Irene and Paraskevi Kokolaki, two sisters who come from two different professional backgrounds, education and art, decided to unite their powers, creativity and ideas in order to continue a family production of extra virgin olive oil. So after personal research and study, the idea to create O Olive PDO Messara was born.

“Our father has been cultivating olives for years on our land in Asimi, Heraklion, in the valley of Messara, in southern Crete. Knowing how intrinsically linked the cultivation of olive trees and the culture and history of the Greek people are, we decided to sustain the family business, develop it and promote Greek olive oil.”

The objective of their effort is to organize this production with a view to sharing an exceptional product, O Olive, with the public.

Irene studied French Philology at undergraduate level and went on to complete a master’s degree in Language Education and for a long time worked in teaching and education. However, her desire to get involved in business and a need to express her creative side led her to search for a completely new field of work. The opportunity she was looking for arose from for family and place of origin, Crete. After thorough research and intensive preparation, Irene decided to utilise this wonderful product, to improve it, to make her own mark on it, and to introduce it to a wider audience. And just like that, O Olive extra virgin olive oil came to be, made with care, dedication, love and passion, but also to strict specifications and conditions at every stage of production, from the harvest of the olive crop to right through to bottling. Irene isn’t stopping here. Paying special attention to development, collaboration and openness, she continues to improve her knowledge through seminars on both olive oil and business, while her web shop is open to all who wish to buy O-olive oil or get in touch for further information.

Paraskevi studied design and manufacture of handmade jewelry at the MOKUME – Silversmithing and Jewelry Design School, going on to open her own workspace and shop in the centre of Thessaloniki, and has also participated in many group exhibitions and competitions in Greece and abroad, at which she has won both plaudits and awards.

Irene and Paraskevi together created the handmade wooden gift box which contains a 250ml bottle of O Olive and a handmade silver pin in the shape of an olive leaf. The gift box can be purchased from our web shop and from selected partners.