Olive wood handicraft

Olives, the fruit of olives trees, are used to produce oil, cosmetics and drugs and extract fuel and olive wood is used to make kitchen utensils and furniture. The production of oil and olives might be the most popular use of the tree. Nevertheless, what follows is a lesser known side of the uses of the olive tree. We are referring to olive wood handicraft. It is a top quality wood and has been used for a long time to make a series of articles and utensils such as home decoration, kitchen tools and even furniture.

The wood of this robust tree has a green ochre colour with irregular streaks of different shapes. It has a very silky appearance and feel despite its degree of hardness and durability. Olive wood has a slow drying process and tends to crack but the resulting articles are excellent, being very smooth, polished and receptive to dyes. After selecting, felling and cutting the tree into pieces and rough-hewing, turning, sanding and drying the wood, the artisan can give free rein to his or her imagination making each piece by hand and bringing it to life with shapes and decorations.

Olive wood handicraft is not produced in mass quantities as it takes time and dedication. Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly more present in fairs, markets and shops. It is handmade by family companies that maintain the tradition of this genuine art. The abundance of olive trees in Mallorca and above all in the Tramuntana mountains explains the use of olive wood in handicraft. Olive wood products are present in many Mallorcan homes. Visitors are also attracted to olive wood products. Vases, mortars, fruit bowls, cutlery, flower vases, chairs, salad bowls, decorative centrepieces, trays, nutcrackers, ashtrays, serviette rings, tables… A wide range of handmade articles that are useful in the kitchen and other areas of the home, as well as decorative and of great beauty. Olive wood is not porous and therefore it has numerous uses. This explains its presence in so many Mallorcan houses.

One of the artisan masters with a longer tradition in Mallorca is based in the municipality of Consell. His factory, Artesanía Bernat Fiol, produces articles made exclusively with olive wood. He has 45 years of experience and the trade has been passed from fathers to sons. The tradition continues to expand today. The wood used in Artesanía Bernat Fiol is recognized for its degree of hardness and beauty. But they are one of the few factories that continue to work with olive wood and so it is hardly surprising that their work and quality are so appreciated. Bernat Fiol and family offer 400 different products. They are unique and perfectly designed articles for the kitchen, decoration and other uses. They guarantee the authenticity, quality and magic of each of their olive wood products. You can buy their products in their factory and shop in Consell and in fairs and markets because the Fiol family has decided to present their products in this kind of events. You will also find their products in thematic and handicraft fairs and in decoration and souvenir shops on the island.

But they are not the only ones that make olive wood handicraft. There is another company in Palma that makes olive wood products. “Hermanos Moreno” is a small company that has been based in the ca’n Valero industrial estate for many years. They are also locally renowned for the quality of their products, which are sold in different locations on the island.