Greek Innovations

An agrifood startup company contest affiliated with the third Cretan Lifestyle Conference helped promote young agrifood entrepreneurs in Greece. At an Innovation Symposium that preceded the larger conference, five young finalists gave brief “shark-tank pitches.” Experts from business and industry served as judges at the conference venue near Heraklion.

“ZOI” is the Greek word for life. ZOI Ultra is also the name of Laconiko’s healthiest extra virgin olive oil, which is ultra-rich in natural antioxidants that can help you live a longer, healthier life. ZOI Ultra is made from selected unripe Kalamon olives that are harvested early and treated with great care to yield the utmost health benefits and flavor.

At a conference at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICh) on June 12, ELIADA project partners reported on the utilization and promotion of the genetic material of Greek olive varieties. These scientists and innovators emphasized that the protection of this material is more imperative than ever as we face the effects of climate change.  

On December 16-17, 2021, inventors and scientists introduced 19 innovations designed to help solve common problems in the Greek olive, olive oil, and livestock sectors. Dozens of participants joined presenters online or at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute in Chania (MAICh) for this LIVINGAGRO event, with several learning more in one-on-one meetings.

Stakeholders in the Greek olive and livestock sectors who are facing challenges are invited to a free B2B event to connect with innovators offering solutions to common problems. Online and face-to-face presentations and 1-on-1 meetings will take place in Chania, Crete on December 16-17 as part of the LIVINGAGRO project funded by the ENI CBC Med Programme.

(Photo essay) On a cloudy November day, we headed west of Chania, Crete to explore olive-avocado intercropping and witness the production of olive oil in a mill full of new inventions. Setting out to film a short video about innovative practices and machinery, we encountered the sights, sounds, colors, aromas, and flavors of the Greek olive oil world.

To create a unique, inspiring atmosphere in Delphi where judges from 11 countries evaluated 359 olive oils for the Athena International Olive Oil Competition, competition chairman Constantine Stergides hired architect Elena Stavropoulou to make a striking art installation. Her installation memorialized the Greek olive oil production tradition of the past.

Last month in Athens, the Olive Challenge Demo Day unveiled fifteen cutting edge creations in a unique Greek olive oil and olive sector contest focused on innovation. Top honors went to the Olive Predictor, a miniature olive mill and tester that let olive oil producers determine the healthy phenolic content and oil yield of their olives before the harvest.

Many Greek olive oil companies welcome schoolchildren to their mills, bottling plants, and tasting rooms to learn about olive oil production, export, history, taste, uses, and health benefits. Last year, Terra Creta went farther, hiring a teacher to develop a specialized experiential learning program for kindergarten and elementary school students in Crete.

Two Greek entrepreneurs have presented a new product: very healthy organic Greek extra virgin olive oil in a 150 ml container that looks like a medicine bottle. This is no coincidence: OLEO is meant to be taken as a nutritional supplement in measured doses of 5 grams per day for its health benefits, according to the OLEO team. So one bottle lasts a month. 

Made with Greek olive oil, the new Olea Health olive oil softgel capsule, “the densest polyphenol capsule in the world” according to its website, entered the Greek market in September. Its advocates believe this low-calorie product can offer a high concentration of the olive oil polyphenols that scientific studies suggest have numerous health benefits.