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Description
*** WINTER 2024/2024***
We are considering hosting a short stay for odd jobs that have built up (eg. painting). In this case , we would be less involved in a cultural experience, and ask very light independent working hours, with no meals, in exchange of accommodations in order to discover the Island Brač in the winter months.
*** SPRING 2025 PRUNING***
Reach out now to discuss March Pruning season in the Olive grove.
*** We Do Not Host in the Summer - Our accommodations are reserved during the tourist season, starting April/May until October *** Please do not message about a summer workaway, as we try to make sure to respond to every inquiry, these inquiries create extra work for us .
Please read below for more information...
Born and raised in Canada, My wife and I decided to return to the land of my family and rejuvenate an inherited olive grove. Using organic and regenerative agricultural practices, we are passionate about raising healthy olives and animals, cultivate organic produce in our garden, as well as sharing our passion.
We have many one-time projects and work that is often seasonal in nature. Therefore our need for workawayers and the type of help/type of accommodations changes regularly. If you have come across our profile and are interested, please check the other sections for detailed information on some of the projects (especially the time of year) that we are looking to have help with. Read carefully as each hosting has different amount of hours with different types of exchange (regarding accommodations and meals)
Types of help and learning opportunities
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The tradition of raising Olives on Island brač on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia is both ancient and culturally engrained in the local communities. We find it ultimately a peaceful and spiritual experience that we love to share with family, friends, tourists, and anyone else interested in living as close to the land as possible.
Winter season is a time where the island is sleepy and even a bit isolated. If you are looking for peace and quiet, this is where you will find it. If you are looking for a lot of people and bustling attractions, we think you may be disappointed as many establishments are only open in the summer season. This is also the time that our family rests and rejuvenates outside our work day with solitude and quiet privacy.
Summer Season we do not generally host with Workaway because it is hot, there is not a lot of farm work in the heat of the summer, and we work in the tourist industry during this season. Our accommodations are used as tourist rental in the months of May-October. It is when the island gets busier with tourists from all over the world coming to enjoy the crystal clear waters, award winning beaches, and Mediterranean climate. We have much less free time in the summer so incase we do list a Workaway in the summer - you should be comfortable and happy to spend free time independently of us, although we are confident you wont be disappointed with this free time to yourself.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Annual Olive Harvest
We Host two people in our separate apartment. We pick every day (that there is no rain) for approximately 2-3 weeks - starting around October 14 - for approx. 5 hours with a break to provide the main meal of the day. You are welcome to arrive beginning of October or into November - to enjoy "time off" in the accommodations before or after harvest season, depending on an agreement with regards to providing meals. To be clear - Extra time off is offered in accommodations so that it is fair that you are not provided with all meals during your stay.
The help involves moving harvesting nets under the trees, collecting the olives from the nets into baskets, and hand picking the olives between moving nets. baskets of lives weigh approx. 25 kg, and we move them around the feild as they are collected.
Annual Spring Pruning
This includes 2-4 hours a day of physical work in the olive grove. The help requires the collection of cut branches and burning in the field. This doesn't require a lot of strength but you should know there is constant bending to pick up the olive branches. We will provide the occasional lunch in the field on longer days (most meals are your responsibility with the short work hours) and days off dependant on the weather.
Winter Homeschool Help/Projects/Cooking
Our children attend a homeschooling pod, where families of expat and local children who have had a difficult time in the state system have come together to create a supportive and alternative school option. We have one teacher to teach IB curriculum - but the parents and volunteers make up the rest of the contributions to allow for a full educational experience for the children that would otherwise fall through the cracks.
We have had workaway volunteers enquire about the school entity sponsoring residency. The pod is completely non-profit and volunteer based, and as such has no ability to help a travelling person(s) with the ability to apply for residency in Croatia.
Insurance:
As there are many kinds of coverage for both EU/Non EU nationals, we expect that our workaways choose the best options that suit their travel and stay considering the help being done with us.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Croatian: Fluent
Accommodation
30m squared small stone cottage with a loft sleeping arrangement. Slightly larger than a "tiny home". Heated by a woodburning stove. There is a small kitchen and bathroom. This apartment is used as an income source for our family, so we ask that you keep this in mind with regards to keeping it clean and maintained, including a deep clean before leaving the apartment: ready as if rental guests would arrive.
MEALS:
We are generally looking for someone who can provide their own meals for breakfast, dinner, and days we are not working together. The main meal of the day (usually lunch) is shared when we work in the field for olive picking.
During Pruning season, we only work 2-4 hours a day with plenty of days off, and for this time of year we ask workaways to take care of their own meals besides an occasional field lunch and snacks on longer days.
As a family we have an animal based diet. For this reason it is difficult to accommodate our meals with vegan or vegetarian requirements, but we have hosted where we have found a way to make this work for everyone with different arrangements for the workaway exchange.
Because there is a king bed the loft, and a pull out couch, we may be able to host a group of travellers larger than two, dependent on how you are comfortable sharing the bed options.
* We don't often host a single traveller as our accommodations are more efficient to host two.*
*We do not generally host workaways with children as we are not comfortable with the loft and ladder setup and children and heights as a liability*
We have children ; While you have your own space and privacy, you should be comfortable and kind, but also confident and firm around them, being able to set boundaries with them (They are a bit "free range" So you will need to be able to tell them when you've had enough).
What else ...
The island of Brač is home to one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe (Zlatni rat in Bol). There are hiking and biking trails, and unspoiled coastline and many historical sites and attractions. The island is well connected by ferry to the mainland attractions including Split. Our grove is located in a small and peaceful village. Although it is relatively close to the main port town (about a 40 minute walk) it is for those who prefer a peaceful setting. There are buses to the other side of the island (reduced schedule in the winter), and taxi's are available. We can pick up and drop off when you arrive on the ferry. We can also coordinate shopping trips to the bigger grocery stores should you need supplies and don’t have your own transportation.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
While staying in our guest house, you have your own broadband internet (the best plan money can buy for the island - The speed is usually between 20-50, unless it's high tourist season in the summertime).
Space for parking camper vans
We have a few parking spaces for smaller vehicles, for a large motorhome we can find another solution but would not be directly at our location
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (17)
This was my first exchange and my first time traveling. Crystal and Marjiano were very helpful and accommodating with whatever we needed.
The work was very simple; we just picked up the branches that were… read more
We really appreciated their hard work, they knew what to do intuitively. We hope their travels and future plans are full of great… read more
Crystal and Mariano are the kindest people. They were very welcoming and made sure we had everything we needed.… read more
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This was my first exchange and my first time traveling. Crystal and Marjiano were very helpful and accommodating with whatever we needed.
The work was very simple; we just picked up the branches that were… read more
We really appreciated their hard work, they knew what to do intuitively. We hope their travels and future plans are full of great… read more
Crystal and Mariano are the kindest people. They were very welcoming and made sure we had everything we needed.… read more
Picking olives was a great experience and didn't feel like a work at all. We were talking while working, sharing our ideas,
chating about trips and many things, every lunch was a feast... Besides, it was really interesting to listen to… read more
