The Story of Olverum

An extraordinary tale of a family secret, hidden in a monastery, a lifetime of passion and specialist knowledge…

Olverum came into being due to the German wine maker, Franz Otto Klein and his wife, Edith, a pharmacologist, and their passion for aromatherapeutic oils. They discovered their favourite blend of essential oils at the famous spa at Baden Baden. However, when the spa ceased production of their house oils, the Kleins set about attempting to recreate it themselves, combing their wine making and laboratory skills. Their home was a former monastery with an apothecary garden, and they combined herbs from the garden into their ultimate blend of essential oils

By 1931 they had perfected the recipe and they distributed the oil to friends and family. During the following decade they could hardly keep up with the demand for their product. With the outbreak of war it was impossible to continue production. Franz stored the remaining oil in stoneware jars buried in the garden

Five years later in 1948 encouraged by the demand for this unique oil, Franz’s son, Peter took over its production. He renamed his refined product True Oil or Olverum

Olverum was now a cult product, made in Germany and recommended by word of mouth. We have been selling it for years in the shop and on line and devotees would fall upon it with glee. In 2014 the brand was relaunched and subesquently introduced to a much wider audience. Winner of The Tatler beauty award in 2018 and described by the Sunday Times as bath nirvana