Members of the Award-Winning Agricultural Cooperative of Kritsa in Chania, Crete on World Olive Day

On November 26, at an informative, celebratory event honoring World Olive Day at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania in Crete, Greece, the Association of Cretan Olive Municipalities (ACOM or SEDIK) presented awards to Cretan olive mills for their methods of olive mill operation, olive oil extraction, bottling, and olive oil distribution.

SEDIK worked with the Region of Crete, the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, the municipalities of Chania and Rethymno, and other groups to organize World Olive Day events. In addition to the awards ceremony for olive mills, the event in Chania also featured

  • olive oil snacks
  • remarks by local dignitaries
  • an olive oil exhibition with tastings
  • a documentary about the olive in Cretan culture
  • high school students’ dramatic performance about an olive tree used as part of Odysseus’s conjugal bed
    awards for the students and their teachers
  • a discussion of best practices in olive oil extraction, for example avoidance of plastic in bags, pipes, & containers used in the olive harvest, olive oil production, & olive oil storage 

The students’ theatrical presentation dramatized a local writer’s original adaptation of part of The Odyssey. In his article “Outstanding Events in Crete on the Olive and Olive Oil,” SEDIK’s scientific director, Dr. Nikos Michelakis, comments on the symbolism in Homer’s use of an olive tree as a bedpost for the conjugal bed of Odysseus: it may have related to Odysseus’s desire to keep the marital bed pure (as olive oil is), to keep it safe (since the tree was deeply rooted, and it could not be stolen), and to maintain the peace symbolized by the olive tree (when Penelope did not recognize Odysseus on his return, after many years of absence).

The evaluation committees that awarded prizes to olive mills included an Olive Institute researcher in Chania, a chemist who directs an olive oil laboratory in Heraklion, an emeritus professor of agriculture and foods at an educational institute, the director of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, University of Crete professors, and an economist.

Awards for Olive Mill Operation and Extraction Methods

These were awarded for mills producing high quality olive oil using good practices including the following:

  • in the olive grove: harvesting, packaging, loading, transporting
  • during milling: defoliation, washing, crushing, grinding, centrifugation, cleanliness, avoidance of temperatures above 27 degrees Celsius
  • during storage: in stainless steel, at appropriate temperatures, using nitrogen in tanks

Gold Minoan Elea Awards
Agricultural Cooperative of Kritsa, Kritsa, Agios Nikolaos
Botzakis SA, Alagni, Archanes-Asterousia
Terra Creta SA, Kamisiana, Platanias

Silver Minoan Elea Awards
Almpantakis SA, Kalessa, Malevizi
Agricultural Cooperative of Zakros, Zakros, Sitia
Agricultural Cooperative of Emparos, Viannos, Viannos
Protogerakis Sons, Vori, Festos

Green Minoan Elea Awards
Agricultural Cooperative of Agios Myronas, Agios Myronas, Heraklion
Agricultural Cooperative of Lithines, Lithines, Sitia

Honorable Mentions
Agricultural Cooperative of Paleochora, Kantanos-Selino
Agricultural Cooperative of Platanos, Platanos, Kissamos

Notes
Above and below, the company or cooperative name is followed by its location in Crete.
“Elea,” or Ελιά, means “Olive” or “Olive Tree” in Greek.

Awards for Olive Oil Bottling and Distribution Practices

These awards were presented after consideration of the following criteria:

  • Percentage of distribution arranged with producer participation
  • Percentage of bulk distribution arranged via auctions
  • Percentage of standardized distribution without involving producers
  • Percentage of distribution organized with a direct agreement with producers
  • Transparency of distribution practices (publications in the media, price displays, etc.)

Gold Minoan Elea Award
Not awarded

Silver Minoan Elea Award
Agricultural Cooperative of Kritsa, Kritsa, Agios Nikolaos

Green Minoan Elea Awards
Almpantakis SA, Kalessa, Malevizi
Protogerakis Sons, Vori, Festos
Botzakis SA, Alagni, Archanes-Asterousia
Terra Creta SA, Kamisiana, Platanias
Agricultural Cooperative of Emparos, Viannos, Viannos
Agricultural Cooperative of Zakros, Zakros, Sitia

Honorable Mentions
Agricultural Cooperative of Platanos, Platanos, Kissamos
Agricultural Cooperative of Agios Myronas, Agios Myronas, Heraklion

In his article about this event and the awards, Michelakis remarked that the distribution practices in Cretan olive mills are less satisfactory than the extraction practices, as the lack of a gold award and the awarding of just one silver prize for distribution of olive oil suggest. He pointed out that producer prices in Crete (3.50 euros per kilogram recently) tend to be considerably lower than prices not only in Italy (recently 6 euros/kg), but also in Spain (4 euros/kg) and even at olive oil auctions in the Peloponnese (4.20 euros/kg)—although the high quality of Cretan olive oil does not justify this lower price.

Additional photos from the event are available with Michelakis’s article and an earlier Haniotika Nea article (both in Greek).

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