About
Virginian Natural Olive Trees was established in 1996 when the olive industry in Australia was forming and there was a great deal of interest in the commercial scale production of groves for the creation of a high quality olive oil and table olive industry.
The site of the Virginian Natural Olive Trees nursery was originally a small olive grove planted by Nick Bakopanos in the 1970’s as a hobby farm to produce the much loved Kalamata variety of olives which originated from his birthplace in the Peleponese in Greece. In the mid 1990’s his son Tony used this small plantation of Kalamata olive trees as mother stock to propagate olive trees for sale in the booming olive industry.
The nursery specialises in the famous Kalamata variety olive tree and other dual purpose (oil and table) and popular oil varieties. It is also unique in the fact that it is the only nursery in Australia who grafts all varieties of trees produced onto feral rootstock. The use of feral rootstock has proven to be the ideal medium to produce hardy vigorous growing trees.
About the history of our rootstock
Olives were introduced to South Australia in the 1830’s by a few visionaries who saw the potential of this ancient tree.
The climate and soil in the state resemble that of the Mediterranean and the tree became well established. These original groves were later abandoned through lack of interest and some of the trees went feral.
In the mid 1990’s Tony contacted the parks and owners of these properties where the trees were growing in abundance and set about harvesting these feral trees for use as rootstock for olive propagation. Not only has the olive industry benefited from these pioneers who planted the original trees but the parks and properties who consider these trees pests have been done a service by having them removed. The reason for this stock being so hardy is that these trees have over the last 170 years have adapted to the Australian climate and soil type and regerminated themselves time and time again. These trees have survived droughts, bushfires, frosts and have gone on to be transformed into strong thriving healthy grafted trees which have grown exceptionally well in all Australian climates and soil types.