It doesn’t get much more regenerative than traditional olive oil production, which dates back thousands of years and inherently promotes biodiversity, chemical-free growing, and supporting local communities.
“It works with the terms of regenerative agriculture by default, by definition,” says Erica Christodoulou of Zakros, an agricultural cooperative in the Sitia region of Crete that produces extra virgin olive oil.
The area—protected as part of the Global Unesco Sitia Geopark—is one of complex terrain and biodiversity, with ancient soils irrigated by natural springs from the surrounding mountains. Zakros’ 500 olive oil producers make use of other vegetation to establish the boundaries of the olive groves and co-cultivate inside the grove.
“The traditional cultivation of the olive tree is something we have done for thousands of years. We know how to do it because our ancestors knew how to do it, and they established the standards we follow,” Christodoulou tells AgFunderNews.
“We’re trying to bring the quality up to the best possible point for the producer and for the consumer. Generation by generation, we’re committed to that.”
Idyllic as it sounds, that way of life and method of production is under threat, putting the livelihoods of around 70% of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) suppliers like Zakros at risk.
Zakros producers harvesting olives. Image credit: Zakros
‘They just can’t make a profit’
The story is common in many parts of agriculture: small, local producers are losing ground to massive operations fueled by monocultures, chemical inputs, and a profit-at-all-costs mentality.
Smaller producers “are forced to sell into the food system at commodity prices which they have no influence over,” says Eurof Uppington, CEO and founder of Switzerland-based olive oil offtaker and marketer Amfora. “Sometimes those commodity prices can be so low that they just can’t make a profit.”
The global olive oil market is hotly competitive, with every company vying for limited space on store shelves and visibility in the eyes of the consumer, says Christodoulou. To reach those shelves and secure a long-term place in consumers’ minds costs a lot of money.
“Sometimes producers use up all of their profits just trying to get that level of visibility,” she says.
For the producers, this can eventually lead to the closure of operations and the abandonment of ancestral lands. For consumers, it results in a lower-quality product stripped of many nutrients and often adulterated with inferior products.
This is where Amfora comes in. Its central mission, says Uppington, is to “honor the tradition of creating olive oil,” but it’s also about connecting traditional farmers directly to customers and getting them paid.
Amfora removes the intermediaries in the conventional olive oil supply chain, buying directly from the producers then selling their products at competitive prices directly to the purchasers, which are right now mostly in the hospitality and catering industry. Producer branding and details are maintained on all packaging and promotion.
“It reduces the cost to reach targeted business consumers that acknowledge our unique selling points (taste, aromas, quality) the most,” Christodoulou says of Amfora’s model.
For example, Zakros products have a “protected designation of origin” (PDO), meaning the olive oil is produced in a specific region (Sitia) using traditional practices more than 3,000 years old (plus a small amount of modern equipment to aid in the process).
Amfora is able to connect these products with the market, buying the product at an appropriate price and creating what Christodoulou calls “a real value-for-money pathway.”
Harvested olives ready for production at Gold Metamorphosis. Image credit: Gold Metamorphosis
‘They respect the product’
Gold Metamorphosis, located in Laconia in the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula, is also highly committed to delivering a superior-quality product to consumers, hence its decision to partner with Amfora for the last five years.
“They are not the typical importer/distributor of olive oil,” explains owner Giannis Pierrakos. “They respect the product and have the intention to inspect the crop, walk on the grounds, ask, test, etc.”
In other words, the relationship between Amfora and Gold Metamorphosis goes far beyond the “how much does it cost” question.
“We have a product we want to bring to the attention of the end customers,” says Pierrakos. “It has some authenticity, it has a story behind it, some farmers behind it.”
Like Zakros, the concept of “regenerative” agriculture is inherent.
“We support regen not just because we want to have sustainability as a sellable thing, but because that’s how we learned to [produce olive oil],” says Pierrakos.
Production on the Gold Metamorphosis site, which includes a monastery, dates back to the thirteenth century. Techniques, from fertilizing and cultivating to harvesting, are dictated by the area’s status as a Protected Geographical Indication of Laconia, and byproducts of animals are used to feed the crops, creating a cyclical system.
Pierrakos first connected with Amfora as a means to introduce Gold Metamorphosis products to markets beyond Greece without compromising the product’s quality.
“Markets are mostly interested in price, regardless of quality,” he says. “The problem is that this has created a lot of room for certain practices we are very much against. There is a lot of adulteration of the product.”
Thanks to the Amfora partnership, Gold Metamorphosis products are now in Switzerland as well as London.
‘Regeneration is a journey’
Amfora is currently raising capital via a crowdfunding campaign and has raised half of its target goal so far.
As for its own definition of “regenerative,” Uppington suggests its more of a journey than a set concept.
“All the farmers Amfora works with are at different stages of that journey.”
Amfora founder Eurof Uppington
The low end of Amfora’s regenerative journey starts with bare ground around crops, chemical inputs, and nitrogen fertilizer. Amfora pays closer to market price for oil oil produced in these conditions.
As growers progress on their regenerative journey, incorporating things like animals and surrounding vegetation, Amfora’s price for olive oil goes up.
Many definitions of “regenerative agriculture” are one or zero, says Uppington.
“You are either regenerative or not. Our approach is very different: everyone’s on a journey at a different speed, they have a different context, they have different soil, they have different landscapes, they have different water needs, and there’s no one size fits all.”
Amfora also prioritizes the social aspect of regenerative agriculture, which is closely tied to the generational nature of many of its producers.
“It’s regeneration of countryside, of communities, of the soil and of biodiversity in that landscape,” says Uppington. “We watch our farmers march from one year to another, making improvements in all of those areas.”