The island of Tasmania has 60 producer and produces 24,000 liters of olive oil annually. In total, there are about 100 hectares of single-trunked olive groves, with a marking of 8 x 5 m. The varieties come from Italy in every case, and it you it is not necessary to water them as the sea breeze lowers the temperatures. Each producer has 1 to 3 pieces of farmland that are rarely bigger than one hectare. They partake in a practice known asEmotional Olive Growing, which is quite a recent term. It refers to agriculture as something that appeals to the feelings of the countries of origin or to cultural ties and roots. Farming isn’t done as an economic obligation according to this belief, but is done willingly and has an endearing origin.

The origin of olive cultivation in this Australian island is linked to the Minnucci family, specifically to Attilio Minnucci, an Italian from a family with great olive growing tradition going back centuries. This young man went to Tasmania in search of new opportunities as an expert in explosives and tunnels. Once in Tasmania, he was hired at the Catagunya hydroelectric plant, where he gained great professional experience in its construction. After having finished the project, he went to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. There, with the help of his wife, he ran his own store and was a founding member of a supermarket chain.

He returned to Italy for a season so that his sons to could connect with their Italian roots. Then, when he went back to Tasmania, he took over the first Bed & Breakfast on the island, which had a major international impact.

This Italian, who was an entrepreneur by nature and had already enjoyed a number of professional successes resulting from his work and dedication, needed to do something that really comforted him and made him feel like he was at home. And so, in 1985, he decided to buy a few hectares of land in the Huoron Valley and began planting olive trees.

Despite the disbelief of his neighbors and the rain of criticism he constantly received, it did not prevent Attilio from making his dream come true. He cultivated the first olive grove in Tasmania and extracted the first EVOO ever produced on the island.

Attilio, not only introduced the olive grove to Tasmania, but spread it, promoting his brand and himself as a lover of this crop and its oil. Although many called him a mad Italian at first, Attilio eventually made himself into the father of olive growing in Tasmania. And, it is here where he left the greatest and most valuable of all his legacies – olive trees. They still stand in the country today and Attilio’s love and connection to this crop are the reason why the name Emotional Olive Growing has come to be.