Our oils
Fall in love with the wide range of flavors of our exceptional olive oils, among which you will surely find your favorite, one that will become an indispensable seasoning for your dishes while also boosting your health.
The Oio Vivo extra virgin olive oil range currently includes four single-variety oils from indigenous olives, as well as two blends of oils with different intensities.
Our selection consists of Vodnjanska Buža, Rozinjola, Istrian Bjelica, and the rare Žižolera variety, specific to the Vodnjan region. As for the blends, we offer the milder Bon and the more intense Gajardo.
Rozinjola
Zizolera
Gajardo
Istarska Bjelica
Bòn
Vodnjanska Buza
Man and nature
The name of our extra virgin olive oil, Oio Vivo, points to the millennia-long tradition of olive oil production on the Istrian peninsula.
It combines the excellent geographical location for olive cultivation with an innovative approach to olive oil production.
All of this, combined with our love for olives, has resulted in the creation of oil of the highest quality.
The high content of polyphenols, along with the stability of taste and freshness, are the main characteristics of our olive oil, which has the most beneficial effect on our health and longevity.
Our oil is not just food, but liquid gold, with each drop telling a story of excellence and passion.
Ideal location
Istria, a peninsula on the west coast of Croatia, has a Mediterranean climate that is particularly favorable for olive cultivation.
This was discovered by the ancient Romans, who produced significant quantities of highly valuable olive oil in Istria.
The Vodnjan area, located in the south of the Istrian peninsula, with its sunlit olive groves, red soil, dry stone walls, and the corridor of warm sea air that connects the eastern and western coasts of Istria, has long been recognized as a region where the most prized olive oil was produced.
Our Oio Vivo olive grove, covering 56 hectares with 15,000 trees, is located in an excellent position for olive cultivation at an altitude of 60-120 meters above sea level, just 4.5 km from the sea.
It is situated between Vodnjan to the north and Pula to the south, in the southern part of the Istrian peninsula, where the beneficial flow of warm sea air from the Raška Bay in the east and the Brijuni archipelago in the west meet.
Harvest
The timing of the olive harvest is a very important decision, as it significantly impacts the quality and taste of the olive oil.
The most prized oil, with a pleasant and fresh taste of the olive fruit, was called Ex albis ulivis by the ancient Romans, and it was obtained during the early harvest when the color of the fruit changed from green to green-yellow.
The phenolic compounds that give the oil its taste and aroma decrease as the olive ripens, which is why it is very important to monitor the ripening process and make the timely decision to harvest when the level of polyphenols in the fresh olive fruit is at its highest.
We begin the harvest in the first days of October, if the weather conditions allow.
We harvest our olives using modern technology, with mechanical tree shakers that do not damage the olive tree or the fruit.
Processing
The olive processing procedure takes place in several stages.
The stages are: cleaning and washing the fruit, crushing the fruit, mixing the paste, separating the solid from the liquid part, and then separating the oil mixture into oil and water.
The final goal of this process is to obtain oil from the olive fruit without causing any changes in the chemical composition that are significant for the quality of the oil and its biological and nutritional value.
Special attention must be given to the mixing process, as this is where a significant loss of polyphenols can occur if the temperature of the mixture exceeds 27 degrees Celsius, which will ultimately affect the quality of the oil and its further protection from oxidation.
The oil obtained in this way is immediately filtered to remove any remaining pulp and vegetable water, as this extends the qualitative lifespan of the olive oil.
Preservation
After the processing procedure, the oil is filtered and stored in the olive grove, in a fresh and ventilated space at a constant temperature, in stainless steel (inox) containers connected to nitrogen gas, which prevents the oil from coming into contact with oxygen. This method prevents the oxidation process and preserves the valuable properties of the oil in the long term.