Another great year for Popi. She now has the confidence of a master producer, ready to show off her cool and tackle any small unexpected incident: A sack of olives forgotten in the far corner of the grove was picked up the next day. She could prove (contrary to everybody’s concerns ) that the olive press did not embezzle any of our precious juice to the advantage of the producer ahead of us!

Olive groves produce a strong harvest every second year. 2019 was an abundant year and the hired workers plus friends and family worked for three days. The crew were Greeks, Albanians, German, French. The olives have to be shipped in the same day they are picked to the olive press, else the quality of the oil is degraded. A three day harvest implies three visits to the olive press, that stays open all through the night. There is interaction with producers that seem to be meticulous in their approach and there is always something to learn: this year Popi spotted a better quality sacks than the ones she is using and got the whereabouts of the supplier. Is this important? For the stratospheric quality of Popi’s oil it is.

The olive was up to Popi’s standards. More like a juice, very fruity and somehow bitter. (Some uninitiated might find the intensity annoying). It is somehow a waste to use such oil for cooking, as the high temperature compromises the taste and all the fresh goodness. Better use it in salads or have on a slice of bread with salt flakes and oregano.

Well done again Popi!