Cultivation and Harvest

Committed to tradition

This is where good things grow, as grandfather Barba-Stathis recognized at the beginning of the 19th century. With his first own olive grove he laid the foundation stone of the family business - and passed on his passion for olive trees to the following generations. For what are in part age-old trees and for skillful, traditional harvesting by hand.

To this day, cultivation and harvesting have not changed fundamentally. Knowledge of the art of planting, nurturing and pruning olive trees that has been passed down through generations secures the natural resources of our plantations. At the same time, the diligence of experienced olive growers and their helpers makes an important contribution to the high quality of OILIVA GREKA extra virgin olive oils.

For the production of OILIVA GREKA olive oils we use the fruity, aromatic Koroneiki olives of the Kalamata region. Cultivated in the family tradition northwest of the capital and in the region of Messenia on the Peloponnese. Here, where sun, water, air and soil pamper nature, the olives for our extra virgin olive oils thrive.

The olives are harvested by hand, from around October to mid-December. At the right time, when the rich green of the olives shows their early ripening stage. Depending on the location of the olive grove, directly from the branch, while it is being pruned for the next harvest, or brushed with soft rubber pawls, or carefully tapped so that the fruits fall gently into the nets stretched for this purpose. Leaves and small branches are removed before the olives are transported to the nearby oil mill. By road and packed in open crates until they are cold-extracted there – freshly harvested and gently handled – to create delicious OILIVA GREKA olive oil.