Mardouw Olive Estate

General information

Mardouw Olive Estate is located at the foot of the spectacular Langeberg Mountains in the middle of the famous Garden Route. The farm is situated halfway between Swellendam and Ashton and about 200km from Cape Town.
In 1795 the farmers of Swellendam declared themselves independent when they rebelled against the Dutch. Hermanus Steyn was chosen to be the president of this new Republic, but his rein did not last long as the British again gained control of the Cape Colony. Swellendam returned to its original status. On the Mardouw Estate you will find the grave of Hermanus Steyn, in a plot marked by a granite gravestone. This gravestone can be seen from the main house in an olive grove.
Every journey begins with a single step. Mardouw Olive Estate took the first step in 2002. Every step has brought with it moments of joy, moments of elation, moments of hope, moments of hesitation, moments of contemplation and here we are today, many moments gone by. Our products are an ode to our history, a tribute to our heritage, a momento of our evolvement.
The Verder family bought the 1000ha land from the Van Eeden brothers. The land was made up of vineyard and various other fruits, but is now home to the most beautiful olive trees.
The main house at Mardouw was built over 100 years ago and was tastefully transformed into a modern homestead by the Verder family. Today the house can be used as a high-class venue for intimate weddings and special occasions. We invite you to celebrate your special occasion at Mardouw, for it will be a memorable experience, enjoyed in an unsurpassed setting.
When the Verder family bought the land they decided to grow something other than vines, as the soil of Mardouw is very fertile. After many deliberations with one of South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council’s olive research specialist, he confirmed that the soil was excellent for growing olives. The soil together with the Mediterranean-like climate conditions made for perfect growing conditions for premium quality olives, especially Kalamata and Mission.
The olive trees of Mardouw are planted in a unique way using the latest technology in olive tree planting. 1100 trees are planted per hectare instead of 300 trees as seen in other countries. The trees are planted to be no more than 2 meters in height. These methods of planting provide easy entry for sunlight onto the blossoms and small olives on the branches ensuring excellent results.
Mardouw plants new trees of different cultivars annually. There are more than 50 000 trees on 43ha of land currently in full production, and the estate is planning to expand to 200ha olive trees in the future. Every step will be done in cooperation with the ARC.
Mardouw Olive Estate is proud to be the producers of excellent quality olive oil and table olives. The processing of our oil and table olives are done with the latest technology and the products are continuously checked by outside laboratories, ensuring only the best quality.
You can be sure that you have bought one of the best Olive products.
We produce in harmony with the environment.