A proud olive oil tradition in Barban, Istria.
Organized by the Municipality of Barban and its Tourist Board, the 7th Festival of Olive Oils of the Barban Area was held on Friday evening at the premises of the old school. It was an opportunity for olive growers from the area to present their oils and demonstrate that this part of Istria, which is still not as widely known for its olive oil producers, has quite a number of enthusiasts and lovers of olives. Also, it proved that their long-term efforts are increasingly turning into high-quality olive products. The event demonstrated that theories that good olives do not grown in the Barban area simply are not true, reports Glas Istre on November 29, 2015.
This year’s festival brought together thirteen exhibitors with their samples of olive oil. The reactions of the visitors showed that oil from Barban indeed deserves attention. Although the number of participants this year was somewhat lower than in previous years, local olive growers are convinced that Barban will eventually become better known for its oils and will soon stand alongside the most famous olive growing Istrian towns.
Nenad Filipović, one of the participants and an owner of a family farm, believes that the event is an ideal opportunity to present olive oil from Barban, adding that he has been taking part in similar events for years. “We have about 1,500 olive trees and we are more and more becoming professionals. This year, we have produced about 400 litres of oil, and I can say that the year has been good and that we are extremely satisfied with the quality of oil”, Filipović said and added that the municipal authorities should continue to work to promote local olive growers, since there are about 25,000 olive trees planted in the area.
“This kind of event is very much needed in Barban, but I am convinced that the festival would include even more participants if the oils were expertly evaluated. So my suggestion is for the organizer to think in that direction, in order for the event to have a more competitive character in the future, which would further motivate olive growers to get involved and participate”, Filipović concluded.
