Gerrie Duvenage joined Morgenster in 1994,to help accomplish the dream of owner Giulio Bertrand "to make the best Olive Oil in South Africa". After studying Agricultural Research at Pretoria Technicon, Gerrie was responsible for various Olive research projects at Infruitec in Stellenbosch for 7 years. The Olive industry had just started to pick-up and he helped numerous potential producers to grow and produce olives and olive oil successfully. Although Gerrie gained valuable experience during his olive research, he regards his most important knowledge as coming from several trips to Italy where he spent many hours with Professor Fontanazza, the Director of the most important Olive Research Institute in Italy. Gerrie has won numerous awards for the Estate with Morgenster’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil, including SA Olive achiever of the year award in 2006. Gerrie was recognized for playing a pivotal role in all aspects of the olive industry.