Basketball Coach Wins Gold, for Olive Oil

Summary

Neven Spahija, a suc­cess­ful bas­ket­ball coach, has also achieved recog­ni­tion in olive oil pro­duc­tion with his brand ​“S Oil” win­ning a gold medal at the New York International Olive Oil Competition. His pas­sion for olive cul­ti­va­tion, rooted in Dalmatian tra­di­tion, has led to the devel­op­ment of an award-win­ning oil blend from his estate in Danilo Gornji, reflect­ing his com­mit­ment to qual­ity and his vision for pro­mot­ing the region’s her­itage through olive tourism.

Renowned bas­ket­ball coach Neven Spahija, 62, has added another acco­lade to his impres­sive career, this time in olive oil pro­duc­tion. His brand, S Oil, secured a Gold Award at the pres­ti­gious NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.

“It’s an incred­i­ble feel­ing,” Spahija told Olive Oil Times, express­ing his delight upon receiv­ing news of the award while in Italy for train­ing with his club, Reyer Venezia.

Spahija, a native of Šibenik, has a sto­ried bas­ket­ball career, boast­ing cham­pi­onship titles in six European coun­tries and expe­ri­ence in the NBA. However, his pas­sion extends beyond the court to his fam­i­ly’s olive groves in Danilo Gornji, near his home­town.

His con­nec­tion to olive cul­ti­va­tion runs deep, rooted in Dalmatian tra­di­tion, where olives sym­bol­ize peace and life. Spahija’s jour­ney began 23 years ago, when he planted 40 trees with his par­ents. Today, his estate encom­passes 180 trees across 10,000 square meters, fea­tur­ing Indigenous vari­eties like Oblica along­side intro­duced cul­ti­vars.

The award-win­ning oil, pro­duced through cold press­ing, is a blend of these vari­eties, noted for its bal­anced fruity, spicy, and bit­ter notes. The brand name, S Oil, reflects the serene atmos­phere of his estate, which is sur­rounded by ancient archae­o­log­i­cal sites and a dry stone wall.

Archaeological site at the entrance to Neven Spahija’s estate

Spahija’s wife, Mateja Kos Spahija, designed the brand’s pack­ag­ing to com­ple­ment the pro­duc­t’s qual­ity. The estate also fea­tures a villa that blends with the nat­ural sur­round­ings and hosts guests and friends world­wide.

Spahija is actively involved in the regional olive grow­ers’ asso­ci­a­tion, ​“Ultra Extra, ” which empha­sizes qual­ity over quan­tity. He bal­ances his coach­ing career with man­ag­ing his olive groves, find­ing solace in the work.

When asked about bas­ket­ball and olive oil pro­duc­tion com­pe­ti­tions, he noted, ​“If you look at the scale, the com­pe­ti­tion among olive grow­ers is greater. There are more of them.”

He envi­sions his estate as a hub for olive tourism, high­light­ing the region’s rich his­tory and nat­ural beauty, includ­ing nearby attrac­tions like the Krka National Park and the Kornati Islands.

Spahija plans to ded­i­cate him­self fully to his olive oil pro­duc­tion and estate in Danilo upon retir­ing from coach­ing. He aims to con­tribute to the region’s devel­op­ment and pro­mote its unique cul­tural and nat­ural her­itage.