Happy Olive Harvest Autumn 2026

We warmly invite you to join our joyful olive harvest in the scenic village of Peli Kastri in southern Pelion.

Overview

This is not a typical retreat, but a shared experience centered on community, olive oil, and lively celebration. The olives are picked by hand and must be taken to the mill on the same day, as this is the only way to produce the finest oil. For that reason, everyone comes together between October and January, and every helping hand is truly appreciated. Work and celebration belong together here, and there is always room for relaxation as well.

What can you expect?

• Joyful olive harvest: Discover why the olives need to be harvested quickly and help us pick only the green olives from the tree. Fallen and red olives are left for the birds.
• Celebrate and enjoy: Take part in traditional harvest festivities with music and singing.
• Excursions: Visit the oil mill with us and learn about the full oil production process. Walk along the calderimis to secluded bays, with a little luck still making time for a swim, and enjoy beautiful views along the way.
• Tree christening: Choose a tree and adopt it for one year. You can create your own name tag and hang it on the tree. If you wish, we can also support you with your own christening ceremony.
• Greek specialties cooking class: Get to know traditional Greek cuisine more closely and, if you like, learn to prepare it yourself. At the end, we will all enjoy the meal together over dinner.
• Introduction and organization: On the first evening, we go over everything important, including how to harvest the olives properly and how the tasks will be divided.
• Child-friendly: Children are very welcome.
• Olive oil: By joining, you will secure a share of the harvest at a special price. Your olive oil, with the quantity determined once the harvest is complete, will be delivered fresh from March 2027.

What to bring

Work gloves or gardening gloves are recommended. We do have some available, but it is more comfortable if they fit well. Please also bring sturdy shoes.

The exact program will be arranged with the group on site and will depend somewhat on the weather.

Course management

Michael Haid, Elisabeth and Peter Riedl

Registration

Please register in advance. If you would like to help a little but do not wish to take part in all activities, you are very welcome to join the first evening for the introduction and task allocation.
For last-minute bookings that do not require a room, please register by 10 October at the latest with the subject line “Happy harvest”.

We look forward to sharing a wonderful time with you at the olive harvest and introducing you to the fascinating world of olives.

Course language

German, Greek, English, and more — at the olive harvest, we all speak the same language, and laughter is understood everywhere.