Our Story

Zacharioudakis brothers under the watchful eye of their father Nikolao, from an early age were initiate in secrets of olive trees following the tradicional way for the production of a special and highly virgin olive oil.

The History

Zacharioudakis family, originating from Vori village is directly connected with olive oil production on the highland plain of Messara in the South of Crete which has a special micro climate – perfect for the cultivation of olives.

The two brothers Stelios and Manolis (with his sons Nikolas, Petros and wife Dijana), under the watchful eye of their father Nikolao, from an early age were initiate in secrets of olive trees following the tradicional way for the production of a special and highly virgin olive oil from the centenarian Throubolia’s olive trees as well as the olive oil from the Koroneiki olive trees of south Creta.

The grat love and passion of the two brothers for theirs land and tradition united with the specific practice and experience in cultivation have conduced coproduce an excellent high nutritional value olive oil.

The Akalli is an exellent, high qualitied olive oil, with full taste, wich is produced form semi-mature olives from south Crete. The olives are picked very carefully and separated, also with great care from the leaves and from any inferior olives. The Akalli oil is produced only with mechanical support with environmental temperature in 25-27 degrees the same day of harvesting.

Mr Nikolaos Zacharioudakis, the head of the family, stresses that while they have the wonderful climate of the Messaria plain to help them, “there is still great skill and experience needed in the process of producing the best olive oil possible. This is something in which my family takes great pride.”

The goodness and flavour of the olive oil comes as a result of many days of hard and precise work and is built on a foundation of generations of experience of growing and producing olive oil.

Akalli was the daughter of king Minoas, after whom the civilization that flourished in Crete during 2000 BC was named. According to the historian Thucydides, this was the first civilization to control the Mediterranean.

The Minoan ships would sail to trade Cretan goods in exchange for valuable materials of other nearby civilizations. These goods consisted mostly of grains, pulses, herbs, dairy products, honey, wine and especially olive oil, which today constitute the diet commonly referred to as “Cretan” or “Mediterranean”. Olive oil, with its multiple health properties, is regarded as the most vital part of this diet.

The Zacharioudakis family provide you with this unique olive oil of the ancient Chontrolia (Throumolia) variety, that have been grown for centuries on the fringes of the Messara plain.