Welcome to our family grove, where over 1,000 olive trees grow under the warm sun and coastal winds of Croatia. Our olives are harvested with care, mostly by hand, and cold-pressed within hours, producing an oil rich in flavor, antioxidants, and story.
For our Sea-Cured Reserve, we soak the olives in the Adriatic Sea for two weeks, an old method still practiced by only a few villages along the coast. Only 100 bottles will be made.
Our story begins in the olive groves just outside Zadar, Croatia, where our grandfather, Šime, devoted his life to the land he loved.
For Šime, the olive groves were more than a place to harvest. They were a way of life. He lived and breathed the land, tending to his trees with unwavering dedication, season after season. His days were shaped by the rhythm of nature, the changing seasons, and a deep respect for the earth.
The olive oil he produced was never intended for commerce. It was made for his family, a reflection of his hard work, patience, and the simple belief that the finest things in life come from the land and the care we give it.
What began with Šime became a family tradition.
That legacy continued through his son, our father, Krsto, who inherited not only the olive groves but the same deep devotion to the land. He preserved the original family groves while expanding our family's olive-growing land, building upon what his father had begun. Through his dedication and vision, what started as a humble family tradition grew into something that could be preserved and passed on for generations to come.
Today, we are proud to carry that legacy into its next chapter.
Veselo was born from a desire to preserve our family's heritage while sharing the extraordinary olive oil that has been part of our lives for generations.
From our grandfather's hands to our father's dedication, and now to a new generation, our commitment remains unchanged: to honor the land, respect its traditions, and preserve the quality and authenticity of what we produce.
What was once made exclusively for our family is now something we are proud to share with yours.
This is our heritage. This is our family. This is Veselo.
Our grandfather in his grove.
Our Traditions
Salt, sea & time
An Adriatic ritual
Beyond pressing, we preserve a nearly forgotten method, passed down from our grandfather and still practiced by only a few villages along the Adriatic coast. We soak a portion of our olives in the Adriatic Sea for two weeks, allowing the salt water to naturally cure and deepen their flavor.
A whisper of the sea in every drop.
This old-world method gives the oil a richer, more distinct character. It is slow, it is rare, and it is a tradition we are proud to protect. We keep it for one small batch each year, our Sea-Cured Reserve: only 100 bottles, made for flavor.
Old trees near Zadar, warmed by the sun and cooled by the sea air.
Family
The same grove, cared for by the same family for three generations.
Tradition
Careful harvesting, cold pressing and sea curing, done the way Šime did.
A Brighter Table
Veselo means joyful in Croatian. Good oil makes a meal feel that way.
Our Olive Oil
Cold-pressed. Clean. Uncompromised.
Not all olive oil is created equal. Each step of our process is done with intention, and limited seasonal batches mean we choose quality over quantity, every time.
At peak ripeness
Harvested with care
Our family harvests our own trees at the moment the olives are ready, mostly by hand.
Within hours
Pressed cold
Never exposed to heat or chemicals, which preserves the vibrant flavor, rich green-gold color, and antioxidants like polyphenols and vitamin E.
Straight to bottle
Nothing taken away
Always unfiltered, unrefined, and unblended. A pure expression of our grove.
Fresh from the press
Green-gold, the day it is made
This is our oil at the mill, moments after pressing. Fresh extra virgin olive oil runs bright green-gold and slightly cloudy, full of the fruit's aroma.
We bottle it unfiltered, so what you pour at home is as close as possible to this moment.
Two oils, two purposes
Which Veselo is right for you?
Classic Extra Virgin
For health and every day
Maximum polyphenols.
Harvested with care, mostly by hand, and cold-pressed within hours
Extra virgin is the highest grade of olive oil. It is made only by mechanical pressing, with no heat or solvents, and it must pass both a lab test (free acidity of 0.8% or less) and a tasting panel that finds no defects. Refined and “light” oils do not meet that standard. Our 2025 harvest measured 0.28%.
How to taste it
Three signs of fresh oil
FruityGreen aromas of fresh-cut grass, leaf and green olive.
BitterA pleasant bitterness on the tongue, from fresh fruit.
PepperyA tickle at the back of the throat. That is the polyphenols.
Cooking
Use it every day
Extra virgin olive oil is made for raw finishing: over bread, salads, grilled fish and soups. It also handles everyday sautéing and roasting well. Pour it last, generously, and taste the difference.
Storage
Keep it fresh
Light, heat and air are what age olive oil. Keep the bottle capped, away from the stove and out of the sun. Our dark glass protects the oil, and it tastes best within a few months of opening.
Lab results
Lab-verified extra virgin
We have our oil independently tested. Our 2025 harvest was analyzed by an official food laboratory in Zadar and met every European standard for extra virgin olive oil, most of them by a wide margin.
Certified extra virgin · 2025 harvest
Test
Our 2025 harvest
Extra virgin limit
Free acidityMeasures how fresh and sound the olives were when pressed. Lower is better.
0.28%
≤ 0.8 %
Peroxide valueShows early oxidation of the oil. Lower is fresher.
13.5mEq O₂/kg
≤ 20
K232A UV test for oxidation.
1.66
≤ 2.50
K268A UV test for later oxidation and any refining.
0.10
≤ 0.22
ΔKConfirms the oil has not been refined or blended.
0.00
≤ 0.01
Source: J.S. Hamilton Croatia d.o.o., PJ1 laboratory, Zadar. Analytical report 6795/25, 21 November 2025. Tested against EU Delegated Regulation 2022/2104. Bars show each result as a share of its limit. Results for the November 2026 harvest will be posted here.
Polyphenols
The goodness you can taste
Polyphenols are natural antioxidants made by the olive itself. They are a big part of what makes extra virgin olive oil special, and you can taste them: they give fresh oil its pleasant bitterness and the peppery tickle at the back of your throat.
Where they come fromThe olive fruit. They pass into the oil only when it is pressed cold and never refined.
Why we move fastPolyphenols start to fade once olives are picked, so we press within hours of harvest.
How to keep themHeat, light, air and time all lower them. Keep the bottle capped and enjoy it within a few months of opening.
On the label
GradeExtra Virgin
OriginZadar, Croatia
ProcessCold pressed
IngredientsExtra virgin olive oil
HarvestNovember 2026
Sizes250 · 500 · 750 mL
Serving size1 Tbsp (15 mL)
Calories120
Total fat 14 g18%
Saturated fat 2 g10%
Trans fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg · Sodium 0 mg0%
Carbohydrate 0 g · Protein 0 g0%
Field Notes
Harvest Highlights
What others are saying about our family, our grove and Veselo.
Featured inCroatia Week
From New York to the Dalmatian groves: Pavić Veselo Olive Oil's joyful journey
Croatia Week visited our family grove in Kožino, just outside Zadar, ahead of the harvest. The feature follows co-founder Kristina Pavić from New York back to the trees her grandfather Šime planted and her father Krsto expanded, and her hope of bringing Croatian olive oil the recognition it deserves around the world.
“I may live in New York, but my heart is here in Croatia.”Kristina Pavić, co-founder
Questions about our oil, wholesale for your shop or restaurant, or press enquiries. Send us a note and we will reply by email.
CompanyVeselo LLC
OfficeNew York, NY
The groveNear Zadar, Croatia
Webwww.veselooliveoil.com
Waitlist
Choose your oil
Our first harvest is a small, seasonal batch, in two oils: our Classic extra virgin in three sizes, and a limited Sea-Cured Reserve. Bottles go on sale after the November 2026 harvest. Join the waiting list and you will get 48 hours of early access before bottles go on sale to everyone.
Classic Extra Virgin
Cold-pressed within hours of harvest for the most polyphenols. For everyday cooking and for health.
To try or to gift
250 mL
About 16 tablespoons. A first taste of our grove, or a gift for someone who cooks.
Harvest: November 2026Coming soon · Join the waiting list
The everyday bottle
500 mL
33 tablespoons. Right for a kitchen that pours olive oil every day.
Harvest: November 2026Coming soon · Join the waiting list
For the family table
750 mL
50 tablespoons. For big households, long dinners and generous pours.
Harvest: November 2026Coming soon · Join the waiting list
100Bottles only
Limited edition · 250 mL
Sea-Cured Reserve
A separate small batch made the old-fashioned way. Before pressing, the olives soak in the Adriatic Sea for two weeks, as our grandfather Šime did. The salt water cures the fruit and gives the oil a deeper, savory character. There are only 100 bottles, so you can taste the old tradition for yourself.
A finishing oil, made solely for flavor. Drizzle it over baked fish, roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables and fresh bread. It still contains polyphenols, though at much lower levels than our Classic. For the most polyphenols, choose our Classic extra virgin.
250 mL
Coming soon · 100 bottlesHarvest: November 2026
Waiting list
Be first to taste the new harvest
Croatian roots. A fuller tomorrow.
Tell us which oils and sizes you are interested in. Waiting list members get 48 hours of early access before bottles go on sale to everyone, and the 100 Sea-Cured Reserve bottles are offered to the list first, in the order people sign up. We will only email you about the launch.
VESELOFirst harvest · November 2026
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VESELO
