In Crete, the most commonly cultivated olive variety for oil production is Koroneiki, a highly productive variety yielding supreme quality oil. Click for more...

Olive trees initially form vegetative buds that subsequently develop to form new branches. During the cold period some of these are differentiated Click for more...

Olive trees blossom during spring. However, lack of annual blooming is often observed every second year, resulting in alternative bearing i.e. Click for more...

As a rule in most olive orchards, alternate bearing is so severe that every second year there is absolutely no-fruit formation. Meanwhile, Click for more...

After flowering, wind-pollination takes place and olive fruit starts forming through various developmental stages. A crucial stage among others Click for more...

Olive fruits are harvested when most of them are black-purplish. They have reached their maximum possible oil content earlier on, but a prolonged stay of mature fruits on the tree seems to help the following oil extraction. This is carried out at the mills, which in Crete is performed solely by mechanical means in low temperatures. After extraction oil is either both packed and shipped according to the customer’s needs or is stored in dry and cool Click for more...

In the framework of olive cultivation pruning trees after harvesting is common practice. Pruning is focused on fruit bearing branches which next year will only give new vegetation, Click for more...

Stables are cleaned annually and manure -produced mainly by animals fed with olive leaves- is collected for soil fertilization. It is crucial to use well fermented manure, to avoid spread of pathogens into the soil Click for more...