Mate: organic olive oils from Zambratija

Closed. Opens on monday 09:00.

Mate produces organic extra virgin olive oils in Zambratija, both single-varietal and blended. By appointment, you can taste them at the estate's own mill.

From individual varieties to limited blends

Three single-varietal oils reveal most clearly how different olives from the same estate can taste. The blends bring those qualities together. Novum reflects the first days of harvest, while Centum marks a family anniversary.

• Bianca Bellezza is made from Istrian bjelica. Grass, tomato leaf and almond are followed by marked bitterness and pungency.
• Viola Tonda is made from buža. It tastes of almond, apple and fresh herbs, with gentler, balanced bitterness and pungency.
• Timbro Istriano is a single-varietal frantoio oil, with notes of grass, green almond and banana and a peppery finish.
• Trasparenza Marina combines leccino and pendolino. Hazelnut and almond come with milder bitterness and rounded pungency.
• Blend brings together frantoio, leccino, pendolino, Istrian bjelica and buža in a medium-fruity oil with notes of apple, green banana and herbs.
• Novum is a limited blend of frantoio and Istrian bjelica from the first days of harvest, available for only a few months.
• Centum combines leccino, buža, Istrian bjelica and oblica. It was created to mark Mate Vekić's 100th birthday.

First trees after a 75th birthday

Mate Vekić planted his first olive trees near the end of the last century, after turning 75. That venture grew into an estate now run by his daughter, Aleksandra Vekić. Its 69 hectares of red soil between Savudrija and Dajla hold 27,500 trees.

Frantoio, leccino and pendolino came first, followed by buža, Istrian bjelica and carbonaca. Fruit picked during the day is milled in the estate's own facility that same evening. This pace preserves freshness and allows the distinctions between varieties to emerge in the tasting glass.

Three consecutive years in the Hall of Fame

Mate received 100/100 and a place in the Flos Olei Hall of Fame in the 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions. In 2026, it was the only Croatian producer among the nine awarded the top score, with Trasparenza Marina earning 100/100.

What an arranged visit includes

Visits must be booked in advance. One programme combines a guided walk through the olive grove with an oil tasting and a small aperitif. A more detailed session compares three Mate oils with a commercial oil and follows the fruit through the mill, from arrival to storage.

A third programme ends with dinner in nearby Umag after the estate tour and tasting. Oils can also be purchased at the estate during published opening hours, and free parking is available beside the mill.

Distance from Bale: 1 hour driving

Olive oil score in the Flos Olei guide: 2020 98, 2019 97, 2022 99, 2021 98, 2023 99, 2024 100, 2025 100, 2026 100

Working time on Saturdays: from 09:00, to 12:00

Working hours from Monday to Friday: from 09:00, to 15:00

Address: Romanija 60/A, Zambratija, 52475 Savudrija

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