Shop & Tastings
Visit us for a free tasting at our shop and experience our full range of olive oils.
Olive Farm Tours
Join one of our tours for an educational, authentic and fun Istrian experience.
EU Webshop
We ship directly with a simple secure process and guarantee in perfect condition.
WELCOME
My name is Paul and I am the Irish member of the Puhar family that owns and runs BRIST Olive Oil. I’d like to share a little about my big family, which consist of four generations, who are passionate about producing exceptional extra virgin olive oil from native Istrian varieties. Please enjoy our site, contact us should you have any queries and I hope we will have the chance to meet you in person.
Our Process
Our olives are grown specifically in antique Roman Villae Rusticae olive groves overlooking the beautiful Brijuni archipelago. In doing this we continue thousands of years of tradition. It is also our belief that in the modern era, the finest olives come from traditionally grown groves on smaller family owned agricultural land.
We have learned that, like the generations of our family, there is so much to learn from the past and the future. Our handpicking method is handed down though millennia and is still the only way to harvest with total care. The future is our use of cutting edge technology in the process of cold-extracted milling. Lastly, the present is the time we get to spend with you sharing our passion.
THE BRIST OLIVE SHOP
Come and enjoy a free guided tasting of our full range of BRIST extra virgin olive oils in the beautiful and historic town of Vodnjan. The town is known as the home of Istrian olive oil because of its uniquely suited micro climate, its history of olive cultivation since Roman times, and its present reputation for world class production.
Family business
My wife's mum and dad, Ines and Silvano, the inspiration behind Brist. Clearly not taking the job seriously this day!
Opening Times
October – May
- Monday – Friday 10 – 14
- Saturdays 10 – 14
June – Sept
- Monday – Friday 10 – 16
- Saturdays 10 – 14
The Brist Shop is:
- wheelchair accessible
- young kids & family friendly
Shop Location
Address:
- Trgovačka 40, Vodnjan 52215
- (opposite the post office)
We are close by:
- 5 minutes from Fažana
- 10 Minutes from Pula
- 20 minutes from Rovinj
- 30 minutes from Porec
- 40 minutes from Opatija
- 50 minutes from Rijeka
Free Tasting & Education
Guests can visit our shop and enjoy a tasting of the full range of Brist extra virgin olive oils at no cost. It is our pleasure to share this experience with you.
We also stock a limited range of products from exceptional local, regional and international partners.
- Wines – Babos (Vodnjan)/Arman (Vižinada)
- Balsamico – Aceto di Modena
- Handmade Chocolates – VR Choco-Art (Pula)
- Natural Olive Cosmetics – Bale 45 Degrees
- Handmade Ceramics – Marinski (Rijeka)
Shop & Tastings
Lena is our tasting specialist and she is great with all guests. Sharing our knowledge is not just about now, but the future too.
We are open summer and winter. However, as a small family business, sometimes we need to step away from the shop for deliveries, work on the grove or in the cellar. Therefore, during the off season, it is a good idea to call ahead to ensure that we are open for you. We look forward to meeting you in person.
BBC visit Brist
As a family we were greatly honored to be asked by the BBC to represent the olive oil experience in Istria. Such a professional team and really fun to work with, it was so encouraging that they really wanted to get a feel for us as a family and what it means to do something we so deeply care about.
BRIST OLIVE GROVE TOURS
The heart of everything we do is our olive grove located, just 3km from the shop, in the gently surrounding hills of Vodnjan. There is so much to learn about, especially the history of the land, going back to Roman times and before. Perhaps the most magical part is the views over the Brijuni archipelago, especially at sunset.
Morning Grove Tour
Great for young families and those looking for an active experience.
MORNING OLIVE GROVE TOUR
Location: Sta Margherita Olive Grove
(optional shop tasting afterwards)
- a morning time olive farm walking tour
- a full education on the growing / harvesting process
- learn all about Istria’s 2000-year olive oil history
- visit to the (13th century) Sta. Margherita Chapel
- see the Illyrian (Pre-Roman) archeology of the Histri tribes
- an optional recommended full tasting at the Brist shop
- No extra charge for shop tasting afterwards (1 extra hour)
SUNSET OLIVE GROVE TOUR
Location: Sta Margherita Olive Grove
(includes traditional snacks and wine)
- early evening olive farm walking tour
- a full education on the growing / harvesting process
- learn all about Istria’s 2000-year olive oil history
- visit to the 13th century Sta. Margherita Chapel
- see the Illyrian (Pre-Roman) archeology of the Histri tribes
- a guided tasting of Brist ‘Exclusive Selection’ EVOO
- enjoy light traditional Istrian food and sparkling wine
- taste all Brist oils with different foods
- experience sunset over the Brijuni Islands and the stars come out, weather permitting 🙂
Sunset Evening Olive Grove Tour
Great for a very special and memorable experience.
Summer evenings are really special occasions. All of us love to meet people and share experiences when the busy part of the day is done. We run tours just a couple of evenings a week as Lena and I have a young family. For us the the days with tours are great and the days without are great too! Getting the balance right is the trick.
Enjoy a winter tour too...
Being an Irish city boy, I never thought that my life would revolve around the rhythms of nature. That changed years ago, and it is one of the things that I love about living here in Istria and being part of an olive oil family.
Autumn, winter and spring are also wonderful times to visit the grove and a real opportunity to see behind the scenes of what olive growing is all about. During the cooler parts of the year we do walking tours with optional full tastings in the shop afterwards. Be ready, when nature takes control, it can get a little wild up there…
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BRIST EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OILS
ISTRIA IS SPECIAL
BRIST extra virgin olive oils, are all domestically produced from traditionally native Istrian olive sorts. These olives have been grown for thousands of years on this small peninsula with its uniquely suited micro-climate. The combination of perfect sunlight, light rain, nutrient rich soil and fresh sea salted winds give this small region unsurpassed olive growing conditions and now a growing reputation again for world class oils. It is known that during the time of ancient Rome, Istrian olive oil was considered, throughout the empire, to be the finest.
Inspiration & Design
Learn about our brand design and the inspiration behind it.
THE BRIST RANGE
Brist Olive are delighted to present a range of extra virgin olive oils. Brist Oleum is a high quality oil, popular with top restaurants and great for both cooking and finishing dishes. Brist Premium offers a choice of three tasting experiences – delicate, harmonious and intense. Finally, there is Brist Exclusive Selection, created from hand picked and hand selected olives grown on century old trees, seasoned a life time in the perfect growing environment of Vodnjan.
Our new design, launched for harvest 2018, is inspired by guests wanting to know more about our family and the Sta. Margherita Olive Grove, where our olives are grown. More and more guests are choosing to visit our grove to get a real feeling for what olive oil is really all about and why we are passionate about making it.
INSPIRATION & DESIGN
The challenge for our new designer was to “re-freshen” the brand, keep many of its well known elements, but at the same time find a way to connect the oils back to where they come from, while also highlighting each oils special characteristics. We also wanted the bottle to be beautiful, elegant and engaging. If that wasn’t enough, as clients, we are passionate about design so young designer Tina Erman Popović has a big job on her hands, and we think she did great work.
Thank you Tina, and to our guests and friends, enjoy!
AWARDS
As much as awards can be considered important in the process of assessing the quality of an olive oil, they are just part of the picture. Beside awards is analysis, whether that be chemical or sensory. Most importantly, however for us, is trusting our own instincts and experience, and above all listening openly to the feedback of our guests.
Competitions
See our full list of national and international awards by clicking here.
Analysis
See all results from expert panel sensory/organoleptic and full chemical analyses.
Feedback
What our guests and partners tell us is especially important. Read more here.
Brist are proud to have been named every year since its beginning in the internationally respected world guide book on extra virgin olive oils – Flos Olei. We also received a gold in the most prestigious olive oil competition in 2018 in New York. Visit us in Vodnjan and learn why this region is so special for olive oil.
National & International awards and Analysis
REVIEWS & FEEDBACK
As a family we love sharing our passion for high quality extra virgin olive oil, ethically locally produced food and why these things mean so much to us. It is our great pleasure to share with you, your family or group as much knowledge and insight as we possibly can. We are deeply appreciative of the positive feedback we have received to date and hope that your experience with us will be equally positive, educational and fun.
What our guests say
We are a small family business, and every bit of feedback really matters. We would love you to share your experiences with others as it is so much more valued above anything we can say.
- Come visit us
- Enjoy yourself
- Review us if you feel like it
Ratings
news & MEDIA
Nature & Balance
Nature & Balance It always amazes me out of the cold of winter eternally springs new growth. All around our olive is the nature of Istria which is just so beautiful. So important to us, in this part of the world, is a balance of nature. Rather than removing all other nature other than olive […]
Our Shop – Virtual View
Come Visit Us. The shop is beautiful and we would love to have you with us for a full tasting and education.Click here to see a virtual tour of the inside of our shop. We very much look forward to welcoming you.
Manchester Evening News
Paul Smith came to visit us and we all had such a fun time together. It seems that Istria with a bite of ice cream and olive oil, cooled the tongue but ,warmed the heart. Hope to see you with us again soon. Thanks for the wonderful article from the Manchester Evening Times.
Family
Sometimes the summer is so busy it happens that we can forget what it is all about. This is my reminder not to… Paul: Husband, dad, adopted son of my Istrian family, Irishman and the guy who talks a lot in the shop and on our tours!
Building Dreams
The design of the shop has been the work of Paul & Lena. Below see the design process from beginning to end with the goal to create a space to life the spirit and a place to build our dreams.
Chef Deniz Zembo’s Olive Oil Explorations
Olive oil is an important ingredient in any kitchen but good chefs know exactly how to pair the right oil with a dish to enhance its flavors. For Croatian chef Deniz Zembo, olive oil is an essential ingredient in his culinary creations that even offers the scope to innovate and experiment, something he’s not afraid […]
Gallery
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