Cyprus
Organic extra virgin olive oil from Cyprus from biocyclic vegan agriculture
In the easternmost periphery of the European Union and at the same time in one of the most southern olive growing regions in Europe, in the village of Athienou, halfway between the port and cultural city of Larnaca and the divided capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, far away from industry but also from the often treacherous image of a transfigured romanticism of farming, Giorgos Kailas produces an olive oil that satisfies the highest expectations in every respect.
Let’s first of all focus on quality. The olive variety Koroneiki –known for the excellent organoleptic qualities of its oil, although native to the area around Kalamata, does not only grow well in Cyprus, but even thrives better than on the Greek mainland. This is due to the mineral-rich, slightly alkaline soils that were formed during the penultimate ice age in Cyprus and the island’s much drier climate.
The quality aspect also depends on the fact that Giorgos Kailas uses an automatic olive harvesting machine. On an island that suffers from considerable labour shortages, this makes it possible for him to collect within a few hours a multiple of the olives compared to traditional harvesting methods. This has an effect on the quality of the olives, because they do not show any damage caused by treading, nor are they affected by long storage in sacks.
And then a truck trailer takes the olives straight to the nearby oil mill, one of the most modernly equipped on the island, to the “King of Olives” Agathklis Agathokleous in Anglisides near Larnaca at the foot of the monastery of Stavrovouni. This means that there is a maximum of 45 minutes between picking and pressing. All the precious substances of the olive are thus fully preserved.
Now let us consider the social component. Georgios Kailas is a young farmer and recently engaged, with dreams and plans for his life. He is by no means an exception in his family. The whole Kailas family is bursting with zest for action and never misses an opportunity to tread new, unconventional paths.
The commercialisation of their olive oil as bottled directly by the producer (not as a blend with oils from other producers, as is often the case) with a picture, an authentic guarantee of origin and the possibility of direct communication with the final consumer (QR code on the bottle) encourages Giorgos to do even more than is required from him.
Olive growing in Cyprus under the protection of the UN peacekeeping mission
There is also a geopolitical aspect of this special olive oil. Athienou is not just situated somewhere between Larnaca and Nicosia. Since 1974, the year when Turkish troops occupied the northern part of the island, Athienou has been at a military hotspot.
Just like his village, his fields are located in the immediate vicinity of the UN-controlled buffer zone between the north and east of the island, which is still Turkish occupied to this day, and the Greek south of Cyprus, which in total has been formally part of the European Union since 2004 and of the euro zone since 2008. Many of his fields lie directly on the demarcation line. To reach his olive groves, one has to pass UN checkpoints and minefields cleared with the help of the European Union, all in the face of the Turkish sentries who have taken up position behind the rusty barbed wire.
In this context, it is like a peace initiative not to give up hope, but to continue to cultivate the fields inherited from the forefathers, not to be deterred by the bizarre scenario of a conflict with little prospect of success, to practise organic farming and, although there are dozens of pig and cattle farms in the area, not to use any animal manure in the fields and instead to practise biocyclic vegan agriculture.
With the purchase of BIOKYKLOS ZYPERN biocyclic vegan olive oil from Giorgos Kailas
you strengthen …
- the development of biocyclic vegan agriculture in Cyprus;
- a young farming family who love their village, their fields, their home and nature
- the belief that at some point the borders drawn by man will fall;
- your own health due to the excellent properties of this exquisite olive oil.
Giorgios Kailas’ farm is located in the village of Athienou, halfway between the port and cultural city of Larnaca and the divided capital of Cyprus, Nicosia,
It is a member of the Panhellenic Biocyclic Vegan Network, and its products are distributed by O.M.E.N. Ltd.
Contact:
Panhellenic Biocyclic Vegan Network
Raphael Santi 58
Nefeli Court 11, App. 202
CY-6052 Larnaca
Cyprus
