The Croatian region of Istria is rich in tradition, and its history is replete with tales and myths surrounding the cultivation of the first olives on the peninsula.
Learn how it all began and how Istriana maintains over 2500 years of olive oil tradition.
Each bottle contains a fragment of that history.
Over 3000 olive trees sway in the breeze of the Adriatic, just outside the small coastal village of Valtura along Istria's coastline.
Bounded by the sea on three sides, the tip of the Istrian peninsula is unique in its combination of microclimate, soil composition, and coastal exposure unique to this part of the world.
In ancient times, olive oil making involved several distinct steps of rinsing, pit removal, and open air stone milling to extract the oil. The leftover pulp was placed into woven bags or baskets and pressed to extract additional oil.
Hot water was then poured over the bags to extract the maximum amount of residual oil.
In keeping with our goal of producing the highest quality oil without regard for maximizing quantity, Istriana picks and sorts our olives early in the season while they are mostly still green, thus ensuring the highest possible polyphenol content. We pay special attention to rush each batch of sorted olives to the mill, minimizing the time from tree to oil.
To further preserve the quality of the oil, we store it under nitrogen and temperature control and only bottle it immediately prior to shipping.
It is only by combining traditional methods with modern technology and rigorously controlling each step from planting to bottling that Istriana was able to achieve global recognition for the consistent quality of our premium olive oil.
Centuries ago, the traditional mode of transport of wine, olive oil, and other precious liquids employed clay amphorae made from the local earth in each region.
In Istria, archeological digs suggest that amphorae used for olive oil transport were made in Fažana and Lorne using the local red earth.Istriana premium olive oil is presented in bottles specially designed to honor the tradition of ancient amphorae. For the first time in centuries, the actual bright red earth in which Istriana olives are grown is incorporated into the bottle coloring process.
The Istriana bottle you can hold in your hands contains not only the history of centuries of oil-making tradition but also the actual earth that has given life to olives that produced Istriana olive oil.
Those who cultivate and protect this historic land maintain traditional techniques while applying modern technology to restore Istria's global prominence.
Learn more the About page.
Standing alongside the greats and competing against the best is how we know we are on the right path. Learn more about our awards and acknowledgments on - Awards page.
