The home of the best olives and oil

Megali Mandinia is in the heart of the olive growing country that produces top quality Kalamata extra virgin olive oil and luscious Kalamata eating olives.

Almost everyone in the village farms olives, some have hundreds of trees whilst we have a small grove of seventeen, one of which produces eating olives which we cure for home consumption.   Koroneiki is the main type of olive grown for oil and Kalamon for eating. 

The olive year

Our olives ready for pressingHarvesting usually begins in November, starting with the eating olives then those for oil, and lasts through to February.  Young and old get together to work their way through the groves - it's hard manual work and more difficult where land is steeply terraced. 

Olives range in colour from deep purple through to pale green when they're picked, like apples they are never the same colour all over the tree. 

Picking is followed by pruning, making winter and spring the most industriest times in the countryside.