• Pumpkin and kumara being cut on the olive wood chopping board in a New Zealand kitchen
  • Olive wood chopping board with sourdough on a rimu bench in a New Zealand villa kitchen
  • One-piece olive wood chopping board with live edge and handle hole
  • Olive wood chopping board from the side, 2.5 cm thick
  • Close-up of the olive wood grain and handle hole of Sandro's board
  • Sandro Ruocco in his shed outside Martinborough with a finished board

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

Sandro's Olive Chopping Board

Sandro's Olive Chopping Board

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Sandro Ruocco
Cut and carved by Sandro Ruocco
★★★★★ 4.9 (539)
Pumpkin and kumara being cut on the olive wood chopping board in a New Zealand kitchen

Sandro's Olive Chopping Board

$55.00
$55.00 $78.00
SAVE $23 Sold out
Cut and carved by Sandro Ruocco · Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand

Cut from a single slab, one paddock from where the tree stood

Sandro Ruocco, 66, thirty-four years in olive wood. His father Carmine planted the trees outside Martinborough in 1966. When the grove was pulled out for pinot vines in 1992, the trunks were piled up to burn. Sandro loaded one onto his ute and drove it to the shed. That first board went to his mother in Island Bay. It’s still the only thing he makes — and this batch is his last.

12 kN Janka hardness — several times harder than radiata pine
1 in 5 Blanks rejected before they leave the shed
34 Years at the same bench in the Wairarapa
Zero Living trees cut down for it

"The wood sat in the shed 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."

Sandro Ruocco · Martinborough, Wairarapa
The last batch

Thirty-four years in the shed. This is the last lot.

Sandro 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 father’s trees is what he loves doing, and always has.

But olive is about the hardest timber you can work, and every board is hours of gripping, pushing and scraping. At 66, his hands and shoulders have had enough. His fingers ache before smoko, his grip goes by mid-afternoon, and a big day at the bench knocks him around for the next two. There’s no apprentice and nobody to take on the shed.

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

What arrives
I The Chopping Board One slab, no seam. Natural live edge, carved handle hole, both sides finished.
II Already Oiled Food-grade mineral oil, applied in the shed. 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 supermarket chopping board Six things — and every one is something you can check yourself.
01 One piece, no seam Nearly every wooden board sold in New Zealand is three or four narrow strips glued flat. Flip this one over. The grain runs front to back, unbroken. There is no join to open and nothing held together with glue.
02 Janka 12 kN Several times harder than the radiata pine a lot of cheap boards in Kiwi kitchens 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. Sandro air-dries his blanks in a Wairarapa shed for months, kiln-finishes them, then rests them again. Rush that and the board checks once it is in your kitchen.
04 The Wairarapa, not a warehouse Cut, dried and packed outside Martinborough. Sent NZ-wide with NZ Post — no import duties, 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 shed before it goes anywhere.
06 A size that actually works Around 40–46 cm long and 2.5 cm thick, roughly 1.1 kg. Enough board for a lamb roast or a proper grazing 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 Dad planted these trees to be looked after, not rushed, and I won’t send out a board I’m not happy with."

Sandro Ruocco · at the bench since 1992
Who this is for
The one who hosts Christmas at the bach Grazing boards and cheese platters Bread, garlic, herbs, every day Mums and nanas A gift that isn’t another bottle Buy-it-for-life people
90 Ninety days, no questions asked

Use it daily. Take it to the bach for Christmas. 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, natural outline — varies board to board
Weight Approx. 1.1 kg
Material Solid olive wood (Olea europaea), one piece. No glued strips, no laminate, no veneer, no filler.
Hardness Janka approx. 12 kN (2,710 lbf) — several times harder than radiata pine, common in cheap boards
Wood source Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay olive groves, New Zealand — trunk wood from grove removals and storm damage. No bearing tree is cut for this.
Drying Air-dried in a Wairarapa shed, 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 Sandro Ruocco, Martinborough, Wairarapa — at the bench since 1992
Availability Last batch. Sandro is retiring — once these boards sell out, there’s no restock.
Shipping Ships from the Wairarapa with NZ Post, free NZ-wide — rural delivery included. No customs, no import duties.
Sandro Ruocco Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand
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Free Shipping NZ-Wide

Free shipping across New Zealand

- Delivery time: 3–5 working days with NZ Post, rural delivery included
- Every board is oiled, wrapped and packed by hand in the Wairarapa
- One solid piece of olive wood: no strips, no glue, no seam
- 90-day money-back guarantee — just email support@backroad-goods.com

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180+ Verified Buyers

Excellent 4.8

What Sandro's customers are saying

Customer unboxing the olive wood board in her kitchen

My husband took this while I was still going on about it. I'd seen it online and thought it'd be a nice board. It's not a nice board, it's a proper piece of wood. You can feel the weight the second you lift it out of the paper. Hasn't left the bench since.

Verified

Lorraine H. – Carterton

Vegetables for a Sunday roast chopped on the olive wood board

Did the veges for the Sunday roast on it the day after it turned up. Doesn't budge on the bench even when I'm leaning on it to get through the pumpkin, and the knife marks are pretty much gone after a wipe and a bit of oil. My wife reckons it's "my board" now. It's not, it's everyone's.

Verified

Murray H. – Palmerston North

Customer carrying sausages and chops on the board to the barbecue

Bought it as a chopping board, now it's the barbie tray as well. Sausages, chops and onions out to the barbecue, cooked meat back in on the other side. Big enough to carry the lot in one go and it doesn't flex like the old one did. My daughter caught me mid-yarn, as usual.

Verified

Dennis W. – Whakatāne

Fish and chips on the olive wood board at the bach

First proper outing for the board was fish and chips at the bach. Tipped the lot straight out of the paper onto it and the kids demolished it in ten minutes. Gave it a wipe and it was back on the bench like nothing happened. Better than eating off the paper on your knee.

Verified

Tania P. – Waihi Beach

Customer selfie holding the olive wood board

Not much of a selfie man, as you can tell. My daughter said send a photo, so here it is. Thought I'd get something the size of a chopping block and it's nearly half as long as my arm. Good solid weight to it too. Keep picking it up just to have a look at the grain.

Verified

Graham D. – Napier

Customer unboxing the olive wood board in her kitchen

My husband took this while I was still going on about it. I'd seen it online and thought it'd be a nice board. It's not a nice board, it's a proper piece of wood. You can feel the weight the second you lift it out of the paper. Hasn't left the bench since.

Verified

Lorraine H. – Carterton

Vegetables for a Sunday roast chopped on the olive wood board

Did the veges for the Sunday roast on it the day after it turned up. Doesn't budge on the bench even when I'm leaning on it to get through the pumpkin, and the knife marks are pretty much gone after a wipe and a bit of oil. My wife reckons it's "my board" now. It's not, it's everyone's.

Verified

Murray H. – Palmerston North

Customer carrying sausages and chops on the board to the barbecue

Bought it as a chopping board, now it's the barbie tray as well. Sausages, chops and onions out to the barbecue, cooked meat back in on the other side. Big enough to carry the lot in one go and it doesn't flex like the old one did. My daughter caught me mid-yarn, as usual.

Verified

Dennis W. – Whakatāne

Fish and chips on the olive wood board at the bach

First proper outing for the board was fish and chips at the bach. Tipped the lot straight out of the paper onto it and the kids demolished it in ten minutes. Gave it a wipe and it was back on the bench like nothing happened. Better than eating off the paper on your knee.

Verified

Tania P. – Waihi Beach

Customer selfie holding the olive wood board

Not much of a selfie man, as you can tell. My daughter said send a photo, so here it is. Thought I'd get something the size of a chopping block and it's nearly half as long as my arm. Good solid weight to it too. Keep picking it up just to have a look at the grain.

Verified

Graham D. – Napier

Customer unboxing the olive wood board in her kitchen

My husband took this while I was still going on about it. I'd seen it online and thought it'd be a nice board. It's not a nice board, it's a proper piece of wood. You can feel the weight the second you lift it out of the paper. Hasn't left the bench since.

Verified

Lorraine H. – Carterton

Vegetables for a Sunday roast chopped on the olive wood board

Did the veges for the Sunday roast on it the day after it turned up. Doesn't budge on the bench even when I'm leaning on it to get through the pumpkin, and the knife marks are pretty much gone after a wipe and a bit of oil. My wife reckons it's "my board" now. It's not, it's everyone's.

Verified

Murray H. – Palmerston North

Customer carrying sausages and chops on the board to the barbecue

Bought it as a chopping board, now it's the barbie tray as well. Sausages, chops and onions out to the barbecue, cooked meat back in on the other side. Big enough to carry the lot in one go and it doesn't flex like the old one did. My daughter caught me mid-yarn, as usual.

Verified

Dennis W. – Whakatāne

Fish and chips on the olive wood board at the bach

First proper outing for the board was fish and chips at the bach. Tipped the lot straight out of the paper onto it and the kids demolished it in ten minutes. Gave it a wipe and it was back on the bench like nothing happened. Better than eating off the paper on your knee.

Verified

Tania P. – Waihi Beach

Customer selfie holding the olive wood board

Not much of a selfie man, as you can tell. My daughter said send a photo, so here it is. Thought I'd get something the size of a chopping block and it's nearly half as long as my arm. Good solid weight to it too. Keep picking it up just to have a look at the grain.

Verified

Graham D. – Napier

Customer unboxing the olive wood board in her kitchen

My husband took this while I was still going on about it. I'd seen it online and thought it'd be a nice board. It's not a nice board, it's a proper piece of wood. You can feel the weight the second you lift it out of the paper. Hasn't left the bench since.

Verified

Lorraine H. – Carterton

Vegetables for a Sunday roast chopped on the olive wood board

Did the veges for the Sunday roast on it the day after it turned up. Doesn't budge on the bench even when I'm leaning on it to get through the pumpkin, and the knife marks are pretty much gone after a wipe and a bit of oil. My wife reckons it's "my board" now. It's not, it's everyone's.

Verified

Murray H. – Palmerston North

Customer carrying sausages and chops on the board to the barbecue

Bought it as a chopping board, now it's the barbie tray as well. Sausages, chops and onions out to the barbecue, cooked meat back in on the other side. Big enough to carry the lot in one go and it doesn't flex like the old one did. My daughter caught me mid-yarn, as usual.

Verified

Dennis W. – Whakatāne

Fish and chips on the olive wood board at the bach

First proper outing for the board was fish and chips at the bach. Tipped the lot straight out of the paper onto it and the kids demolished it in ten minutes. Gave it a wipe and it was back on the bench like nothing happened. Better than eating off the paper on your knee.

Verified

Tania P. – Waihi Beach

Customer selfie holding the olive wood board

Not much of a selfie man, as you can tell. My daughter said send a photo, so here it is. Thought I'd get something the size of a chopping block and it's nearly half as long as my arm. Good solid weight to it too. Keep picking it up just to have a look at the grain.

Verified

Graham D. – Napier

Get Sandro'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 working day — whether it’s about your order, a gift, or just to say kia ora.

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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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