A Journey Home to the Adriatic Coast

When Andrew Froggatt, an English landscape architect, and his wife Nina came back from Australia to take over Nina’s family's olive farm, they brought their two young children and a vision for a different life. "We wanted to give up the office job for a better quality of life where our children could grow up surrounded by nature and close family." Andrew explains. Today, four generations live and work on the farm - Andrew and Nina, their teenage children, Nina's mother Irena, and 92-year-old Nonno Pavel who still helps with daily tasks.

The 10-hectare property on Slovenia's Seča peninsula overlooks the salt pans with views to the Adriatic coast. When Andrew and Nina took over, it marked a new chapter for Gramona. As Andrew explains, “We wanted to build a business that could support our family and maintain the farm into perpetuity without using damaging agricultural practices.”

So, they started to convert to organic certification and apply permaculture design principles. They introduced systematic pruning and mulching, planted cover crops and grew the grass long to act like "sunscreen" for the soil during hot dry summers, integrated rotational grazing with sheep and chickens, and built swales and ponds to capture stormwater.

Today, Gramona Farm is a model for regenerative olive production welcoming over 2,000 visitors a year and showing results like increased organic matter, improved water retention, improved soil structure, reduced soil compaction, enhanced microbial activity, and reduced erosion.

From Near Failure to Agrotourism Success

Transitioning the farm to regenerative organic also required a transformation of the business model. Andrew and Nina realized that for the business to survive, they needed to supply their products directly to customers and concentrate on high value products.

Their solution: invite people to experience the farm firsthand. They launched olive oil tours, teaching visitors about the olive’s journey from tree to table, how to identify quality olive oil and what's distinct about local Istrian oil. They built a small farm shop and tasting area, constructed a pergola in the olive grove for hosting groups, and invested in a small commercial kitchen to create value-added products.

The approach paid off. Today, Gramona Farm hosts over 2,000 people per year who come to walk through the organic groves, learn about regenerative practices, and taste gourmet olive products. Educational farm experiences have become a cornerstone of their business model alongside their organic olive oils, hazelnuts, and natural cosmetics.

Building a Multi-Generational Legacy

What makes Gramona Farm truly special is how it operates as a living example of multi-generational agriculture. Each family member contributes their unique skills - whether it's Andrew managing the groves, Nina leading tours and developing products, the teenagers helping with visitors at the farm shop, Irena providing professional oliviculture advice whilst preparing traditional foods from homegrown produce, or Nonno Pavel helping in the garden and inspecting the groves.

"The nicest part of this job is sharing our experiences with our guests," Andrew says. "Guests seem to be very interested in where their food comes from and how it's produced. This gives me hope and excitement for the future. People are becoming more connected to the land and their food, which will have a positive impact on the wider society and regenerative agriculture."

Gramona has also proved its neighbours wrong. In the beginning, many didn’t think it was possible to make a successful business from a 10-hectare farm. They’ve not only built a thriving enterprise, but also transformed the landscape into a thriving bed of life. Farm biodiversity is increasing, flooding and erosion have been reduced or eliminated, soil fertility and water retention have improved dramatically, all while maintaining a cultural landscape that has existed for centuries.

Their approach - combining regenerative olive and hazelnut production with agrotourism and direct sales - creates multiple income streams. As Andrew notes, "Our system is resilient and flexible. We can survive just about any challenge that comes our way."