Abundance on the Farm in Ibiza
“My two passions are to plant and to pick. I love the earth: its smell, its feel. It’s the start of everything.”
Given a little notice, Kobi will cultivate, propagate, plant, pick, rotate and yield the exact crop for each feast at The Farm. Down to each plate, each crunch, and each sweet burst of heaven across your tongue.
It was Kobi who, in 2015, discovered the 400-year-old finca and olive press that is now The Farm. He also divined the source of groundwater that will support Ibiza’s first bottling plant and provide the drinking water for Six Senses Ibiza.
Kobi’s groundbreaking techniques come from his upbringing on a kibbutz, where he learned how to apply Israel’s remarkable agricultural innovation to make the desert bloom. “We moved when I was 10; my parents, two sisters and brother. There were 300 families living in a social community where you share everything. As a child there is no need for money. You are rich in education, high quality food, music, diving clubs, horses and even trips abroad.”
His love of travel followed him through his twenties, the 1980s, from India, where he met his wife Jo, and on to Australia, before settling in Ibiza. “I felt at home, surrounded by olive trees, figs, pomegranates, even the soil, which were all so familiar from my childhood.” Soil is central to The Farm. When Kobi tested it, he was delighted with the results. The 12-hectare site is fertile and bursting with natural goodness: a haven for biodiversity. He has already nurtured four hectares into neat rows of beetroot, kale, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and onions, with potatoes just beyond. Fruit is also abundant, with 12 varieties of tomatoes, plus strawberries, vines and established fig and citrus trees.
That’s the stuff you can see. What you don’t know is that Kobi is also a worm charmer, keeping the soil healthy through organic farming methods along with beneficial microbes which release the right nutrients to crops for sustainable production.
Kobi is now planning to bring the rest of the land to life, and will work with residents of the Six Senses community to design and manage their own kitchen garden, a perk of villa ownership. Of course, it’s not just the adults who have all the fun. Kids will also spend time with Kobi at The Farm, reconnecting with nature and gaining useful life skills through play as part of their Grow With Six Senses experience. Each day is an adventure with activities including planting seeds, salad foraging, den building and survival skills. “One of the things I loved most about Ibiza when I first came here was that it was alive, mind opening and liberating. It embodied a freedom of spirit. My passion for nature is a gift, and it’s a gift I want to pass on.”
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