Our Story
Our Story
What began with one man's passion for extra virgin olive oil and a homespun reservation list has led to the rescue and rejuvenation of 64 acres of groves in Florence, Italy, countless community events, and a growing alliance of artisans and experts.
Abandoned Grove wasn’t born as a business plan.
It began as a rebellion—against decline, subpar flavours, and the apathy that leaves groves and communities abandoned around the world.
About twenty years ago, I tasted an extra virgin olive oil that changed everything I thought I knew.
That moment reshaped not only how I understood olive oil—but how I relate to food, community, and ultimately, our planet.
I needed to understand what made that oil so alive. So I returned to Italy, season after season—studying, practicing, and working alongside some of the most influential pioneers in the craft. I learned how to read a grove, taste with precision, and harvest with care—all with one goal: to recreate that experience, and share it with anyone who would listen.
Eventually, I began producing small runs of premium extra virgin olive oil—offering them to a close circle of friends and Chefs in Toronto via a homespun email list.
But the deeper I went, the more I saw what we were losing.
Across the Mediterranean, traditional groves and their native varietals were being abandoned. Not because they lacked value, but because they couldn’t compete with an industry chasing yield, scale, and speed.
Communities were unraveling. Producers I admired were being forced to walk away—or worse, compromise.
As my own list of supporters grew and demand outpaced supply, I faced the same decision: scale fast, source from others, lower the bar, cheat—or do something different.
We chose the latter.
Abandoned Grove became our stand—for patience, for quality, for care. A mission to work with nature, not against it. And a commitment to producing oil that carries the true essence of season, land, and life.
Since 2010 we’ve helped rejuvenate more than 5,000 olive trees—each one a quiet resistance to the systems that leave too much behind.
To this day, we only produce what nature allows: one harvest per year, two bottles per tree, crafted with restraint and delivered only when it’s ready.
Thank you for being here, your presence is already part of the movement.
Fil Bucchino - Founder
Florence-born and Toronto-raised, Fil Bucchino is a globally recognized extra virgin olive oil expert, documentarian, and advocate for sustainability in food systems. He is the host and co-creator of the world’s first awarded documentary on premium extra virgin olive oil, Obsessed with Olive Oil, and the co-host of PBS’s The World of Olive Oil.
Fil judges competitions across four continents, has led tastings at Yale University, and collaborates with leading organizations including the Consorzio Chianti Classico Olio DOP, international embassies, and culinary institutions.
He is the only Canadian listed in Italy’s Directory of Virgin and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Experts, a certified panel taster with ANAPOO in Florence, and among the few North Americans to complete the prestigious four-year ONAOO Sensory Analysis program. In 2017, he was appointed to represent ONAOO’s first international chapter outside Italy.
In 2023, Italy’s AIRO named him Olive Oil Personality of the Year, and Canada’s Italian Chamber of Commerce honored him with the Pentola d’Oro Buonissimo Award for his contributions to culinary culture and sustainability.
With a background in biomedical sciences and an uncompromising commitment to excellence, Fil continues to set a new standard for what extra virgin olive oil can—and should—be.
Every bottle of our extra virgin olive oil transcends geographical boundaries and tells the story of a grove reborn.
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