DISCOVER
It’s harvest time once again and the olive groves at Costa Navarino are yielding up their fruit to produce the exceptional Navarino Icons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a true ambassador of Messinian land to the far corners of the world.
By Alexandra Tzavella
With a steady, unbroken flow, Homer’s “liquid gold” gushes before me—the same substance Hippocrates called “the great healer.” Its aroma fills the air: earth, wild greens, and the essence of the Greek countryside. Perhaps this is how the storerooms of the nearby palace of the mythical King Nestor once smelled, where olive oil from this same land—Messinia—was stored in large clay jars. From fruit gathered, as it is now, by hand.
Just two hours earlier, the olives were still clinging to the branches. At dawn, the olive groves, stretching from near the sea up to an altitude of 290 meters, were blanketed in a thick pink mist—a spectacular farewell from autumn in Messinia. Every October and November, the hillsides echo with familiar sounds: the hum of farm trucks going back and forth, the clatter of crates being filled, the groan of the olive presses, and the playful laughter of the workers.
© Perikles Merakos
In the private olive groves of Costa Navarino, before the sun even rises, the ancient trunks—some 30 years old, others over a millennium in age—are wrapped in linen, and green nets are spread out, ready to catch the season’s new harvest.
Here, the harvesting is done without machinery. Each olive lands gently, following a meticulous “combing” of the branches: by hand for the lower branches, and with comb-like tools for the higher ones. These tools, resembling rakes, glide between the leaves, carefully detaching the olives without harming the tree.
“Olive harvesting is something special for us. Everyone eagerly awaits the moment of ripening when the olives are ready for picking. This harvest is a tradition deeply rooted in Messinia,” says Giorgos Aggelis, the Landscape Manager at Costa Navarino. The region’s unique climatic conditions—abundant sunshine and moisture from the Ionian Sea and the Gulf of Messinia—create a one-of-a-kind product from Messinian olive groves. “The real secret, however, lies in the love and care of the growers, who infuse their knowledge into the cultivation of the olive,” he adds.
From a distance, the process resembles a choreographed dance. The workers, perfectly coordinated, comb the trees and transfer the unblemished fruit from the nets to the crates. Within two hours, the olives arrive at the mill, and the production process begins.
Under the watchful eye of Thanasis Sarantos, the owner of the olive press, modern olive oil extraction machines take over and carry out their function: malaxation and separation through a centrifuge at low temperatures. “There’s no room for imperfection,” Sarantos says, as he monitors the rich olive oil flowing through quality control checkpoints and into the bottling system.
The final product, labeled Navarino Icons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, offers a truly unique flavor to anyone who tastes it. At a table set amidst nature, Cristina Stribacu, an international olive oil taster, pours the oil into blue tasting cups and encourages participants to bring them close to their noses.
“The Koroneiki variety is extraordinary. It has a strong fruity aroma reminiscent of jasmine, freshly cut grass, artichoke and flowers,” she explains as she conducts the tasting. “Fruity, bitter and spicy,” she adds, inviting everyone to craft imaginative descriptions. “Isn’t it like ripe avocado with a hint of fresh pepper?”
© Perikles Merakos
This year, approximately 10,000 bottles of Navarino Icons Extra Virgin Olive Oil will grace tables worldwide, releasing their flavors and aromas in over fifteen countries. As Cristina puts it, “No matter where you are, it will always take you back to this place and connect you to its land and people.” Just a few drops are enough for a quick journey, starting in the present and traveling back through the centuries.
INFO
Navarino Icons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, along with the entire Navarino Icons product line, has earned more than 50 international awards and is available worldwide. Major international carriers such as Air Canada, Cathay Pacific and Aegean Airlines offer it onboard. It can also be found in some of the world’s finest delicatessens and food halls, including Whole Foods, Zingerman’s, Dean & DeLuca, and CitySuper in Hong Kong, among others.
You can purchase Navarino Icons products at Costa Navarino (Kafeneio) and in Greek Duty-Free shops, or order them online at grekaicons.gr.
Cover image: © Perikles Merakos
