Cyprus

Demetris Taliotis

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is at its core a pivotal and exemplary cultural artefact

I am Demetris Taliotis, and I am the Chief Olive Oil Obsessive at Aparthenasa, a decentralized, family owned and operated agrocraft estate in Cyprus.

Ruggedly individualistic, passionate about research, and audacious in outlook, at Aparthenasa we primarily focus on creating terroir-driven Extra Virgin Olive Oil, by utilizing regenerative agriculture methods and applying the latest agrifood innovations and agricultural management practices, to closely monitor and secure the quality of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil we produce, from the field to the bottle.

⸻ About
We aim to de-commodify micro-produced, terroir-driven and sensorially exciting Extra Virgin Olive Oil

We have as a central mission to de-commodify micro-produced Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Cyprus. To achieve that, we first and foremost look after the health and biodiversity of 6.5 ha of olive trees under our care, and work closely with millers, agronomists, researchers, land agents and others in exploring and promoting the variety and variability of the myriad organoleptic profiles of Extra Virgin Olive, in a way that enhances the sensorial pleasures consumers can relish from such an exemplary and pivotal cultural artifact.

⸻ EVOO & Virgin Olive Oil
Based across two sites, we produce sensorially exciting, monovarietal Koroneiki Extra Virgin Olive Oil, in very limited quantities

At the moment we are the custodians of two main cultivars – Koroneiki and Kato Drys, an indigenous Cypriot one – and we are based across two main sites. One, our beloved Vavatsinia forest olive grove, in the Troodos Mountains, 600 metres above sea level, was devoured by the July 2021 wildfire, but we are in the process of reviving it. The other is the petite grove of the Kythreotis Estate, located in the Sia hills, across copper and iron ore rich alluvial soils. Both of our groves are transitioning to organic farming certification.

⸻ Natural Environment