San Antonio

Stancija San Antonio, based in Vodnjan, Istria, Croatia, was established in 2008, with the first olives planted in 2009 on groves situated 100 metres above sea level and 800 metres from the sea, amid ancient Roman centuriations. They cultivate 7,000 organic olive trees of native varieties including Buža ženska vodnjanska, Karbonaca, Istarska bjelica, and Leccino. The team revived abandoned groves by propagating new shoots from old roots to preserve indigenous olives adapted to the local climate, temperature swings, and pests. Since opening a modern olive oil mill in 2014, they process only their own olives into extra virgin oils, with their products earning more than 20 gold medals over the past three years.