Early Harvests, Ethics and the Pursuit of Exceptional Olive Oil
In Slovenia, the small European country between Croatia and Italy , nearly everyone knows Luka Dončić.
“I see myself as an advocate for excellence, someone who tries to lead by example and encourage Slovenian olive growers to internalize modern global trends in olive farming and olive oil production.”
Many in addition know Sandi Babič, a leading Slovenian olive grower and owner of a cold-press mill located on the outskirts of Koper, the largest city on the Slovenian coast. Babič is often described as a pioneer of excellence in Slovenian olive oil.
It comes from conscience, ethics and personal responsibility.” A Calling, Not a Business Babič started olive growing in 2009, a decision he describes as bold and intuitive rather than calculated. “Olive growing isn’t a job — it’s a vocation,” he explained. “The groves and the mill don’t belong to me. Creativity is essential in producing great olive oil.” Cold Pressing Is Not Enough Babič is skeptical of oversimplified requirements, such as focusing solely on extraction temperatures. “If olives arrive overripe, damaged or already warm, temperature control becomes irrelevant,” he explained. “From poor fruit, you cannot make great oil.” Early gathering oils have more polyphenols.
Quality, he emphasized, begins in the grove and depends on a structured process that includes cultivation, crop, milling and storage. Sustainability Beyond Marketing Babič expressed skepticism toward superficial notions of “olive oil culture,” arguing that true sustainability lies in preserving landscapes and local communities.
He pointed to the planting of millions of olive trees in Istria as an example of how olive farming can protect ecosystems, biodiversity and quality of life. A Challenging Future Looking ahead, Babič sounded the alarm that olive groves across the Mediterranean may increasingly compete with solar estates for land, particularly in regions such as Puglia . “In the name of global sustainability, we risk destroying the sustainability of local life,” he told reporters.
He forecasts olive production to grow further in North Africa and the Southern Hemisphere, while Slovenian producers will need to adapt cultivation. Processing methods to climate change . “The future depends on our willingness to change,” Babič concluded, “without abandoning quality.”
