Restoring
Abandoned Groves
Supporting communities and building a more honest model for extra virgin olive oil
Why preservation matters
Olive Groves are Disappearing
In a global market that rewards speed, scale, and uniformity, many traditional groves produce too little and too slowly to remain economically viable. As they fall out of cultivation, landscapes change, agricultural knowledge fades, and local communities weaken.
Preserving these groves means preserving more than trees. It protects living landscapes, local economies, and the conditions that make exceptional extra virgin olive oil possible.
Abandoned Grove Operates Where Restoration and Quality Meet
By bringing neglected olive groves back into care and working within the limits of the land, we support the communities that sustain these landscapes and produce exceptional extra virgin olive oil rooted in place.
The Scale of the Challenge
When these groves are lost, biodiversity declines, and generations of agricultural knowledge tied to place begin to disappear.
4
Million
Olive trees abandoned in Tuscany.
440
Million
At risk across Italy.
5.2
Billion
At risk worldwide.
Restoring Abandoned Groves
Restoring a grove brings neglected land back into care.
Trees regain structure, soil health improves, and the groves return to cultivation under practices that prioritize biodiversity, quality production, and long-term stewardship.
Each restored grove becomes part of a living agricultural system rooted in place.
Guardianship as Preservation
Each guardianship supports the long-term care of restored groves and the livelihoods of the growers who tend them season after season.
Unlike conventional olive oil production, this model does not rely on speed, outside sourcing, or forcing the land beyond its limits.
Guardians sustain a system built on transparency, quality, and respect for the land, not mass production.
Sustaining the Work
Members and Guardians sustain the work required to care for these groves season after season.
This includes ongoing grove care, careful harvesting, milling, quality analysis, and the systems required to protect the integrity and traceability of each harvest.
A portion of every membership is set aside to bring additional abandoned groves back into care, allowing restoration to extend beyond the groves already under stewardship.
Through this structure, restoration, agriculture, and exceptional extra virgin olive oil remain connected.
Biodiversity by Design
Healthy agricultural landscapes depend on biodiversity.
Across the groves, ground cover is maintained, habitats are protected, and native species are treated as part of the agricultural system rather than obstacles to it.
Abandoned Grove participates in LIFE Olivares Vivos+, a European initiative advancing biodiversity in olive-growing landscapes through science-led restoration.
Independent research confirms the return of wild plants, birds, bats, pollinators, and beneficial insects within restored groves.
The result is healthier soil, balanced ecosystems, and fruit that reflects its landscape with integrity.
Social Farming and Local Economies
Restoring groves is inseparable from supporting the people who care for them.
Since 2014, Abandoned Grove has incorporated social farming into its work within the groves.
To date, 57 individuals navigating mental health challenges, addiction recovery, or reintegration after incarceration have participated in these agricultural programs.
Today, in collaboration with ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale), the work continues with approximately 4,000 hours of social agricultural work each year.
Fair compensation, local supply chains, and long-term relationships remain essential to sustaining both the groves and the communities connected to them.
Certified Commitment
Abandoned Grove is explicitly committed to serving local communities near our groves and within 80 km of our Toronto office.
We prioritize partnerships with these communities to strengthen local economies, support small businesses, and foster sustainability. With 85% of our revenue coming from customers local to our headquarters, our ongoing mission is to build relationships that benefit the communities we proudly serve.
Impact Report
Each season, we document the progress of grove restoration, biodiversity recovery, and the agricultural work taking place across the landscapes under our care.
The Impact Report provides a deeper look at the data, partnerships, and outcomes that support the restoration of abandoned olive groves.
Become Part of the Grove
Care for a rescued olive tree and receive the oil it produces each harvest.
Guard a TreeCare for a small family of trees and deepen your connection to the grove.
Family GuardianshipOffer someone the experience of caring for a tree and sharing its harvest.
Gift a Tree