Elaiolado Makris PDO!
Makri Olive Oil is extracted exclusively by mechanical means from the fruits of the indigenous Makri olive of the species Olea Europea, which is cultivated in the designated zone of Alexandroupolis, from the western boundaries of the villages of Chili, Makri, Dikella and Meridian Plaka...
This all began with the specifications submitted in January 2018 to the European Committee for the Recognition of OLIVE MAKRIS PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) from the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Prefecture of Evros, by Mr Paschalis Papadakis, retired agronomist, former head of the Directorate of Agricultural Economy and Veterinary Science in Evros. The process of compiling the documents and other intensive efforts, with the assistance of the Region, the Makri Agricultural Olive Cooperative, as well as private individuals of the region, took more than three years to produce a worthy submission to the EU. In other words, after 3 years of testing and scrutinizing evidence, the EU commission decided that Makri olive oil is a product so unique and special that it can and must be protected to become one of only 20 PDO olive oils in Greece and the only PDO product in Thrace.
KYKLOPAS OLIVE ARGYRI KELIDI S.A. is a family business and vertically integrated company that cultivates 12,000 olive trees, produces olive oil at their privately owned mill and bottles in their own bottling facility; they have been producing Makri extra virgin olive oil for 38 years . Recognizing from the beginning the uniqueness of this product, they participated in the first Greek Olive Oil Competition in 2008 and easily won the PLATINUM prize. That year a new journey of awards for quality started, with them participating in the most important global olive oil competitions, and always winning awards. So far, KYKLOPAS has won over 130 global GOLD awards, and without too much effort now exports 60% of its oil to 24 countries around the world.
Even when the Makris variety was not yet officially recognised, the family business from Makri stubbornly used the name Makri as a variety in global competitions, making it known and accepted at competitions such as the NEW YORK Olive Oil Competition, OVIBEJA in Portugal, MARIO SOLINAS in Spain, OLIVINUS in Argentina, ARMONIA in Italy, TERRA OLIVO in Israel, AVPA in France, OLIVE JAPAN & JOOP in Japan, KOTINOS & ATEHNS in Greece and many more, as well as in international catalogues such as FLOS OLEI, GREAT TASTE, DER FAINSCHMESKER, etc. It is not an easy road to travel on, and now it is even more difficult as there are additional demands from the producers of Makri olive oil: a special gold label needs to be displayed on their products in a specific manner; they need to familiarise themselves with and follow strict standards.
KYKLOPAS mill is CERTIFICATED both as an OLIVE MILL and PACKAGING facility in accordance with the specifications set by the AGROCERT ORGANIZATION through ELGO DIMITRA. Also, November 2020 saw the official release of the first officially certified Makris PDO packaging of AGES olive oil. Makri olive oil began its journey on August 10, 2020, and how far it will travel is now in the hands of the olive growers of the region themselves.