Our natural virgin olive oil is ready. The 2024/2025 harvest season is finished!
Our olive oil is produced in the mountains around the fishing village of Plakias, in the south of Crete - especially in the village of Sellia, which lies like a saddle on a mountain ridge, around 300 metres above the sea. Cretan olives, known for their intense flavour and low acidity, have always been grown here. But how did it all begin? We are Manolis & Myrina. After we met in 2021, it was immediately clear that Myrina was keen to help with the olive harvest and learn how the whole process works. Manolis' family has been cultivating and harvesting olives for generations - like many local families - and produces its own oil.
From the harvest to the finished olive oil...
The tradition of harvesting is passed down within the family, and Manolis' grandfather Manolis even had his own olive mill in the village many years ago. Back then, however, the mills were nowhere near as modern as they are today: the large millstones were still moved by hand and with the help of donkeys to press the olive oil. Harvesting and producing the oil was done entirely by hand - a lengthy and labour-intensive process.
The harvest itself was also carried out entirely by hand. The whole family was out in the fields and everyone helped out - here in the mountains, where the steep slopes make the work particularly tough. My dad Manuel experienced this first-hand last November. Although we were out on relatively flat terrain that day, after a few hours he was able to confirm just how intensive the harvesting process is.
Today, modern technical devices help us to organise the harvest more efficiently:
Special motorised ‘sticks’, which are powered by a generator, can be used to gently shake the olives out of the trees. The sticks are fitted with soft plastic knobs that rotate quickly to imitate the work that used to be done entirely by hand. However, this process is also hard work - the sticks have to be carefully and thoroughly guided through the tree so that the olives fall onto the nets laid out without being damaged.
The nets, which can be up to 80 square metres in size, are spread around the trees and then collected together with the fallen olives. This way, all the olives end up in one place and can be packed into large jute sacks with buckets, hands and a lot of sweat. Of course, we try to sort out as many leaves and branches as possible.
The 50kg sacks are then carried to the car and transported to the nearby olive mill after a long day of harvesting. Our mill in Sellia is run by a cooperative and processes our olives into afinished product within a few hours: unfiltered, natural, virgin olive oil with an acidity of 0.5% and a fruity, peppery flavour.
But why do we call our olive oil ‘natural’ and not ‘organic’? Quite simply because we are not yet certified organic. Transparency plays a major role for us, and one thing is certain - our olive trees are not sprayed or treated with other chemicals. They are fertilised after the harvest with high-quality organic fertiliser. Our trees therefore grow completely naturally and are characterised by what makes Crete special: enormous heat, strong winds and drought in summer, heavy rainfall and strong winds in winter.
Papadakis Finest
100 % natural olive oil.
Our olive oil is environmentally friendly as it does not undergo long production processes and supports the local co-operative mill. As it is neither filtered nor stored for years, it retains its fresh, fruity flavour and intense colour. It is suitable for both cooking and raw consumption - perfect for fine salads, dipping or refining dishes.
This year we are sending our olive oil for the first time as a test run to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Co - Work in Progress - to family & friends!
If you are interested in our olive oil and would like to receive further information by e-mail, please send us an enquiry using the contact form below.
We look forward to hearing from you!