Mt. Kofinas's Extra Virgin Olive Oil Web Site - Our Village Page

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The Village

Mt. Kofinas's olives are cultivated and processed exclusively in the village of Stavies from our family's olive groves. Stavies is a small village with approximately 300 residents and is situated at the foothills of Mt. Kofinas.

Mt. Kofinas's rock formation is visually distinct and gives the prefecture name to the surrounding villages. These villages are located in the rich, agricultural Messara Valley known throughout Crete and the rest of Greece for growing high-quality food.

The climate in the Messara Valley is ideal for growing olives. This area is very hot and dry in the summer and is nourished by the rainfall in the spring and fall and winter.

Like most villages of Crete, Stavies is surrounded by a patchwork of olive groves and vineyards. Many of our groves are scattered throughout the hillsides because some of our land was purchased many years ago by our great-grandparents, and has since been passed down to younger generations. We invite you to take a tour of the village and meet our family.

Take a Tour of the Olive Press

After the olives are harvested from the fields, they are brought to one of the two olive oil presses located at the edges of the village.

The villagers speak with the miller and record the number of olive bags they have brought. The bags are cut open and the olives are sorted out from their branches. Only the olives are washed and continue through the process of being pressed.

Each villager's olive oil is kept in separate vats labeled with their last name as the pulp is being stirred. A worker continuously monitors the oil as it is being pressed and ensures the temperature stays low, hence being "cold pressed."

As the men wait for their olives to be pressed, they talk with each other and compare notes on the condition of their olive trees, how many sacks they were able to harvest, how much water they needed to buy for irrigation, what pruning techniques work the best, etc.

Once the process is complete and the oil is separated, the quantity is measured and the oil-to-sack ratio is calculated. At this time the villager can fill their barrels with their oil to take home, or they sell it to the coop, who then sells it to larger olive oil distributors.

The oil-to-sack ratio is very important and becomes a popular topic of most conversations during the winter months in the village.

We obtain our oil on the day that it is pressed and keep it in barrels in our apotheki (storage room). The oil must then settle for two months before we can ship it to the United States.

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The Cretan Way of Life

Much of the Cretan culture and social interaction includes having a meal together as a family. Guests are always welcome at family meals, and if you hint that you might be coming over, expect a full three-course meal!

The Cretans and Greeks celebrate baptisms, weddings, and feast days by having numerous rows of banquet-style tables and plenty of food. No invitations are needed and even unexpected guests are welcomed.

While the daily food is simple, it is always delicious and uses the freshest ingredients. Many villagers eat vegetarian meals especially during religious fasting seasons. However, when guests are expected, the host will usually offer several types of meats and a wide selection of other foods at the table.

Villagers still slaughter their own livestock, including pigs, goats, lambs, and chickens if needed. If the villagers buy meat from someone else, they will need to know where the animal was from, what it was fed, and when it was slaughtered.

There are several weekly pizarris (outdoor markets) in the surrounding villages that offer the freshest produce, including local fruits, vegetables, herbs, honey, and cheeses. Most villages have a bakery that bakes fresh bread every morning.

Breakfast is very small and might include bread and coffee or milk. Lunch is typically a large meal eaten inside of the house around noon and is followed by a siesta. Dinner is much later and is usually held outside. As villagers take an evening walk they are often invited into the patio area for a drink and meze (snack).

Many households have an outdoor wood-burning stove (ksilofourno) which is used fairly often and produces the most tender meats and potatoes.

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