Our Olive Grove

Greece is famous for its olive oil production, with many regions boasting about the best oil quality in the country. For centuries now, Laconia is one of the strongest extra virgin olive oil producing areas in the country! My family's olive grove is located in the southeastern part of Laconia, near the famous Monemvasia.

In this land we used to have a farm with goats, chickens, rabbits, pigs and several other animals. I can say that I grew up in the nature and I used to spend hours in that farm! I always feel the nostalgia for spending time with our animals, taking care of them, walking around the farm, smelling the herbs and the wild flowers and helping my father to complete his daily tasks. Tasks that were not easy to complete! I had to be in a constant move! Feed the animals, clean the water containers and fill them with fresh water, gather the eggs, clean the area where the animals used to sleep, milk the goats, help my father and my grandfather to make cheese and butter... But I was happy! I was happy because I was doing everything with love and commitment.  

And on top of all these we had to take care of the olive grove and the rest of the trees. Except the olive trees we used to have fig trees, orange trees, lemon trees, almond trees, a grenade apple tree and an apricot tree. The orange and lemon trees, together with the almond trees and the apricot tree were providing fruits for the family, while the olive trees and the fig trees were providing part of the family income.

I still remember the summer mornings where we had to start at 7am with the fig harvesting and I almost smell that distinctive smell of the morning moisture on the dry grass! And around the end of October we were starting for the olives harvesting period which lasted until the beginning of January. Every weekend me and my brother were joining the team and we were helping so we can finish quickly. And the same day we were bringing the olives to the mill to get our precious oil... Different smells, different experiences that stayed engraved in my mind...

Since several years now the farm stopped its operation and my father focused on the olive oil production. The grove consists of around 300 olive trees of several ages, with the oldest one being around 300 years old. 85% of them belong to the "koroneiki" variety and the rest 15% belong to the "mourtolia" variety. These two varieties produce an amazing blend of of olive oil that is characterized by its unique flavor!

In October 2022 I decided to expand the grove by planting 180 trees, which will start their production in about five years from now! In September 2023 we planted100 extra trees and part of my plan is to plant some more trees in the areas which are still empty.

Our estate is located at the northern edge of a huge plain full of olive groves, almost 100 meters above the sea level. It rests on a South-facing slope, something that creates a unique microclimate which protects our olive trees from the diseases that usually appear in the lowlands, due to the higher humidity and the (rare) frosty conditions during the winter. This microclimate gives the distinctive and special taste of our precious extra virgin olive oil.