Istrian Producer Builds Olive Oil Tourism Around Education and Sustainability
In the hills surrounding Vodnjan, a town in southern Istria with a centuries-old olive-growing tradition, one family estate is changing how visitors connect with extra virgin olive oil.
“The new building will bring together an olive oil cellar and bottling facility, an area for processing local fruit and vegetables, and a modern tasting and retail space,”
Combining local history, hospitality and educational tours, Brist has become one of the early participants in the region’s growing oleotourism industry. When you share the complete story and establish a relationship based on transparency. Truth, you gain a customer for life. – Puhar O’Grady, Overlooking the Adriatic Sea and Brijuni National Park, the estate offers walks through century-old olive groves, guided sensory tastings, pairings with local foods and accommodations at Villa Santa Margherita.
The Puhar O’Grady family has as well built a new multipurpose facility in the olive grove. From an Impromptu Walk to a Year-Round Program Trained as an archaeologist and art historian, Puhar O’Grady runs the business with her 73-year-old father, Silvano, and her husband, Paul.
The family began offering olive oil tourism experiences about a decade ago, making them among the first producers in Istria to enter the trade. The estate now offers programs throughout the year. Its introductory Walk and Taste Experience is available before and after the peak tourism season, including on windy or rainy days.
The tour covers 2,000 years of Istrian olive-growing history , along with cultivation and harvesting methods. It in addition includes a visit to the 13th-century Church of Saint Margaret, which borders the grove.
The educational walk is followed by a guided sensory analysis at the Brist shop in Vodnjan. Education by Candlelight During the peak summer season, from June through September, the estate offers its signature evening program, An Evening Under Olives. The program begins at dusk with an interactive circular walk through the groves.
Visitors learn about agricultural practices ranging from methods used in Roman times to regenerative and sustainable farming . With no artificial lighting in the grove, the area is illuminated entirely by candles. Guests gather for Brist’s candlelit ‘An Evening Under Olives’ program near Vodnjan, where guided tastings, local food pairings. Storytelling connect visitors with Istria’s olive-growing traditions. (Photo: Marina Ćosić Trbara) In this setting, Puhar O’Grady leads a sensory tasting featuring Brist Exclusive Selection, the family’s flagship extra virgin olive oil.
The label has earned multiple awards, including Gold Awards at the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition in New York. During the workshop, guests learn how to evaluate extra virgin olive oil by identifying positive attributes, including fruitiness, bitterness and pungency.
The holiday home includes a large swimming pool, an outdoor summer kitchen and covered terraces. Inside, contemporary design is combined with traditional elements, including an open-plan living area with a wood-burning fireplace. The villa in addition includes a fully equipped kitchen and a private wellness area with a hot tub and sauna.
By combining olive oil production, consumer education and rural hospitality, the Vodnjan producer has developed a diversified business model designed to help a small Mediterranean estate participate in the region’s tourism economy.
- Who: Puhar O’Grady · Villa Santa Margherita
