TVRDOŠ MONASTERY IS BUILDING ITS OWN OLIVE OIL MILL

The olive grove of Tvrdoš Monastery is set to expand to nearly 2,000 olive trees this spring, as plans are underway to plant an additional 300 trees on monastery land. At the same time, construction has begun on a new facility that will house the monastery’s own olive oil mill.

PHOTO: Manastir Tvrdoš

“We currently have around 1,700 olive trees, ranging from Greek varieties planted years ago by the late Bishop Atanasije, to Italian and other types. From these olives, we already produce significant quantities of extra virgin olive oil,” said Hieromonk Porfirije, a member of the Tvrdoš Monastery brotherhood.

According to him, the land must first be properly prepared and cultivated before the new saplings are planted. Around 300 new olive trees are expected to be acquired within the next month, and experience has shown that olive trees thrive particularly well on monastery land.

In addition to several old olive trees planted near the monastery about 25 years ago, Bishop Atanasije initially received around fifteen saplings from the Greek monastery of Ormylia, which later marked the beginning of a more systematic expansion of olive cultivation, modeled after the development of the monastery’s vineyards.

“It was the same with wine production. From a small number of monastery vines, we planted new vineyards, built a winery, and today we have a serious level of production. Olive growing is developing in the same direction. With around 500 olive trees more than 15 years ago, we produced our first 50 liters of cold-pressed oil, and already the following year, as the olives reached full yield, that amount began to double,” Hieromonk Porfirije told Nezavisne novine.

Until now, the monastery’s olive oil has been pressed in neighboring mills. However, construction of the monastery’s own olive oil mill has already begun, which will allow the entire production process to be completed within the monastery complex, similar to its winery.

Although the project is still in its early stages and details remain limited, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers, Staša Košarac, confirmed during a recent visit to Tvrdoš Monastery that discussions had taken place regarding possible institutional support for the construction of the olive oil mill.

The monks of Tvrdoš Monastery approach their work with dedication and patience, and, as Hieromonk Porfirije emphasized, this project will also be completed in due time.

“Everything comes at the right moment. As a confirmation of our patient work, we recently won a gold medal for extra virgin olive oil at an international competition in New York,” said Hieromonk Porfirije.

Without seeking recognition, he added that the monastery does not focus on future awards, as their greatest reward remains the continued production of high-quality olive oil and wine.