• Apples being sliced on the olive wood cutting board in an Ontario kitchen
  • Olive wood cutting board with aged cheddar and apples in an Ontario log cabin kitchen in fall
  • One-piece olive wood cutting board with live edge and handle hole
  • Olive wood cutting board from the side, 1 inch thick
  • Close-up of the olive wood grain of Nello's board
  • Nello Ferraro in his barn in Beamsville, Ontario with a finished board

Final batch • In 6 active carts right now • 38 pieces remaining

Nello's Olive Cutting Board

Nello's Olive Cutting Board

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Nello Ferraro
Cut and carved by Nello Ferraro
★★★★★ 4.9 (539)
Apples being sliced on the olive wood cutting board in an Ontario kitchen

Nello's Olive Cutting Board

$56.00
$56.00 $76.00
SAVE $20 Sold out
Cut and carved by Nello Ferraro · Beamsville, Niagara, Ontario

Cut from a single slab of his family’s olive wood

Nello Ferraro, 68, thirty-eight years in olive wood. His uncle Vincenzo kept the family grove above Rossano in Calabria. When it was cleared in 1988, the trunks were piled up to burn. Nello had one shipped to Ontario in a sea container. That first board went to his mother in Hamilton. It’s still the only thing he makes — and this batch is his last.

2,710 Janka hardness — sugar maple is ~1,450
1 in 5 Blanks rejected before they leave the barn
38 Years at the same bench in Niagara
Zero Living trees cut down for it

"The wood sat in the barn for eighteen months before I touched it. You can't rush olive. Dry it too quick and it'll let you know about it six months after you've given it away."

Nello Ferraro · Beamsville, Ontario
The last batch

Thirty-eight years in the barn. This is the last batch.

Nello still gets a kick out of the first pass of the plane, when a cracked old trunk turns gold and the grain comes up underneath. Making something beautiful out of his family’s trees is what he loves doing, and always has.

But olive is about the hardest wood you can work, and every board is hours of gripping, pushing and scraping. At 68, his hands and shoulders have had enough. His fingers ache before his first coffee, his grip goes by mid-afternoon, and a big day at the bench costs him the next two. There’s no apprentice and nobody to take on the barn.

So this batch is Nello’s last. Once these boards are gone, that’s it.

What arrives
I The Cutting Board One slab, no seam. Natural live edge, carved handle hole, both sides finished.
II Already Oiled Food-grade mineral oil, applied in the barn. Ready to use or to wrap and give.
III Measurement Card The real dimensions and weight of your board. Not a range, not an estimate.
IV Ninety Days Not right? Send it back for a full refund. No explanation needed.
What sets it apart from a big-box cutting board Six things — and every one is something you can check yourself.
01 One piece, no seam Nearly every wooden board sold in Canada is three or four narrow strips glued flat. Flip this one over. The grain runs front to back, unbroken. There is no seam to open and nothing held together with glue.
02 Janka 2,710 Nearly twice as hard as the sugar maple a lot of Canadian boards are made from. That density keeps knife marks shallow and the surface hygienic, even after years of daily cooking.
03 Dried over months, not weeks A freshly cut olive trunk holds more than half its weight in water. Nello air-dries his blanks in a Niagara barn for months, kiln-finishes them, then rests them again. Rush that and the board checks once it is in your kitchen.
04 Ontario, not a warehouse Cut, dried and packed in Beamsville, Ontario. Shipped across Canada with Canada Post — no duties, no brokerage fees, no customs holds. You know exactly who made it.
05 Arrives ready to use Handmade boards have a reputation for arriving raw and dusty. Yours is oiled, wiped down and wrapped in the barn before it goes anywhere.
06 A size that actually works Around 40–46 cm (16–18 in) long and 2.5 cm (1 in) thick, roughly 1.1 kg (2.4 lb). Enough board for Sunday dinner or a proper charcuterie board, heavy enough that it stays put when you chop.

"I’ll be straight with you: the hands are done. If they’d let me, I’d keep going — I’ve loved every minute out here. But Zio Vincenzo always said olive is to be looked after, not rushed, and I won’t send out a board I’m not happy with."

Nello Ferraro · at the bench since 1988
Who this is for
The one who hosts Thanksgiving Charcuterie and cheese platters Bread, garlic, herbs, every day Moms, grandmas and nonnas A gift that isn’t another bottle Buy-it-for-life people
90 Ninety days, no questions asked

Use it daily. Take it to Christmas dinner. Cut on it, serve on it, put it through its paces. If it isn’t right — for any reason, including no reason — send it back for a full refund.

Product details
Size Approx. 40–46 × 20–25 × 2.5 cm (about 16–18 × 8–10 × 1 in), natural outline — varies board to board
Weight Approx. 1.1 kg (2.4 lb)
Material Solid olive wood (Olea europaea), one piece. No glued strips, no laminate, no veneer, no filler.
Hardness Janka approx. 2,710 lbf (12 kN) — sugar maple, common in Canadian boards, is approx. 1,450 lbf
Wood source Old olive groves in Calabria, southern Italy — trunk wood from groves cleared and replanted. No bearing tree is cut for this.
Drying Air-dried in a Niagara barn, kiln-dried to approx. 8%, then rested before working
Finish Food-grade mineral oil, satin. No stain, no lacquer, no sealant. Arrives oiled.
Grain Flame, Burl, Honey or Storm — decided by the tree, not selectable
Care Hand wash, dry upright. Never dishwasher, never soaked. Re-oil monthly the first year.
Cut and carved by Nello Ferraro, Beamsville, Ontario — at the bench since 1988
Availability Last batch. Nello is retiring — once these boards sell out, there’s no restock.
Shipping Ships from Ontario with Canada Post, free across Canada. No customs, no duties, no brokerage fees at the door.
Nello Ferraro Beamsville, Niagara, Ontario
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Free Shipping Across Canada

Free shipping across Canada

- Delivery time: 3–7 business days with Canada Post
- Ships from Ontario: no duties, no brokerage fees at the door
- Every board is oiled, wrapped and packed by hand in Niagara
- 90-day money-back guarantee — just email support@backroad-goods.com

View full details

180+ Verified Buyers

Excellent 4.8

What Nello's customers are saying

Customer unboxing the olive wood board in her front hall in winter

Came in from shovelling, saw the box on the porch and opened it right there in the front hall with my boots still on. My daughter thought my face was funny enough to take a picture. I had no idea it would be this big. It's on the counter now and the old plastic ones are in the basement.

Verified

Sandra M. – Sudbury, ON

Squash and carrots for Thanksgiving dinner chopped on the board

Did the vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner on it the day after it arrived. It doesn't budge on the counter even when I'm leaning on it to get through a squash, and the knife marks are pretty much gone after a wipe and a bit of oil. My wife calls it "my board" now. It isn't, it's everyone's.

Verified

Wayne H. – Peterborough, ON

Customer slicing peameal bacon on the board at the cottage

Peameal on a bun every Saturday at the cottage and this is what Bob cuts it on now. It doesn't slide around on the island and the knife marks just disappear with a bit of oil. My grandson took this one, Bob had no idea. Worth every cent.

Verified

Carol B. – Bracebridge, ON

Cheese and crackers on the olive wood board on a cottage dock

Brought it up to the cottage for the long weekend and it never made it back inside. Cheese, crackers, a bit of summer sausage on the dock every afternoon. It's heavy enough that the wind off the lake doesn't move it. Pretty sure my brother-in-law wants one now.

Verified

Karen J. – Huntsville, ON

Nanaimo bars cut and served on the olive wood board

I make Nanaimo bars for every family get-together and they used to go on a plastic tray. Now they get cut and served right on this board. It doesn't show the knife marks, and people keep asking where I got it before they even get to the squares.

Verified

Linda S. – Nanaimo, BC

Customer unboxing the olive wood board in her front hall in winter

Came in from shovelling, saw the box on the porch and opened it right there in the front hall with my boots still on. My daughter thought my face was funny enough to take a picture. I had no idea it would be this big. It's on the counter now and the old plastic ones are in the basement.

Verified

Sandra M. – Sudbury, ON

Squash and carrots for Thanksgiving dinner chopped on the board

Did the vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner on it the day after it arrived. It doesn't budge on the counter even when I'm leaning on it to get through a squash, and the knife marks are pretty much gone after a wipe and a bit of oil. My wife calls it "my board" now. It isn't, it's everyone's.

Verified

Wayne H. – Peterborough, ON

Customer slicing peameal bacon on the board at the cottage

Peameal on a bun every Saturday at the cottage and this is what Bob cuts it on now. It doesn't slide around on the island and the knife marks just disappear with a bit of oil. My grandson took this one, Bob had no idea. Worth every cent.

Verified

Carol B. – Bracebridge, ON

Cheese and crackers on the olive wood board on a cottage dock

Brought it up to the cottage for the long weekend and it never made it back inside. Cheese, crackers, a bit of summer sausage on the dock every afternoon. It's heavy enough that the wind off the lake doesn't move it. Pretty sure my brother-in-law wants one now.

Verified

Karen J. – Huntsville, ON

Nanaimo bars cut and served on the olive wood board

I make Nanaimo bars for every family get-together and they used to go on a plastic tray. Now they get cut and served right on this board. It doesn't show the knife marks, and people keep asking where I got it before they even get to the squares.

Verified

Linda S. – Nanaimo, BC

Customer unboxing the olive wood board in her front hall in winter

Came in from shovelling, saw the box on the porch and opened it right there in the front hall with my boots still on. My daughter thought my face was funny enough to take a picture. I had no idea it would be this big. It's on the counter now and the old plastic ones are in the basement.

Verified

Sandra M. – Sudbury, ON

Squash and carrots for Thanksgiving dinner chopped on the board

Did the vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner on it the day after it arrived. It doesn't budge on the counter even when I'm leaning on it to get through a squash, and the knife marks are pretty much gone after a wipe and a bit of oil. My wife calls it "my board" now. It isn't, it's everyone's.

Verified

Wayne H. – Peterborough, ON

Customer slicing peameal bacon on the board at the cottage

Peameal on a bun every Saturday at the cottage and this is what Bob cuts it on now. It doesn't slide around on the island and the knife marks just disappear with a bit of oil. My grandson took this one, Bob had no idea. Worth every cent.

Verified

Carol B. – Bracebridge, ON

Cheese and crackers on the olive wood board on a cottage dock

Brought it up to the cottage for the long weekend and it never made it back inside. Cheese, crackers, a bit of summer sausage on the dock every afternoon. It's heavy enough that the wind off the lake doesn't move it. Pretty sure my brother-in-law wants one now.

Verified

Karen J. – Huntsville, ON

Nanaimo bars cut and served on the olive wood board

I make Nanaimo bars for every family get-together and they used to go on a plastic tray. Now they get cut and served right on this board. It doesn't show the knife marks, and people keep asking where I got it before they even get to the squares.

Verified

Linda S. – Nanaimo, BC

Customer unboxing the olive wood board in her front hall in winter

Came in from shovelling, saw the box on the porch and opened it right there in the front hall with my boots still on. My daughter thought my face was funny enough to take a picture. I had no idea it would be this big. It's on the counter now and the old plastic ones are in the basement.

Verified

Sandra M. – Sudbury, ON

Squash and carrots for Thanksgiving dinner chopped on the board

Did the vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner on it the day after it arrived. It doesn't budge on the counter even when I'm leaning on it to get through a squash, and the knife marks are pretty much gone after a wipe and a bit of oil. My wife calls it "my board" now. It isn't, it's everyone's.

Verified

Wayne H. – Peterborough, ON

Customer slicing peameal bacon on the board at the cottage

Peameal on a bun every Saturday at the cottage and this is what Bob cuts it on now. It doesn't slide around on the island and the knife marks just disappear with a bit of oil. My grandson took this one, Bob had no idea. Worth every cent.

Verified

Carol B. – Bracebridge, ON

Cheese and crackers on the olive wood board on a cottage dock

Brought it up to the cottage for the long weekend and it never made it back inside. Cheese, crackers, a bit of summer sausage on the dock every afternoon. It's heavy enough that the wind off the lake doesn't move it. Pretty sure my brother-in-law wants one now.

Verified

Karen J. – Huntsville, ON

Nanaimo bars cut and served on the olive wood board

I make Nanaimo bars for every family get-together and they used to go on a plastic tray. Now they get cut and served right on this board. It doesn't show the knife marks, and people keep asking where I got it before they even get to the squares.

Verified

Linda S. – Nanaimo, BC

Get Nello's Olive Board

Frequently Asked Questions

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Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.

Email us anytime at support@backroad-goods.com. We answer Monday to Friday, usually within one business day — whether it’s about your order, a gift, or just to say hello.

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Can I return it if it’s not for me?

Of course. 90-day money-back guarantee. If it simply isn’t right for you, email support@backroad-goods.com within 90 days for a full refund. No questions asked.

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How do I look after it?

Hand wash with warm water and a drop of dish soap, then dry it standing up. Never put it in the dishwasher and never leave it soaking in the sink. Rub in a little food-safe mineral oil once a month for the first year, and the grain stays rich for decades.

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