Behind every bottle of olive oil there is a story. Not only the story of olives, harvest and pressing — but also of people, of a place, of a house where it all comes home. For Uliveto di Mede, that place is a house in Sicarico, a village in Puglia where our olive grove lies and where the seasons set the rhythm.

The house had stood there long before we arrived. A typical Apulian farmhouse — whitewashed walls, thick stones that keep out the summer heat and fend off the winter damp, a terracotta roof that has known the same rain for decades. When we first saw it, the shutters were closed, the garden overgrown, and the trees around it — our olive grove today — had not been pruned for years.

But there was something in the air. The scent of wild thyme. The silence you only hear on an Apulian hillside. And that unmistakable feeling of a place waiting for someone who wants to live in it again.

A house as a working base

Today the house is much more than a holiday home. It is our working base during the harvest, our archive, our meeting place with the local olive mill and the farmers who help us during busy periods.

In November — the harvest month — the house comes fully alive. Early mornings in the grove, long days of picking, endless trips to the olive mill a few kilometres away, and evenings tasting the first oil of the year at a table that looks as if it came straight from the 1960s. The scent of fresh oil that still burns at the back of the throat. Stamp cards from a year of work.

The rest of the year is quieter, but not empty. Spring means pruning. Summer means managing weeds and checking the irrigation. A house that breathes to the rhythm of the trees.

What this house means for our olive oil

Many olive oil brands — even premium ones — work with olives bought in from multiple growers. The oil is blended, bottled in industrial facilities, and only then given a story. With us it works the other way round: the story came first, and the business grew out of it.

When our olives are harvested, it happens literally within walking distance of the house. When they are pressed, it happens a few kilometres away. When they are bottled, I know which bottle comes from which plot. That is not a marketing claim — it is the logistical reality of working on this scale.

And it is exactly what we want to keep, even as we grow. The house in Sicarico is not a romantic backdrop. It is the physical guarantee that our oil cannot escape its origins.

An invitation

For customers interested in a visit during the harvest — or simply curious about the place the oil comes from — the door is ajar. We are not an agriturismo and we do not offer formal tours, but for anyone genuinely interested in the story, we make time.

Get in touch if you would like to drop by, or adopt an olive tree and receive updates from the house throughout the year.

Frequently asked questions

Can I visit your house in Sicarico?

We welcome visitors by appointment. We are not an agriturismo and do not run regular tours, but for customers and interested visitors staying longer in the region, we can arrange a visit to the grove, especially during the harvest in November.

Do you live in Sicarico all year round?

No. We are based in Belgium and stay in Sicarico at crucial moments of the olive year — the harvest, the pruning, and periods when the grove needs intensive attention. The rest of the year the house is looked after by local partners.

Is the house available to rent or stay in?

No, the house is private and not available as holiday accommodation.

How do I receive updates from the house and the grove?

Through our newsletter we share photos and updates from the grove, the house and the harvest throughout the year. Anyone who adopts an olive tree also receives personal seasonal updates about their own tree.

Can I stay near Sicarico?

Certainly. Monopoli — a few kilometres away — is a beautiful harbour town with countless agriturismi and B&Bs. Polignano a Mare and Alberobello (a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its typical trulli) are also close by. We are happy to advise on a stay in the region.