Reviews & Feedback

More than just an olive oil shop We stopped by Brist after reading about how great Croatian olive oil is. Paul spent the morning with us, teaching us about the differences between Brist olive oil and large producers of olive oil. ... Read MoreWe stopped by Brist after reading about how great Croatian olive oil is. Paul spent the morning with us, teaching us about the differences between Brist olive oil and large producers of olive oil. The difference between these olive oils and the mass produced oils are night and day. Brist oils are so clean and fresh on the palate. Paul was a thoughtful teacher, encouraging questions, and giving honest and genuine answers. It was an incredibly enlightening and educational experience. We were able to taste all of the olive oils (and received a bit of instruction on that process) and ended up purchasing quite a few bottles to bring home. Paul was happy to provide additional materials on the olive oil so we could share what we learned with our family and friends.

While you are certainly welcome to merely try and buy olive oil, I recommend engaging in a discussion about the production of olive oil. We truly learned so much and are very appreciative of the amount of time that Paul spent with us and the information he shared. We will definitely be ordering again, if not returning for more olive oil education. less

4 visits - 4 years - Brist is still the best My first holiday in Istria in 2017, I went to the olive oil museum in Pula and took the class on olive oil tasting. It was an eye opener. A couple days later I visited the Brist store.

This is a p... Read MoreMy first holiday in Istria in 2017, I went to the olive oil museum in Pula and took the class on olive oil tasting. It was an eye opener. A couple days later I visited the Brist store.

This is a professionally run, small family business and the product is not only amazing, it’s award winning. My first visit to the shop lasted 2 hours because they treated us like long lost friends.

Brist has turned into the only place we get our olive oil and every friend we bring there, whether they are from California, Ohio, Germany, or Austria, they have all ended up buying Brist Olive Oil. Those lucky enough to be in Europe have also continued to order it online after their holidays.

The farm tour is also great fun and I’ve spent 2 evenings there dining under the stars with friends and the amazingly friendly Brist team.

I just visited today to get oil for my household and for a friend in Salzburg who was here with us last year. This oil and this family will make an impression that you will cherish and it will keep you coming back year after year. less

Olive oil like it is supposed to taste We recently stopped in Pula on the Istrian peninsula of Croatia. The evening we arrived we ate at The Kantina restaurant and the server brought us bread and Brist olive oil. We tasted it and we're tot... Read MoreWe recently stopped in Pula on the Istrian peninsula of Croatia. The evening we arrived we ate at The Kantina restaurant and the server brought us bread and Brist olive oil. We tasted it and we're totally amazed at how good it was. We concluded that, coming from North America, we had never really tasted good olive oil, except for a few vacations in Spain and Italy. We were so impressed with Brist (and we tasted only the Oleum everyday oil ) that I wrote to the company to find out if they could ship. Alas they do not ship to Canada (and perhaps not the U.S either). Olive oil this good needs to be shared with the world. There are probably small olive oil importers throughout Canada and the US I am going to try to request it and see what happens.

If you visit Pula make sure you go on the tasting tour at the Museum of Olive Oil and experience what high quality olive oil is like. less

The Real Story About Extra Virgin Olive Oil Who knew that the olive oil produced in Istria has taken the top awards for taste and quality for the past couple of years!! Owner Paul O'Grady is incredibly knowledgeable about the olive oil industry... Read MoreWho knew that the olive oil produced in Istria has taken the top awards for taste and quality for the past couple of years!! Owner Paul O'Grady is incredibly knowledgeable about the olive oil industry from start to finish! No question, you can really taste the difference in the "good stuff"! The horror stories about the use of rotten olives and shipping olive oil in bulk using oil tankers had us just about gagging when we thought about the extra virgin olive oil that we've consumed in the past. Skip the wine, we brought home as much of this olive oil as we could carry! They do tours for groups to their olive farm which I'm sure would have been wonderful but we had a great time at their storefront. Paul is very knowledgeable and has a great sense of humour as well. less

Olive goove tour and oil tasting I had an oil shop visit and olive groove tour here with a group of 13 Americans. We loved the surroundings, and all products we tried, including several varieties of oil, accompanied with delicious sn... Read MoreI had an oil shop visit and olive groove tour here with a group of 13 Americans. We loved the surroundings, and all products we tried, including several varieties of oil, accompanied with delicious snacks, local wine and chocolate. Paul took us on the tour through Sta. Margherita groove. It was professional and interesting, discovering many facts about olives and all the process and hard work that stays behind the perfect drop of oil. I would suggest to everyone interesting in delicious oil to make also the groove tour, as this brings you to a new level of experience, realizing how personal this is, every olive has been hand-picked and taken care of on the top level possible! less

Absolutely wonderful experience with Paul as your guide! Hi Tan,

Thanks for your review and kind feedback, we very much enjoyed having you with us.
I am sorry that your partner dropped her sunglasses on the gravel path where the cars park and they got ... Read MoreHi Tan,

Thanks for your review and kind feedback, we very much enjoyed having you with us.
I am sorry that your partner dropped her sunglasses on the gravel path where the cars park and they got driven over before anybody realized that they were missing. Although it was just a piece of very unfortunate luck and nobody's fault, I was happy to not charge for the 3+ hours with us. I hope this didn't take away too much from your positive experience with us.

Best regards to you both and safe trip home to Singapore.

Paul. less

Great tasting experience and very educational! My husband and I really enjoyed tasting and learning about olive oil and how to tell the quality. We can definately tell the difference between high quality and low quality, but now we know why they t... Read MoreMy husband and I really enjoyed tasting and learning about olive oil and how to tell the quality. We can definately tell the difference between high quality and low quality, but now we know why they taste so different. The man in the shop was super nice and helped us figure out how to pay for the street parking (a bit confusing). There were also some nice local wines to taste which was a great bonus! Planning to order some more olive oil from them when our supply that we bought then runs low. less

Delicious and delightful Delightful staff, quaint little shop, and delicious olive oil. We walked in unannounced, on a random weekday during The Covid (oh, sorry, in November), and were treated to a very educational olive oil... Read MoreDelightful staff, quaint little shop, and delicious olive oil. We walked in unannounced, on a random weekday during The Covid (oh, sorry, in November), and were treated to a very educational olive oil tasting from a lovely, knowledgeable, and friendly staff member. We learned far more than we expected to learn (or maybe than we thought we even could), and tried some unique and flavorful olive oils.

Brist is a great place to go to really learn about olive oil, and to taste--and buy some! less

Best Olive Oil!!! If you are traveling through Istria make sure to stop here for a fun tasting! We came to the coast in hopes to try some decent olive oil and we were blown away by the taste of Brists' selections. Paul... Read MoreIf you are traveling through Istria make sure to stop here for a fun tasting! We came to the coast in hopes to try some decent olive oil and we were blown away by the taste of Brists' selections. Paul is a wonderful host and super knowledgeable in his field. He has changed our entire outlook on olive oil and it's production. We left with several bottles and will definitely buy from Brist again in the future. We can't wait to come back in the summer to visit the grove. less

Great Experience! Absolutely enjoyed the experience! This small family run olive oil producer was absolutely amazing. We learned extensive information about olive oil and the history of their wonderful family from Silv... Read MoreAbsolutely enjoyed the experience! This small family run olive oil producer was absolutely amazing. We learned extensive information about olive oil and the history of their wonderful family from Silvano. Their olive oils are very high quality and delicious. We just wished they could export them to US! We brought couple bottles home, which won’t last long! less

Return to the source We sampled their oils at the Amfiteatar hotel and were so impressed that we just had to visit the source. Brist olive oils I Vodnjan are a match for any in the world and that is some claim. go and exp... Read MoreWe sampled their oils at the Amfiteatar hotel and were so impressed that we just had to visit the source. Brist olive oils I Vodnjan are a match for any in the world and that is some claim. go and explore, you won't be disappointed. Thanks Paul, you made our day.
If you don't have a car, the local bus is regular and takes little time. less

“Excellent, heartwarming & tasty !” Excellent, heartwarming & tasty ! We picked up a nice selection of olive oil's and had a great time... read more

“Amazing!!!” We were here couple months ago, and for me is always more valuable from the user to give feedback... read more

“A beautiful experience and new appreciation for olive oil” After reading other reviews, I and my 3 other friends booked the evening tasting. Lena, Paul and... read more

From Vodnjan with love... and olive oil The whole experience!!! Best olive oil ever, beautiful people, cosy shop, their knowledge of oil, life... its a must!