The land
Greece is the third olive-producing country in the world. It produces 300.000-400.000 tons of olive oil. Lesvos island has a long history in the cultivation of olive trees and the production of olive oil. The unique characteristics of its olive oil have been officially recognized by the European Union. The areas in which olive trees are cultivated in Lesvos are alpine and semi alpine with dry, poor in essence soil. This special cultivation in relation to the type of olive is what makes the Lesvian olive oil distinct in taste and rich in aromas. Its olive grove covers 485.000 stremmata (120.000 acres) which make up the 29% of the total island area and the 79% of its cultivable area. The Gera area is considered the most productive olive grove on the island and olive oil is its main wealth producing resource. This is the land where the company‘Lesvian Mountains’ was founded, so that we can select the best olive oil. The olive grove is mainly alpine and the types of olive that thrive are the kolovi oliveor else Mytilene olive, the adramytini olive and the oil olive.
The company and its founders
Dimitris Efstratiou Katzouridis, a connoisseur of the countryside, from an olive producing family, and Ioannis Mariou Fotiou, an agronomist with a thesis on olive trees and olive oil, from a merchant family representing olive press products, were born on Lesvos, an island with a tradition in olive tree cultivation and olive oil production.
As a game, as a fairytale, as tradition, as work for their families, the olive tree, the olive itself and the olive oil have always been part of their life. At some point they met, they bonded as friends and wanted to spread this deep relationship of theirs and patrimonial knowledge of olive oil, on to as many people around the world as possible.
So they founded the company “Lesvian Mountains”. Its fundamental and non-debatable principle is the strict selection of the products, in order to achieve the highest possible quality and the full nutritional profile. This is achieved through working with specific olive oil producers-alpine olive grove owners, to whom a specific type of cultivation is suggested (i.e. the preservation of wild aromatic plants, which give a special aroma to the final product, is obligatory) as well as rules which are set and abided by. With the constant contact with the cultivators, the production procedure is monitored and the product to be pressed is examined and the inappropriate product due to the fruit fly or the frost is dismissed. The harvesting is done at the appropriate maturation time, and the transfer to the olive press is direct. The cold process method is followed. Only the best olive oil is kept and the effort to produce it is well paid. Analyses are performed in certified government laboratories (ELGO DIMITRA). The product is tasted by panels of experts and high standards are met to the final product, which is kept in appropriate conditions. The company places its products in selected shops-delicatessens, which promote their quality and value
The product
The unique characteristics of the Lesvian olive oil have even been recognized by the European Union. What makes it special is:
– Its characteristic thin texture, due to the raised unsaturated fatty acids, which adds in organic value since it is in accordance with contemporary medical views.
– Its light golden colour, due to its low concentration in chlorofyl, which makes it higly resilient to oxidation
– ‘Aeolion’ extra virgin olive oil is the top sample of Lesvian olive oils. The knowledge, the tradition, the microclimate and the devotion in producing a top olive oil, are elements found in each and every drop of it. Itis mainly produced from the koloviolive, which is known for the rich aroma of its oil and its unique taste. It is a product which results from a strict selection from only the mountainous olive groves of the Gera area, which is famous for its olive oil.
The whole production procedure is followed under strict supervision, from the birth of the fruit, to the cold extraction and its final bottling. Furthermore it is tested, analysed in certified laboratories and only the top of the range product is finally selected.
It is stored in ideal conditions, below 18 degrees Celsius and only the quantity that is promptly needed is bottled. The bottle is dark in order to protect the product from the sun, as well as printed, offering prestige and appearance, without the problems that having a label concerns.
With respect to our customers we have succeeded in having a premium product at an affordable price for its value in order to try and gain the place in the market that ‘people and nature’s passion extract’ deserves.
Olive press factories through the ages. Developing the art of olive oil production always keeping up with everlasting traditional values.