The chronicle of Passavas Estate
Passavas is a greek family-owned business of more than 3 generations, dedicated to producing high-quality olive products.
Our olive groves are situated in the historic region of East Mani, in Gytheio, Lakonia, on a hilly landscape blessed with natural water sources and optimal climate conditions.
Our story began over a century ago, when our great-grandparents transformed
the wild olive trees growing
on the very land that continues to sustain our business today.
Through skillful grafting, they cultivated
these trees into thriving, productive sources
of the prized fruits that continue to form the foundation
of our olive oil production.
In those early years, they handpicked olives from the groves and pressed
them
with rudimentary tools, producing small batches of oil that were only used
to cover
the family needs.
It was under the leadership of the current owner that the business truly began to grow and expand.
With a keen eye for innovation and a deep understanding of both traditional methods and modern business practices,
he set out to bring the family’s olive products to a broader audience.
He expanded the size of our groves,
planted new varieties and invested in state-of-the-art equipment,
ensuring
that we could produce larger quantities of olive oil without sacrificing quality.
Our label holds the name of the medieval castle Passavas
which stands across the family olive groves.
According to what is known, the Passavas Castle was built in 1254,
where the Mycenaean Acropolis
of the Homeric settlement of La
used to stand. The name of the castle appears to originate from
the appropriation
of the French expression Passe-Avant
(Move Forward),
which was a Frankish war cry.
This seems to be the most prevalent
assumption amongst many others.
All our products are crafted from fruits harvested exclusively from our private olive groves,
ensuring unmatched quality and authenticity.
Our advanced, privately operated facilities are dedicated solely to the creation of Passavas Estate olive products, allowing us to maintain full control over every step of the process. As a vertically integrated operation, we oversee everything, from cultivation and processing to packaging and distribution.
Our company also operates a cutting-edge analytical chemistry laboratory, dedicated to conducting regular, meticulous analyses of our products. This ensures that every item consistently meets the highest quality standards
and maintains its exceptional characteristics.