The Olive Harvest in Greece

Western New England College graduate, Demetrios Panteleakis is the president of the MacMillan Group in Springfield, Massachusetts. Each year, Demetrios Panteleakis travels to his family farm in Greece for the annual olive harvest. 

Olive groves exist throughout Greece, and while the harvest season starts as early as the end of October, it isn't until late November that the best olives are picked. Nevertheless, the harvest season continues through mid-January.

The wild olive tree is native to the eastern Mediterranean, and fossilized olive trees have been dated between 50-60,000 years old. The Greeks were the first people to cultivate the trees, and they have been an integral part of Greek culture since the Stone Age.

The olive tree is always growing, and during droughts, the trees must be watered to ensure that it will bear fruit. The trees also require careful pruning to stimulate the growth of the flowering branches and to keep the tree close enough to the ground for easier fruit picking.

The beauty of the landscape and the majesty of the trees make harvesting the olives such a joy that the olive harvest has become eco-tourism. Olive lovers from around the world come to Greece each year to enjoy the ancient tradition of picking this delicious fruit.