The area now called Amaliapolis – or New Mitzela, as the inhabitants know it – was uninhabited two centuries ago. According to written reports, in the entrance of this natural port stood a particular olive tree which served seamen as a reference point. In the eras nautical maps the area was marked as “Monolia” (meaning “the lone olive tree”) or “Port Olive”. Such were the trees grafted by the first inhabitants of Mitzela (captains and seamen mostly) who found refuge in the “Monolia” area in 1834, after being driven out of the Old Mitzela in Eastern Pelion by the Turks. These trees supported our ancestors and they continue to bless their descendants with their fruits. 2010 was a landmark year for the Apostolopoulos family’s involvement with olive oil and its standardization.
We continued the previous generation’s traditional procedures at all the stages of production, from the biological cultivation of olive trees to the oil extraction methods used in the region. The formal certification for the organic production of oil is expected in the coming months. We chose the method of cold elision and the effect on the oil’s flavor and other characteristics can only be called impressive. We sent a sample of the oil to a specialized laboratory which confirmed the excellent quality of the product. The oil is stored in stainless steel tanks and it is kept in the proper temperature until it is transferred for bottling. The family’s previous generations were also actively engaged in the olives’ market. This choice was certainly justified by the particular olive variety produced in our hilly and mountainous olive groves which are dry and produce a very tasty and tight variety. The standardization and marketing of traditionally preserved olives and olive paste will be the family’s next move in the area of olive products.