The olive has always been the island of Brač’s most significant agricultural crop.

The first documented evidence of olive cultivation on the island was discovered in the 1st century BC manuscripts of the Roman travel writer Strabo, and Emperor Diocletian mentions olive cultivation in the 3rd century.

The Venetian Republic was instrumental in the growth of olive groves on the island of Brač – they advised the Duke of Brač to plant olives in unprocessed regions and to manage the “wild” olives to boost olive oil production.

Interesting stories originated from the 16th century, when the Venetian Senate decreed that anybody who harmed or chopped an olive tree would be expelled from Brač for up to ten years, while the groom had to plant a certain number of olive trees in order to get married.

All of this contributed to the fact that by the end of the 18th century, Brač had over 500,000 olive trees and oil production was higher than the overall Dalmatia. About one million olive trees that makes two-thirds of the island’s agriculture are now growing on the island.

Oblica is the most common variety on the island, resistant to dryness and storms and adapted to the island’s stingy and rocky soil.

In 2022, Brač olive oil was awarded a European designation of origin.