JOYOUS OLIVE HARVEST

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

This is not a typical retreat, but a celebration of community, olive oil, and shared good spirits. The olives are picked by hand and must be taken to the mill on the very same day, as this is the only way to produce the finest oil. For that reason, we all come together from October to January, and every helping hand is truly welcome. Since work and celebration go hand in hand here, food is included throughout the week. And rest assured, there will still be plenty of time to relax.

What can you expect?

• Joyful olive harvest: Discover why speed matters in the harvest and help us pick only the green olives from the tree. Fallen olives and red olives are left for the birds.
• Celebrate and enjoy: Take part in our traditional harvest festivities, with music and singing.
• Inspiring excursions: Visit the oil mill with us and follow the full olive oil production process. We will also walk along the calderimis to quiet bays, where, with a little luck, there may still be time for a swim, along with beautiful views.
• Tree christening: You may choose a tree and adopt it for one year. 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 cooking workshop: Learn about traditional Greek cuisine and how to prepare it yourself. At the end, everything we cook together is enjoyed over dinner.
• Introduction and organisation: On the first evening, we will go over everything important, including how to harvest the olives properly and how the tasks will be divided.
• Child-friendly: Children are very welcome, the more the merrier.
• Olive oil: By joining, you naturally secure a share of the harvest. Your olive oil, with the exact quantity known after the harvest, will be delivered fresh from March 2025.

What to bring with you: Work gloves or gardening gloves (we do have some available, but it is more comfortable if they fit well) and sturdy shoes.

Course management

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 warmly invited to join us on the first evening for the introduction and task allocation.
For last-minute bookings that do not require a room, please send an email by 10 October at the latest. Subject: “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.

More about our olive oil and our vision:

Course language

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