Producers

Mr Dimitris and Mr Andreas Tsikouris were born and raised in Chalkidiki, Greece, in an area where olive cultivation has been a tradition since ancient times.

They have truly shown their love and respect for the blessed olive tree since they were kids.

They have observed closely for years olive cultivation, olive harvesting, and olive oil extraction and have learned to appreciate the valuable and healthy properties of the olive oil. Their memories as children over time have been transformed into an experience that, combined with their vision to produce their own olive oil, gave birth to THALLON, a natural product rich in phenols and with extremely low acidity, derived from early harvest olives, by cold extraction using the most modern and certified equipment and methods.

 The Family

Kyklopas is a family owned and operated business that began its course several generations back. Argiris Kelidis has been immersed in the world of olives since being a toddler, side by side with his father and his mother. With this solid foundation and vast inherited knowledge, Argiris and his wife Niki Kelidoy went on to set up their own family mill in 1982. The Kyklopas olive mill is situated in Makri, Northern Greece, among one of the oldest olive groves in the Mediterranean, a stone’s throw away from the cave of Homer’s Cyclops (Kyklopas in Greek) and from the ancient road connecting European Turkey to Rome, Via Egnatia. As a result of their passion and love for what they do together with continuously keeping up to date with the latest developments, today the Kelidi family has 12.000 olive trees and 2.000 organically 

cultivated trees of the local Makri olive variety. They produce Kyklopas Extra Virgin Olive Oil, one of the most highly awarded olive oils in Greece.

The Cultivation

At Kyklopas estates, trees are grown with prudent use of water, fertilisers and herbicides. Every phase of production is managed in such a way as to protect both the environment and the consumer. The olive oil is produced the very same day as harvesting and under optimal conditions (cold extraction below 25 degrees). Immediately after extraction, the oil passes through paper filters in order to retain the oil’s chemical characteristics and natural aromas. The oil is then stored in stainless steel tanks in a cool and dry environment. Lastly, the oil is bottled under hygienic conditions in accordance with ISO 22000:2005 and ISO 9001:2015.

The mission

Kyklopas' mission is to continue producing a premium high quality extra virgin olive oil. For years now, the Kelidis' family has been producing and using the best olive oil, and they believe it is worth being on your table too.

The advantage of Kiklopas' extra virgin olive oil is that every single stage of the production process - from cultivating the olive grove, extracting the oil at their own mill to the bottling on their premises - is under the family's supervision. This way they are able to guarantee the consistent quality of our oil.

Kyklopas is sensitive towards the natural environment. The environmental friendly policy towards farming includes the composting of pruned branches rather than burning them. They also preserve the natural greenery and turf of the olive grove. They routinely inspect and examine the fallen leaves to ensure the best quality soil. In terms of oil extraction, liquid waste is collected daily by a biogas electricity plant while the leaves and pruned branches are used to make compost which is then returned to our olive groves. Finally, all of the packaging is made of recyclable materials.

Geography

The Pagasetic Gulf

Magnesia, Thessaly’s southeastern region, boasts Volos as the biggest city in its prefecture. But the family’s estate is located just outside of Achilleon in a small village that retains the southernmost natural harbor in the Pagasetic Gulf.

Achilleion

Birthplace of Ioanna and a childhood haven for Athanasios, the village is known for its secluded beaches and sweet taverns filled with fresh seafood and curious, warmhearted locals.

On the foot of Mount Othrys and just opposite Mount Pelion, the Myrolion olive groves emulate the intensity of the landscape.

The wetlands of Lichoura preserve the natural biodiversity of its rare herbs and other unique plants, and are located only a few hundred meters away from Myrolion’s olive trees.

The Olive Groves

Myrolion’s olive trees belong to the local Amfissa, or Voliotiki or Pelion, variety.

Trees of this variety can grow tall, over 10 meters, and produce fleshy, round olives, with unique characteristics.

The olive trees enjoy a variety of microclimates thanks to the intense relief of the olive groves. You can find them enjoying the warm sun a few meters from the sea, quenching their thirst on a valley or you could listen to their leaves’ rustling while air passes through our estate’s 350-meter-high hill.

In Myrolion’s estate every generation has left its footprint by planting new olive trees.

As a result the olive trees age from 40 years to over 800 years old. These trees, older than the Greek state, are a living bond have with our distant ancestors.

And we hope our distant descendants will be enjoying the fruit of the olives that Athanasios, Vangelis and Ioanna planted.

In contrast to most modern producers the Myrolion Estate trees enjoy a distance of approximately 9 meters from each other, just as Solon suggested thousands of years ago.

This way, each tree doesn’t need to stress over securing resources from neighboring ones, leading to the production of pure olive fruit, as they don’t need to be over-fertilized with chemicals.

The Olive Oil Experts

Ioanna

She is the female archetype of the Demeslis family. A strong-minded mother and wife whose vision is always one step ahead to prevent flaws and make sure that all follow the day to day plan.

Athanasios

The family’s son is a tireless mind, practically obsessed with quality and exploring different cultures. As the founder of Myrolion, you may find him picking olives, visiting fellow producers and clients abroad, or just answering e-mails, one by one.

Vaggelis

He’s Myrolion’s muscle. Having spent more than 20 years of his life as a programmer you would think the transition to olive farming would be tough. Apparently, his tireless labor keeps Myrolion standing.