Dalmatia Oil

How We Started Dalmatia Oil

We are a Croatia and UK collaboration. After over 15 years in healthcare consultancy, Dr Neil Jarrett, founder of Dalmatia Oil, was ready for change: “I was stressed and disillusioned after years of health sector consultancy. I had high cholesterol and high blood pressure.  I tried prescription medication but I didn't like the side effects. After researching alternative treatments, I stopped medication and moved to natural solutions which were mainly high polyphenol olive oil and more exercise.  

The natural regime worked brilliantly for me. It helped me sleep, reduced my blood pressure and cholesterol and unexpectedly improved my gut. And I felt energised!"

Whilst working in Dalmatia on a mental health project supporting war veterans, some of whom were farmers and doctors, Neil met the Lepur family. He was astounded by their life stories and the flavour of their olive oil.  

A partnership was formed to sell Dalmatian oil internationally. They worked together over the next couple of years to test and maximise the levels of polyphenols and oleic acid in the oil for the health conscious UK, Northern European and US health markets.   The test results were far higher than virtually all EVOO marketed as high polyphenol or high phenolic, and so both parties were incredibly excited about the product's potential. The partnership developed to market and sell Lepur olive oil internationally.  The rest is history!

‘Lepur’ won gold awards at the New York, Berlin and London International Olive Oil Council competitions over the last three years. This year we are competing in Tokyo too and hope to break into the South East Asia Market.  The awards are just one part of a strategy to put olive oil produced in Dalmatia on the international map.

Although the Dalmatia region has not had the recognition it deserves as a premium EVOO producing area, the prestigious guide from Flos Olei has acknowledged Croatia to be the best world olive growing region for the last seven years. A combination of ideal climate, fertile soil and centuries-old practice. Whilst other countries and regions have sadly suffered with intense heat and changes in rainfall reducing olive crops, Dalmatia has been fortunate to have retained consistent weather conditions. We all hope and pray that continues.  

We are located close to Zadar on the Adriatic coast, just south of Istria. Our extra virgin olive oil is harvested early and cold-pressed in our partner's state-of-the-art mill. We have mono oils and blends of up to six local olive varieties, of which half is Oblica, resulting in a medium to spicy taste reminiscent of grass and almonds. Our olives are hand-harvested and distinguished by their particularly high content of natural antioxidants.