No Grove Abandoned
Restoring abandoned olive groves and producing exceptional extra virgin olive oil.
Abandoned Grove did not begin as a business. It began with a contradiction.
On one hand, the power of exceptional extra virgin olive oil, the way it can anchor a meal, a memory, a connection, a place.
On the other hand, the widespread loss unfolding across traditional olive-growing landscapes: groves left behind, biodiversity eroded, communities displaced as land is forced to conform to systems built for speed, convenience, and volume.
Abandoned Grove exists where these realities meet.
From the beginning, it became clear that restoration alone is fragile. That care without visibility does not endure. If the oil is not exceptional, the grove remains unseen. If quality does not create desire, abandonment continues.
Here, extraordinary oil is not a reward layered onto the work.
It is the vehicle that allows land, culture, and quality to last.
We believe that excellence is not an indulgence, but the refusal to settle for anything less.
Philosophy
Olive oil is culture, not a commodity.
At Abandoned Grove, everything begins with the limits set by land, season, and care.
One harvest each year. Two bottles per tree. Skilled hands guiding every step.
What is made here is shaped by patience, expertise, and respect for natural limits, never by urgency or demand.
Founder
Fil Bucchino
Abandoned Grove was founded by Fil Bucchino, an internationally recognized olive oil expert, certified panel taster, educator, and cultural advocate.
His work spans decades in the groves, at the mill, and in global education around olive oil quality, sensory evaluation, traceability, and craft. Through teaching, collaboration, and hands-on work, he has helped reshape how extra virgin olive oil is understood and valued. Fil also co-produced and hosted Obsessed with Olive Oil, the first feature-length documentary dedicated to olive oil quality, and later co-hosted The World of Olive Oil on PBS.
Abandoned Grove is built through collaboration with farmers, millers, tasters, scientists, chefs, and artisans committed to patience, restraint, and care.
The work began with a single experience.
In 2005, a first taste of exceptional olive oil in Tuscany fundamentally changed what olive oil could be.
In 2009, small productions of early-harvest oils were shared through a reservation list for friends and family.
The aim was not to scale quantities, but to understand why something capable of creating that kind of experience had become so rare.
Over time, the answer became unavoidable. Exceptional oil requires healthy land and communities. Restoring land requires an oil compelling enough to make people care.
Today, 5,000 trees later, we are still answering that first question.
The Team
The people behind the work
Giovanna
Sascha
Cosimo & Bruno
Andrea
Lorenzo
Team
If You're Here
It's likely because you believe in the craft behind great food, in nature, and in the power of the human hand to work in harmony with both.
We are grateful you found your way to this work.
We do this for ourselves, for our friends, and for a community that believes quality is worth protecting.
We are dreamers, idealists, and custodians of abandoned groves, driven by our love for extra virgin olive oil, the trees, the land, the people who tend them, and the beauty they bring to the table.
The Work Over Time
2005
When a single taste became everything.
2009–2013
Vision takes root.
2014
Social farming begins.
2016
The philosophy becomes public.
2020
A global conversation.
2022
Expanding the work.
2023
A milestone year.
2024
Global recognition.
2025
A new model.
2005
When a single taste became everything.
In Tuscany, one unforgettable olive oil encounter began a lifelong pursuit of quality.
2009–2013
Vision takes root.
Learning in groves and at the mill led to early harvest oils shared with friends and family. An idea forms: olive oil as regeneration.
2014
Social farming begins.
Work in the groves expands to include social farming initiatives, creating meaningful agricultural work for individuals navigating reintegration and recovery.
2016
The philosophy becomes public.
Abandoned Grove formally takes shape. Harvest dinners and gatherings begin in Toronto, connecting people directly to the groves and harvest behind the oil.
2020
A global conversation.
Obsessed with Olive Oil, the first feature-length documentary dedicated to olive oil quality, premieres and reframes the global conversation about quality extra virgin olive oil.
2022
Expanding the work.
Collaborations with universities, institutions, and biodiversity initiatives deepen the connection between olive oil, grove restoration, and scientific research.
2023
A milestone year.
Nearly 5,000 abandoned trees are brought back into care. Fil Bucchino is recognized internationally with awards for his contributions to olive oil culture and quality.
2024
Global recognition.
B Corp certified with the highest score in the olive oil industry, while the world of olive oil premieres on PBS worldwide.
2025
A new model.
Tree guardianship and grove custodian programmes formally launch, creating a new economic model in which restoring groves that produce exceptional oil and sustaining communities become part of the same system.
Be Part of the Return.
Guard a tree. Each season, its freshly pressed oil is sent straight to you.
Become a GuardianOffer someone the experience of caring for a tree and sharing its harvest.
Gift a Tree