much rain, at least not this variety of olive, adapting to the island of SOLTA with it's absorbent limestone rock base foundation. (Italian olive varieties prefer a deeper muddy soil base). The olive harvest is dependent on summer rainfall conditions, just as frosts early in autumn can also affect the quality of oil.

Olives are carefully "hand picked" from the trees on the island of SOLTA. (Commercial harvesting, in Italy particularly, uses either hand shakers or whole tree vibrators to cause the olives to fall onto to large plastic sheets at the base of each tree).  Trees are carefully pruned and the limbs staked to produce a low level spread of branches to ease harvesting.  Upper branches are reached with step ladders or climbing.  Great care is taken, as breaking a branch during harvesting is supposed to be bad luck!  Once the olives are picked, there are several ways of curing before going to the press.  Some will soak the olives in wood barrels of sea salt water, some in large plastic barrels of pure rain water, some in nothing at all and will take their harvest to press right away.  The locals use different methods, depending on their family traditions and the end result is a variety of wonderfully tasting "extra virgin" olive oils that consistently win Gold Medal competitions in the Mediterranean region.

Come and join our olive picking and olive oil production tours, where you can experience firsthand the traditional ways of harvest and production.  It'll be just one of the many new experiences that you'll enjoy as you discover the island of SOLTA - "the Mediterranean as it used to be".