Olive Harvesting in Greece Open to All Visitors

A graduate of Western New England University School of Law, Demetrios Panteleakis serves as principal of Icarian Real Estate Advisors and president of Macmillan Group, LLC, both located in Springfield, Massachusetts. In his spare time, Demetrios Panteleakis enjoys traveling and visits his family farm in Greece each year for summer vacations and the fall olive harvest.

As an olive-producing country, Greece has a history of olive growing that dates back thousands of years. Olive season begins in October, but at this time the olives are not yet fully mature. Oil collected from these green, unripe olives is called “immature” olive oil. Most areas begin harvesting in November when the olives start to turn from green to purplish-black.

Visitors can participate in the olive-picking process, whether they want to help for just one day or for as long as several weeks. They handpick the olives and place them in baskets and help carry them from the field. They also have the opportunity to transfer the harvested olives into a traditional olive press and learn how to extract the oil from the olives. Once the olives have been pressed, visitors can take home oil in lieu of payment for their labor, and many also purchase a few bottles as souvenirs of their experience.