Sotirale Family

Sotirale Family produce remarkable olive oils and a range of authentic Greek products.

Discovery

I chanced upon the premium oil Elea’s Poema Ode 1 at the food fair Expotrof and it made a deep impression.

Sotirale Family is a farm settled in 1999 by Paraskevas Sotirales in Mesochori, near the town of Vatica in Laconia, Peloponnese.

Paraskevas runs the company alongside his daughter, Marilena.

Their range have oil and honey as core ingredients. The authentic products derived from these Greek staples are made in small batches in order to maintain a high quality standard.

Their signature olive oil Elea’s Poema Ode 1 is derived from the Athinolia olive variety which grows all over the region, while their Sotirali Bio Blend includes Koroneiki olives. Both oils are rich in polyphenols and low in acidity.

They also produce wax ointments, propolis tincture and balsam oil. Sotirale Family are the first company in Greece to produce hydromeli or mead, an alcoholic beverage made from three types of honey and water, which ferments in barrels for two years. It was named the best in Europe earlier this year.

The company exports to Germany, Holland and Austria.

Their range have oil and honey as core ingredients. The authentic products derived from these Greek staples are made in small batches in order to maintain a high quality standard.

Memory

The Sotirale family has been cultivating olives and making honey since the 1940s. There wasn’t such a thing as “organic farming” back then, however instinctively Marilena’s grandparents were very respectful to their environment.

Paraskevas was a plumber by trade and making olive oil and honey was his hobby. In 1999 however he developed it into a company.

Marilena studied computing but her interest in honey making led to apiculture seminars. She joined the company in 2012.

Their first olive oil was bottled in 2004 and father and daughter continue to develop both their products and their packaging.

“The hardest part of our job is the fact that we are depending on ever changing weather conditions. Our biggest reward though is our customers’ loyalty”, Marilena says.

Narration

The company is based in Mesochori, near the seaside town of Vatica near the medieval citadel town of Monemvasia. They employ five people.

Paraskevas focuses on production and Marilena on sales. She splits her time between Athens and Monemvasia, in order to be able to stay close to their customers.

“The hardest part of our job is the fact that we are depending on ever changing weather conditions. Our biggest reward though is our customers’ loyalty”, Marilena says.

They tend to 2000 trees in their olive groves and 300 beehives. They also have a honey workshop and a bottling facility.

Mesochori was built in 1650 B.C. on the side of a mountain so that the locals could be protected from pirate invasions. The name stems from the fact there is a ravine in the centre of the village which splits it in two and Mesochori means the village in the middle. Mesochori has an imposing view over the gulf of Neapoli and Elafonisos.