The company started by accident in 1996 when these two friends pooled
resources to buy a small ruin by the sea as an escape from the stress 
of their professional lives. But to restore the property legally, they 
had to acquire several additional adjoining parcels of land, all of 
which had olive trees growing. Which were the start of the ‘AVLAKI 
GROVES’ oil.

‘AGATHERÍ GROVES’ came later because the fields were too beautiful 
not to buy: ancient fields, long left uncultivated and at 600 metres 
above sea level with a view which stretches for ever.

As they started to produce olives and olive oil, Deborah and Natalie 
were horrified by what they observed of local farming practice: fields 
poisoned by chemicals, trees wrecked by aggressive harvesting, newly 
harvested olives dumped and crushed into massive sacks and processed in 
insanitary mills.

So AVLAKI immediately took control of every aspect of production: the
olives harvested by hand, blemished fruit removed before being taken to
the clean mill in shallow crates to avoid bruising. AVLAKI also 
converted to strict organic farming: now the fields bloom with all kinds
of wild flowers and teem with wildlife in the many bushes and trees 
that are left for cover.