A group of dedicated olive growers from the Livadia region in Ierapetra kickstarted the harvest of the early Koroneiki table olives. Managing around 3,000 olive trees both in the wider area and in Chrysopigi, Sitia, they work with precision to maintain the quality of their produce. South of Vainias village, the team carefully combed through the trees using specialized plastic combs to pick the olives gently. The next day, these will be salted to make “alata” olives.
Among them are Valantis Lasithiotakis and Vicentez Kornaros, who have devoted 12 years to nurturing the Cretan olive grove. Aside from cultivating their lands, they also manage numerous orchards through cooperative agreements. “We’ve been harvesting the small green Koroneiki table olives for a week now, ready to be preserved in brine for the market. The thicker ones, on moderately-laden trees, are perfect for picking now. In our irrigated groves under the Ierapetra cooperative zone, olives withstand prolonged drought well. Yet, without rain in the next 20 days, challenges will emerge,” Vicentez explains.
For over a decade, he has been deeply involved in olive cultivation. He shifted from banking to agriculture, sharing this commitment with Kenneth Lasithiotakis. They decided to turn their passion into a profession when oil prices were low, struggling to cover farming costs. Producing table olives, olive paste, and self-packaged olive oil, they pursue a direct sales model, bypassing intermediaries, despite the internal and external market challenges. Initially unprofitable, recent years saw olive oil prices rise, improving their situation, though production faced significant decreases.
Harvesting for the season’s pressing green olives will follow the current table olive collection. While olive oil mills in Ierapetra remain shut, they plan to start processing in Chrysopigi, with Sitia’s presses opening soon, as informed by the Papagiannades. This strategy epitomizes their model of vertical integration, emphasizing direct-to-market product delivery.
The venture, while seemingly straightforward, demands extensive effort. Growing and marketing oil independently faces fierce competition. Their primary goal remains self-sustained sales, capitalizing directly on their craftsmanship. They sell only self-produced oil without aiming to become major traders, occasionally trading with relatives.
George Tsifetakis, president of the Sitia Agricultural Association, expresses optimism as a local olive mill prepares to start operations soon, focusing on green and organic oils. However, he notes that ongoing drought severely affects the region’s olive groves, underscoring the necessity of appropriate harvesting techniques to maintain tree vitality and productivity.
