Behind every award-winning olive oil there is a story. A story of people, collaboration, experience, and love for the fruit of the olive tree.
In the olive oil quality competitions organized by the Friends of Olive Oil and Olive Greece - Filaeos for 2025, producers collaborating with the family olive mill "O Stathis", as well as partner olive mills of Olivemillexperts, received important distinctions.
The awards were presented within the framework of the following competitions:
– Omphakion 2025 - competition for the quality of early-harvest and green olive oils
– Amphoreas 2025 - competition for olive oil quality, packaging, and brandingAt the award ceremony held in Athens, we attended together with producer Nikos Kassiteropoulos, while I had the honor of receiving the awards on behalf of Grigoris Kaimakis and the Papoutsis Olive Mill, who were unable to attend the event.
The early-harvest olive oil Unique Ultra Rare Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Holy Mount Bio Products family, produced by Grigoris Kaimakis, received a Platinum Award. Behind this distinction lies an effort that began years ago, born from a love for the olive tree and the belief that quality can truly make a difference. The olive oil is produced from the local "Ourania" variety, cultivated in the area bordering Mount Athos and Ouranoupoli.
The producer dedicated the award to his father, the person who started this effort. "I would like to dedicate these awards to the inspiration behind this effort, my father, Stelios Kaimakis." He also thanked the "O Stathis" Olive Mill and Kostas Kazantzidis, stating: "For his contribution to our effort, as he represents an important factor in the high quality of our olive oil."
Producer Nikos Kassiteropoulos also received an important distinction with his olive oil Eladion Taxiarches, which was also honored with a Platinum Award.
The award moment was particularly joyful, as we had the opportunity to share the happiness of this distinction together in person.
The Papoutsis Olive Mill was also distinguished in the competitions, receiving a Gold Award.
The family's story began with the first olive trees planted by their father.
Today, the business operates as a family-owned vertically integrated unit, with olive groves, an olive
mill, and a bottling facility.
As the family stated:
"We feel very happy about the results of our effort. We are a family-run vertically integrated unit, as we have our own olive trees, olive mill, and bottling facility. Everything started from the first trees planted by our father. Together with my brother Panagiotis, we give all our love and energy every day to produce high-quality extra virgin olive oil, so that we can offer the quality you deserve at your table. In this effort, we would also like to thank our friend and partner Kostas Kazantzidis (Olivemillexperts), whose guidance and many years of experience contributed significantly to these results. For us, distinctions like these give us both the motivation and the responsibility to continuously improve in the production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil."
The family olive mill "O Stathis" formed the foundation of the experience upon which Olivemillexperts was created. Daily hands-on experience inside the olive mill allows for a deep understanding of the real challenges of olive oil production and enables this knowledge to be transferred to producers and olive mills seeking to improve the quality of their olive oils. This year's distinctions are yet another reminder that behind every great olive oil there is a team of people working with passion, collaboration, and respect for the product.
