Long [personal] stories short
Christina
I was born in 1986 and raised in Crete. My love for travel, adventure, the unknown, other cultures, other humans, and communication, led me to study foreign languages and become a translator and interpreter. I have lived in Ireland, Spain and France. I met people from all over the world, and encountered many different ways of life, realizing along the way how important it is for me to keep my horizons open.
For several years, I worked for a translation company in Athens. However, the little voice inside of me, telling me to do something different, kept becoming louder and louder. I missed being in contact with nature, I missed the peace offered by physical fatigue after a tiring day of work in the fields. I felt that it was time to create something new, from the beginning. Something that would start from basic, elemental principles, the soil, the production of food, humankind.
Ever since I can remember myself, my life has always been closely tied to the olive tree. I remember myself playing in its shadows during hot summer afternoons, climbing and hanging from its branches for fun or hiding in its foliage when I wanted to be alone for a bit. The decision was instinctive: I would become involved in the family olive groves and the production of our olive oil. I would care for our trees, I would showcase the unique quality of the produce of our lands, I would bottle it and share it with you! I am certain that this new journey will be filled with powerful moments, new friends, and personal development. And I can’t wait to share it with you!
Antonis
My interest in human relationships and human behavior, which started very early in my life, led me to study psychology. The social approach of the School of Psychology at the Panteion University in Athens, made me realize that many of our personal problems are rooted in society and our way of life. In the pursuit of a more holistic approach beyond clinical psychology, I came across Bowtech (the Bowen Technique), an Australian natural method applied to a large range of physical problems, as well as psychological problems with physical symptoms.
Thus, when I completed my education and received my degree, I held an especially powerful tool, which became my main professional activity. And yet, something was still missing. Nutrition and lifestyle are particularly important themes, which play a fundamental role in all human problems.
Having grown up in Ierapetra, a rural area characterized by contemporary and intensive cultivation, and seeing the effects of the use of chemicals and non-natural methods, I very soon became interested in more alternative and natural cultivation processes.
Being a farm-boy myself for as long as I can remember, spending every winter in our family olive groves, in a beautiful natural landscape, I realized how important a closeness with nature is to our psyche; later on, I also became aware of the fact that our family land could be the starting-point of a professional activity, producing top-quality olive oil, a product that has nourished and nurtured the fortunate Mediterranean peoples for thousands of years.
This prospect and inspiration presented themselves to me during a 10-day seminar on permaculture at the Free & Real eco-community in Northern Evia, when I discovered a completely different and sustainable cultivation method, and a lifestyle that respects humanity and nature at the same time. This, combined with a second seminar, on natural construction methods this time, created the spark for a new beginning.
Leaving life in Athens behind me after seven years, and with my big sister, Christina, as my fellow traveler and partner, we started our taxidi olive farm. A journey that starts in the land that nurtured us, the ancient land of Zakros.