My father came from Greece to the United States in 1971. The taste and quality of the oil and olives is all I ever known. Anargyroi.
At the time, the family olive groves provided our family with olives for cooking and eating, while the remainder of the olives were sold to brokers. After my father came to the United States, my parents began importing our olive oil and olives from our farms. My Yia-yia, at 92 years old, still lives in the village and ships us our yearly supply of olive oil and olives. One day my father and I were
having a conversation about the olive farms in Greece and I questioned why the oil was being sold to a broker rather than importing the oil to the United States. I began researching traditional medium density orchards: land cost, tree cost, maintenance, tons of olives, harvest cost, milling cost, shipping, customs, delivery, bottles, lids, seals, labels, taxes and revenue. I was a bit overwhelmed to say the least, but full of enthusiasm. In 2016, I began my new adventure of importing our olive oil from Greece and gave it the name Zoe’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil, after my daughter. As a family we sanitize the bottles, fill, cap, seal and label each bottle of olive oil by hand. The Village
Twenty kilometers outside of Sparta on the southeast tip of the Peloponnese peninsula, at the base of the Parnonas Mountain Range is the tiny ancient village of St. The village was named after the St. Anargyroi Monastery that was built in the village in the 1350’s. In 1453 the Ottoman Turkish Muslims overran the Byzantine Empire. The Greeks lost their sovereignty to a foreign power for the next 450 years. The village of St. Anargyroi was renamed Zoupina, a Turkish word of unknown translation. In 1951 my great-grandmother’s brother constructed a church on the hallowed ground where the monastery once stood. It was not until 1980 the village of Zoupina was renamed St. Anargyroi, in honor of the monks and the monastery that resided in the village for over 100 years. Growing
Oral history of the Dikeos olive groves dates back to the early 1800’s. Some of our olive trees are over four hundred years old and are still producing olives. The rich, unique soil composition and a rocky, mountainous terrain is ideal for our olive trees to gain rich exposure from the sun, while benefiting from the salty sea breezes of the Mediterranean coast. My great-grandfather received 400 olive trees as part of my great-grandmother’s dowry. After their deaths, the farms became my grandmother’s property and then were willed to my father. Over the past 60 years the farms grew from 400 trees to over 1700 trees. In 1983, my grandfather planted me a 150-tree farm registered in my name as a gift. In September 2017, my father will plant 150-tree farm registered to his 1st grandchild, Zoe Alena Dikeos as a gift. The tradition continues. Prior to 1980, the olive trees new growth was grafted by budding. A small bud was removed from a desirable olive tree and slipped into the bark on a small seedling. A branch would grow from the bud and the remaining branches are removed from the seedling. All newly planted/grafted olive trees need to be watered every 15 days for the first three year’s. Today, new trees are still watered by hand. When my father left Greece in 1971, donkeys, mules and horses were used as the mode of transportation for humans, supplies and products. Our olives are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or artificial agents. The olive tree is a very healthy tree. They require no pesticide intervention to grow olives normally. The olive fly is a serious pest in the cultivation of olives and can have a serious impact on the olive supply. Cultural controls and mass trapping (i.e., traps bated with yeast and yellow sticky traps) is used to control the number of olive flies. Harvesting
Dikeos Farms olive trees’ have always been harvested by hand. When picking our olives, timing is everything. Harvest occurs just before the olives ripen and change color, usually in late December, when the acidity is low and the fruit is at its peak. The olives must be handled carefully and are handpicked to ensure the fruit and trees are not damaged. Handpicking is very labor intensive but is essential for the highest quality oil. Olives that have dropped off the tree are not gathered because only the undamaged, fresh olives are suitable for the finest olive oil. If an olive is bruised, the acidity level rises, decreasing the oil’s quality of flavor and shelf life. Within 24 hours the harvested olives are brought to the village for a light washing and placed onto a screen and hand shaken to remove leaves and other debris. Milling
The olive crusher consists of a stone base and two upright stones that rotate in a metal basin. A steam engine dating back to WWI is still used to power the equipment. Olives are poured into the crusher and the stones rotate and the olives are crushed to break the cells and release the oil for extraction. Olive paste is expelled from the crusher and fills side compartments. When the compartments are full the paste is removed and put into cheesecloth type sacks for additional processing. The slow movement of the stones does not heat the paste and results in less emulsification so the oil is easier to extract. This is a very time consuming and slow process. The sacks filled with the olive paste are piled on the flat presser table. A stainless steel plate is lowered to press the paste filled bags until the oil is expelled. A large container is used to collect the extracted oil. The oil is stored in bulk to settle. Any remaining particulate matter is filtered out. Zoe’s Olive Oil
Zoe’s olive oil is pressed in the village in the traditional way it has been done for hundreds of years. Our olive oil is always cold-extracted and is never blended with other oils, thus maintaining its purity and delicate flavor. The color and the strong peppery flavor, low in acidity is why your throat burns when tasting the oil. Most Greek olive oil is exported in bulk for blending, rather than as single-source branded products. Our olive oil is a single variety. The Koutsoroelies olive, that translated “big fat olive tree,” is only grown in this region of Greece. Our oil is thicker than filtered olive oil, and may be cloudy or contain sediment on the bottom. This is simply the natural pieces of the olive in your bottle. Unfiltered extra virgin olive oil will retain its quality and flavor a year and half after harvest, and if stored properly, it could last up to two years or more. Do not shake your bottle before pouring, and make sure it is always tightly sealed. Shelf Life
Of all the edible oils, olive oil has the longest shelf life. It has four enemies: light, air, heat, and time. All of these factors affect the quality and shelf life of olive oil. Proper storage is critical in conserving the oil’s flavor and nutritional properties. The best containers for storage are tinted glass, porcelain, or non-reactive metals such as stainless steel. In Greece we store our olive oil in airtight, stainless steel tanks, in a cool, dark, dry cellar. After a short rest, so sediment falls to the bottom, shipping containers are filled with oil and transported from the village to the Port of Piraeus in Athens where it is then crated and palletized to be shipped to United States. Storing Your Bottle
We recommend storing olive oil in a cool, dark, dry place in between use to retain the highest quality. It is not recommended to refrigerate the oil. It will crystallize and solidify, but return to its natural state at room temperature. Refrigeration extends the shelf life without harming the oil, but condensation may develop in the bottle, affecting its fine flavor. Keep the oil away from a heat source. A fairly consistent temperature of 70°F works well as long as it’s stored in a dark place. Final Note
Dikeos Family Farms grows both oil producing olives and Kalamata olives for eating. Our Kalamata olives are hand slit lengthwise when harvested and then put into brine to be transported. When our olives reach state side, the brine is drained off and the olives are flushed several times with fresh water. The olives are then drained and left to dry. My father mixes up my Yia-yia’s recipe for home-cured Kalamata olives. The olives are completely submerged in the marinade to leach out the bitterness of the olives. It takes about a week for the flavors to mingle before eating them. Olives may be purchased, but are in limited supply due to cost restraints of shipping.
