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Meet Adi & Daisy
Deep in the south of Greece is a place named Kalamata. It is where my grandparents settled for many years, it is where my partner grew up, it is where we met, and it is where we now bring our children each year. It is surrounded by mount Taygetos. And each spring the mountain surges to life as wildflowers cover the land and bees buzz. And each summer the air hums lazily as olives ripen on ancient, gnarled trees. This blend of sunshine, sea breeze, and mountain air produces some of the best olive oil and honey in the world.
Every summer we would load up our tiny rental car with local olive oil and honey to bring back to our family and friends in the UK. And every summer we would say to each other “this stuff really is great, we could sell this you know”. Until this year when we said: “we really should”. We spent the rest of the summer talking to local producers, sampling different products, learning the intricacies of olive oil and honey production, and understanding the deep-rooted traditions that make Kalamata’s produce so exceptional.
Meet Aris
Greeks produce more extra virgin olive oil than anywhere else and we truly believe our oil is among the best there is to offer. We are the sole suppliers of this early harvest, extra virgin Kalamata olive oil, originating from Aris' grove in the village of Kampos.
As you leave Kalamata and head through the mountains, the scenes turn lush and green. Set in the heart of Mani, Kampos has 370 residents and thousands of olive trees. Aris' family have owned their olive grove for 150 years and have perfected their craft. Each November the olive grove owners of Kampos come together to harvest each others olives and power up the pressing factory they share to turn their olives to oil.
When I was a kid I’d come to our grove most afternoons with my grandad. He’d always bring a knife and some fruit. He had this way of twisting the fruit round so that all the peel would come off in one go. And then he’d cut it in half and hand half to me. Mostly I’d play and he’d work. But he’d also talk about the grove. Which tree was thirsty, which branch needed cutting, and how to let them grow stronger. How I’d know when the olives were ready to be picked.
When my son was born my wife often brought him here for his naps. It’s very quiet and shady. I spend most weekends here, checking on the trees. My son is 24 now and he often comes with me. We’ll spend a few hours caring for the land and I always bring a knife and a piece of fruit to share.
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Meet George & Evangelia
Our pure honey comes from the Sentementes family who have been farming honey on their land since the 1950s. This farm sits on Mount Taygetos, the largest mountain in the Peloponnese. The endless sunshine and rich biodiversity of the Greek mountainside produces a sweeter, richer honey than that of other countries.​
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The land has been in the Sentementes family for countless generations but it was George's father who first decided to add bee hives as a hobby. George and Evangelia took over the land in 1977 and decided to turn a hobby into a livelihood.
In Kalamata, there is a twice weekly market where local farmers come to sell their goods. Suffice to say, if it were in London it would be world famous. Hundreds of stalls, each the master of their trade. One entire stall dedicated to tomatoes, another to cucumbers. George and Maria are a firm favourite at the market, with their honey always selling out fast.
Their honey farm is set deep within the mountains of Taygetos. With neat rows of bee hives nestled in a patchwork of fir, pine, olive, and orange blossom trees, the floors covered in wildflowers and wild herbs.
George’s father bought this land for very cheap in 1950 to have somewhere quiet to go where he could grow things and maybe even keep bees. He had a few hives and made enough honey each year to give some jars to people he knew.
When he gave us the land in 1977 we decided to make it our life. We added more hives, planted more flowers. Now we have all sorts- orange blossom, fir, pine, thyme, olive trees, and of course wildflowers.
The land is in a special spot, in the middle of Mount Taygetos. There are no houses or proper roads for a long way. It gets a lot of sunshine, and flowers you can’t find anywhere else in the world. And it makes a very naturally rich, sweet, healing honey.
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