The story of the Ostojić family farm began more than a century ago. In the area of Peračko Blato, grandfather Ivan planted the first fig trees, thus beginning a tradition of cultivation that would later become a hallmark of the entire region. Figs were not always the most important crop in this part of Dalmatia; in fact, grapevines and olives held a primary and dominant role in rural households. The circumstances that led to the shift towards what was then a secondary crop included the construction of a tunnel in 1938 connecting the lake with the sea, which caused the drying of the area now known as Peračko Blato, along with the migration of people from the slopes of Biokovo toward the coast and the cultivation of agricultural land that had previously been underwater. In the following decades, tourism developed and demand for figs increased. By the 1980s, the development of agricultural cooperatives and the microclimate of the Baćina Lakes area – with its alluvial soils and lake humidity – made the region suitable for growing figs of exceptional, superior quality.
For almost half a century, figs have been the main crop cultivated by the Ostojić family. Following in the footsteps of grandfather Ivan, Tomo Ostojić preserves the family tradition, experience, and little secrets, while also developing the cultivation using modern and expert knowledge; he attended the Agricultural High School in Metković, and then the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb. During his studies, he came up with an idea for the future direction of the family farm: to enrich the traditional production of dried figs and start processing them into various fig-based products. Thus, alongside the dried fig and fruit fig cake, a spicy fig cake was created – based on the pairing of figs with wine and cheese – as well as green fig jam, fig sauce, fig-based energy bars, and many other products. With the modernization of the processing facility, acquisition of new machinery, and the use of modern technology in fig cultivation and processing, OPG OSTOJIĆ meets the standards of modern agricultural production. That is why the future of our family farm is clear: maintaining the highest quality standards while developing new products and expanding production capacities.
As part of Operation 6.3.1 of the Rural Development Programme, funds in the amount of 111,600.00 HRK were approved for the project: purchase of machinery, marketing, and acquisition of agricultural land. Project goal – improving product quality and availability.
