Estate Living Digital Publication Issue 9 September 2015 | Page 24

ESTATE REVIEW A lifestyle like no other

CROYDON
OLIVE ESTATE
Resting amongst the magnificent
Helderberg mountain ranges in
Somerset West is the Croydon Olive
Estate, a charming estate offering
homeowners a rare opportunity to
live on an operational olive farm
without having to work on one.

Croydon Olive Estate is entirely independent from
neighbouring Croydon Vineyard and was born out
of a desire to create an estate that not only offered
a secure family centred lifestyle, but was also
financially sustainable in the long-term.
Unlike other estates, which encompass extremely
expensive golf courses, Croydon Olive Estate is
unique in that it offers private open spaces with
a measurable return on investment, reducing the
financial burden on the Homeowners’ Association
(HOA), yet still retaining a wonderfully enhanced
standard of living. Representing the warm
Mediterranean, the olive is a graceful and timeless
evergreen tree that is long living and works very

well in the South African climate. Just over seven
hectares of the 34-hectare Croydon Olive Estate is
used for farming olives and each residential plot
backs onto an olive orchard. Although very much in
its infancy, it is anticipated that the sales of olives to
local businesses and residents will be profitable in
creating ongoing revenue for the estate.
The developers have created a standalone
company that will market the olives and bottles of
olive oil produced and, once the estate has been
completed in its entirety, will transfer ownership of
this company to the homeowners. Up until then,
the developer has undertaken responsibility to
subsidise any operational shortfalls and ensure that