Vanja Dujc: the Northern Hemisphere’s finest olive oil is made in Malija
A former engineer turned Slovenia’s most awarded “olive oil guru”.
In Malija, in the hinterland above Izola, Vanja Dujc produces one of Europe’s most highly awarded extra virgin olive oils—winner of the 2021 Olio Nuovo Award for the best olive oil in the Northern Hemisphere.
Vanja Dujc was not born an olive grower. A mechanical engineer by training, he planted his first olive trees in the 1980s as an “economic reserve” during a difficult period for Yugoslavia, despite having no experience in the field. Since 2000, he has devoted himself entirely to olive oil, and his work has earned a succession of international awards—as well as nicknames such as “the professor” and “the olive oil guru”.
His most prestigious achievement came in 2021: the Olio Nuovo Award for the best olive oil in the Northern Hemisphere, awarded by a jury chaired by Michelin-starred chef Eric Briffard, head of the Le Cordon Bleu institute in Paris. The jury described it as “a wonderful, complex and well-balanced oil, with a peppery finish.”
His olive grove in Malija has around 1,200 trees and produces just 3,300 litres of oil a year—only 15% of the total harvest is ultimately turned into oil, with the rest discarded to maintain the highest quality standards. The olives are still harvested by hand using small rakes and fine-mesh nets, and Dujc personally oversees every stage of the process. They are cold-pressed within just a few hours of harvesting, in collaboration with Sandi Babič’s mill in Marezige.
Production is so limited that the oil is not available through major retailers, but only from a small number of specialist stockists and—by appointment—directly from the producer.
This is an independent editorial feature.
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Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Estimated price: On request
