Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Istria has given birth to another jewel in the olive oil industry – the extra virgin olive oil Fameja. This boutique brand of extraordinary quality olive oil has come out on the market in a limited edition of just 100 bottles. House behind the name Fameja, a melodious word for family, is the OPG Tekovic from Rakalj. OPG Teković is a family of three generations which has been hard at work on producing this fragrant oil for decades now – but until now, they made it solely for their own needs.
The names of the two oils they presented, Mati and Šći, were found in the local dialect of Rakalj, where mati means mother and šći means daughter. Fameja Mati is a varietal oil obtained from Istrian white olives. This strong oil harmonizes seemingly incompatible traits: it’s bitter and sweet, fruity and spicy, all in the same drop of oil. But that’s what mothers in Fameja are, decisive and firm, but at the same time caring and full of love. Olive oil Mati was inspired by real, strong women.
Oil Fameja Šći is light and extremely aromatic – a sweet combination of Leccino and Pendolino varieties. This fragrant oil, like all youth in Fameja, is bright, cheerful and playful. Šći is a fruity, herbal oil inspired by all of Fameja’s daughters, pure happiness and hearty laughter. The most beautiful ode to the joy of life.
People at Fameja say that they started planting olives so that the care for olive groves would connect them for life, and so they would see each other more and more. They live in different cities, they’ve started their own families, they are building their careers, they have their own hobbies and interests, but they continue to see each other, to work, and socialize regularly, and consider this their great success. The olive grove brought extra joy to the wider family, it became a firm bond and a favorite conversation topic.
“Planting the olive grove, from today’s perspective, was one of the best things we could have done for ourselves. Caring for an olive grove means spending a lot of time in nature, physical work in the field, getting energy from the sun and the winds, and regular gathering with family throughout the year. We always spice up our gatherings with laughter and good food, and in the period of harvest, we add young olive oil to the mix, which we all love. That feeling, a mix of love and pride, is priceless,” said Alberto Teković, Fameja’s spiritus movens.
Fameja’s branding was created by a Zagreb based agency Alert, and Fameja’s member Ines Teković from Čarobne riječi helped them in finding the right words. You can easily recognize Fameja. Intense green color with refined pearl glow on the black matt base for Mati, and an intense green color with a refined pearl glow on the white matt base for the Šći. The logo represents a stylized representation of the oil that is poured out of the bottle. But in it, you can also see the hint of the olive tree, and a circle of people holding their hands around the tree.
“Everything is authentic here, and that is actually the greatest success in our business. When you tell the truth in words and picture, it shines with equal glory both on paper, on the label and on the faces of our clients. We’ve rounded up the story of people who work with love, and we love engagements such as this one,” said Lana Bedeković Rosandić, Alert’s manager.
The Fameja family has managed to preserve their closeness, although they have grown up long ago. They always have something new to say, another branch to cut, another variety to plant. In modern times, when a man is spending most of his time sitting in a closed room, to work in the olive grove is a special and rare pleasure. Fameja’s third generation is growing up in this spirit – all of them city children who learned to love nature, the village and the work through play and learning in the olive grove.