Rust and Mörbisch

Not only wine thrives here: the best location for olives

Presentation of the products with Günther and Haider, Stagl, Eisenkopf, the Pieretti couple and Mayor Zentgraf.(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

Almost 1200 olive trees grow between the vineyards around Rust and Mörbisch. Now the first oil is available,

Many people associate olive trees with vacations in Italy or Spain. But they are also becoming increasingly common in Burgenland - especially in the region around Rust. The "Olivia" farm run by Franz Günther and Sabine Haider and "Olivae Pannoniae Superioris" run by Reinhold Eder and Angela Pieretti-Eder can be found here. Both farms planted their first trees in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

17 liters from 130 kilos
In the previous year, a total of 130 kilograms of olives were harvested, from which 17 liters of olive oil were pressed in Italy - the farms' first oil. That is a high yield, says Reinhold Eder. When it comes to olives, patience and time are needed. He had been working on the subject for ten years before he planted the first trees with his wife. For the part-time farmer, who comes from the medical sector, the focus is on high quality. The current 518 trees come from a certified grower and are harvested exclusively by hand. "It's a 'militant' concept," says Eder.

Oil with a high polyphenol content
The trees are currently being pruned. The leaves from the cut branches are processed into tea. The main focus of the oil is a high polyphenol content. The aim is to appeal to customers in the high-price segment.

The products range from pickled olives to oil and leaf tea - albeit (still) in manageable quantities.(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

The company plans to press its own olives from 2026
At "Olivia", the olives are also pickled. The yield is increasing by 50 to 100 percent per year, says Franz Günther. The aim is to grow from the current 650 trees to 1000 in the next two years. In 2026, they want to press their own oil. By then, there should be a correspondingly high yield.

Rust and Mörbisch were specifically chosen as locations. Winter and the cold are not an issue for the trees, says Eder. Ultimately, however, climate change also contributes to the fact that the olives can thrive here.

A future for unused land
Mayor Gerold Stagl is proud that olive trees are growing in Rust, which is famous for its wine. Twenty years ago, nobody would have thought that olive trees would grow here, he says. The mayor of Mörbisch, Bettina Zentgraf, also sees an advantage for the cultural landscape: areas that are no longer used for viticulture, for example, could continue to be used for agriculture thanks to new cultivars.

Rethinking agriculture
Agriculture is facing challenges due to increasingly hot summers and longer periods of drought, according to Deputy Governor Astrid Eisenkopf. "We need to rethink new varieties and cultivation techniques." The cultivation of olives shows that new paths can be successfully taken in agriculture.