Olieve & Olie

Olieve & Olie began in 2000, as a small 15 acre property on the banks of the Gunbower Creek, 50km west of Echuca. The owners, Andy & Jude Steele, who originally had farmland on King Island, planted 2000 olive trees. The climate and soil of the property was the perfect condition for growing olives. The trees flourished and the olives were abundant and of superior quality. Shortly after their first harvest, Jude began making her first batch of olive oil soap.

In 2010, Andy & Jude sold their grove and moved to the Mornington Peninsula. Olieve & Olie continued to grow from their home studio in St Andrews Beach. The sea-change allowed Jude to concentrate on growing the business, and the close proximity to Melbourne was a great advantage. They still sourced their olive oil from their old grove, maintaining the connection and quality of all their products. Andy heads north every year to prune the old grove, and they have a great relationship with the new owners.

It wasn't long before Andy & Jude outgrew their home studio. In April 2015 their daughter, Sarah, joined the team. With a background in Accounting, Sarah moved the business into a purpose built factory in Rosebud, giving them room to grow. In 2017, Sarah's brother, Hal, joined the business and they expanded into a second factory. Winning a Gift & Life InStyle Gala Award in 2016 and a finalist in 2017, and then a finalist in the Peninsula Business Awards in 2018, Olieve & Olie is a real 'kitchen to factory' success story.