“Zacharias” Olive Grove

Welcome to Zacharias olive grove, which produces the Manaki and Koroneiki variety and is located in the historical area of Dervenakia and 8.5 kilometers northwest of the village of Fichtia.

The olive grove and the wider area were named after the well-known bandit chief Zacharias, who lived and operated in the area during the Ottoman rule. According to legend, the construction of “Panagia of Zacharias”, a small chapel almost 50 meters away from our olive grove, is attributed to him and his bandits. There is also reference to the fact that the chapel was the command center of Theodoros Kolokotronis, commander-in-chief of the Greek Revolution of 1821, during the organization of one of the greatest victories of the Greeks against the Turkish- Egyptian army in Dervenakia.

In the early 1990’s our grandfather Nikos planted 20 olive trees in their wild form (wild olive trees) in the area of Zacharias. Later on, having had the experience from his long-standing contact with the earth and the passion to cultivate it, he inoculated them and successfully turned them into the Manaki variety. Continuing the tradition, in 2016 we planted 17 more olive trees of the Koroneiki variety.
That way, we created a bi-varietal, non-irrigated olive grove, aiming at superior
taste and quality.

The biodiversity of the place with a great number of wild trees, such as oak trees, cypresses, arbutuses, wild vineyards, as well as wild animals, such as boars, hares, foxes, tortoises, hawks and so many others, are evidence that nature provides its services with quality, the one we seek for our olive oil. Given the huge role the conservation of biodiversity plays in our life and health, we adamantly refuse to be involved in its loss through the use of chemical substances and pesticides, which, unfortunately, are now inextricably linked to the agricultural production.
This is the big challenge we pose to ourselves and the people that trust us.

• Manaki and Koroneiki variety i38
• Number of olive trees 37