Welcome to Aitria!
In Greek, “Aitria” means holy trinity which is fitting because the olive oil we produce is a union between the olive trees, herbs & fruits, and sunshine from our fields!
Our history
Aitria has belonged to our family for 6 generations and we have been cultivating olives for over 250 years here! The sacred knowledge and practice of olive oil making has been passed down from generation to generation.
We are the guardians of centennial olive groves, some of them with ancient olive trees. Our family’s extra virgin olive oil has been awarded since 1952.
Aitria is just one of our fields – in total we take care of 12 fields and just over 700 olive trees situated in the area around Kato Chorio!
Who we are?
We are Jiorgos and Silke and we live in the village of Kato Chorio. All year round we look after our beautiful olive trees and garden.
Our philosophy is to leave our small corner of the world in better shape than we found it, and our cultivation practices reflect that. We are certified organic farmers which means that we do not use any chemicals on our trees and plants. We simply help nature to give us its fruits through a combination of traditional methods and modern science.
Ultimately, our goal is twofold: to produce the highest quality olive oil all while innovating new ways to combine that same olive oil with the aromas and tastes of Crete.
Advocating for our living landscape
Our care for the olive trees and the lands of Crete extends beyond farming and harvesting olives.
For us, the living landscape of Crete is much more than the mountains and the sea – it is our home, and it is important to us that we protect and care for everything that has been a part of our life here from generations past.
We are proud to be part of the founders of the social cooperation Eptastiktos and the Coccinella which are two associations that advocate for the protection and sustainable management of ancient olive trees and Cretan land.
We are also active members since 2019 of the “Comitte of Citizens of Ierapetra” that in 2021 was awarded with the first medal of Cultural heritage from the European Association of Archaeologists.