Tour, Tasting and Food Pairing at Evonymon

Evonymon was founded in 2013 by Stavroula Rozou (PhD pharmacist) and Nicolas Krikelis (MSc chemist), with the aim to produce and market Greek products, like extra virgin olive oil and aromatic herbs of Greece. Our goal is to continuously improve and promote quality Greek products, by boosting the role and contribution of the Mediterranean diet to our health. Our products can be found in selected groceries and delicatessens in Greece and several food outlets abroad.
The company’s estate, Agros, is based in Varakes, Messinia (southern Peloponnese), just a few km from Pylos and Methoni. It is open for visiting the olive grove, the botanical garden with endemic aromatic herbs, and a small collection of wild orchids. In the estate, there is a small private olive mill where the awarded extra virgin olive oil is cold extracted. The aromatic herbs are cultivated in the area, picked by hand, naturally dried and packed in our own packaging facilities.
The estate is open all year round for olive oil experiences; visiting the olive mill, tasting olive oils and food pairing with extra virgin olive oil. The owner will teach you how to distinguish a good olive oil, how to store it, and use it. You will also learn all the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil. You can also participate at olive harvesting and olive oil production in mid-autumn.
Visitors have also the chance to pick up seasonal fruits or vegetables from the garden and find the exquisite products of the estate and of other local producers in the shop.

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

Guests are welcomed with a choice of cool or hot infusion of our herbs and a fruit juice.The tour begins with a presentation of our work and vision, along with the historical background of olive cultivation and olive oil production. Guests then have the opportunity to observe the way olives are collected within the olive grove itself, mimicking the process done during the harvesting season. They will have a close look at the 19th-century olive millstones and press, as well as our small private modern olive mill, where our award-winning extra virgin olive oil is cold-extracted. All the process steps are explained. This is followed by the olive oil tasting and food pairing session, conducted in the garden. Tables are set up especially for this workshop, where guests sit around and taste 5-6 different oils. Extensive discussion takes place regarding the positive and negative attributes of the oils, how to distinguish good olive oil, how to store it and use it, as well as the health, beauty, and multiple benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The food pairing session follows, during which guests are encouraged to interact with the food they are served, in order to understand how the olive oil complements different flavors (salty, sweet, bitter, etc.). We serve cheese, octopus, green vegetables, boiled potatoes, a local salad with oranges, olive tapenade, olives, artichoke tapenade, bean salad (rovitsa). Bread and lalaggia accompany the meal. Finally, a dessert is also served. Included in the price is a bottle of local wine (Fileri, white or rose), with one bottle serving four guests. Water and coffee are also included. At the end, one lucky guest will win a prize in a knowledge quiz. Throughout the tour, guests are welcome to stroll around the garden and become acquainted with the endemic plants and herbs of the region and Greece as a whole.