Company: Agricultural Cooperative Of Zakros
More than 500 members of the Agricultural Cooperative of Zakros with their families, cultivate almost exclusively olive trees, respecting the environment, continuing the ancient tradition in modern terms. Their dedicated specialization in olive cultivation, have made Zakros an “Olive Oil Politeia”, a community with a constant evolution of knowledge, equipment and procedures, exchange of views and collaboration. The Cooperative, since its birth in 1936, actively interacts with the community and is part of its history. Our olive oil is produced exclusively from Koroneiki variety olives in Zakros, within the boundaries of the Sitia Geopark, in an area characterized by its great biodiversity and complex geomorphology. The natural springs of the surrounding mountains of Zakros with the rainwater of excellent quality as well as the nutritious limestone soils, are the gifts of the natural location. The Mediterranean climate, especially the dry-thermal microclimate, with hot – dry summers and mild winters, as well as the altitude of 200-250 meters from the sea, contribute to the excellent organoleptic characteristics of the olive oil. Production is held in a natural way with modern equipment, in the three-phase oil mill of the Agricultural Olive Cooperative of Zakros in Sitia, Crete. The olive oil is kept in modern stainless-steel tanks with nitrogen headspace system, that protects its excellent physicochemical characteristics and functional properties. It is a product of cold extraction. Olive paste malaxation occurs at temperatures not exceeding 27o C. The certified (ISO, Agrocert) production processes that complete the work of nature, result in a final product of quality, safe for the consumer, in accordance with the specifications of PDO Sitia, Lasithiou Kritis (Sitia Lasithi, Crete).
