"OIL OF '21"

On Thursday, March 16th, 2022, a special event took place at the Cultural Center of Kalamata in order to present the “Oil of ’21”. The latter was part of the celebration of the Bicentennial Anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821, organized by the Municipality of Kalamata. 

It was held under the auspices of the “Greece 2021” Committee and concerned the standardization of extra virgin oil, harvested from centuries-old olive trees. 1,821 collectible bottles (500 ml) were produced in total –under the name “Breath of Freedom”– and they were shipped to eminent personalities all around the world (scientists, political leaders, artists etc.). The purpose of the “Oil of ‘21” was to be used as a gift promoting freedom, dialogue, diplomacy, and healthy living as well as the Greek cuisine and culture. 

For the implementation of this project, olives were harvested from our family’s perennial olive trees, located in the area of Vasilada in Central Messinia. These trees have been proudly standing there for over 1,000 years, offering us the so-called “green gold”, i.e. the extra virgin olive oil, which is a key component to the Mediterranean diet. Their area is bigger than 90 sq. m. and their production capacity exceeds the 450 kg of olives per tree. For us, cultivating these “sacred” trees is a holy duty. Our ancestors have been farming them diligently and strenuously for more than 10 centuries and thus; we feel the need to keep them intact for the future generations. 

The harvest was completed by all the members of our family (young and old alike), because the olive-picking –for us– is a celebration. During the harvest, a video-recording was conducted with the supervision and funding of the Captain Vassilis & Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation (Costa Navarino). The production of the olive oil (from this particular olive grove) took place on the same day, at the state-of-the-art facilities of Efstathios Kontopoulos in Androussa, Messinia, and the olive oil was placed in a special tank until it was standardized. 

A total of approximately 120 perennial olive trees are located in the wider area and constitute a unique natural “museum”. Their historical importance lies in the fact that they are among the very few trees that survived the fires caused by the Turkish-Egyptian army of Ibrahim Pasha, during his withdrawal from Messinia. 

We are greatly honored that the officials of the Municipality of Kalamata have chosen our own olive oil for this purpose. We are really proud to have contributed to this great effort to promote our home-country worldwide, by shipping our high-quality product all around the globe. 

It is, indeed, our primary responsibility to always offer products of exceptional quality and high nutritional value to our customers. 

"Breath" bon voyage…

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