Olive Oil Experiences by Family Melissakis

Welcome to Melissakis Olive Mill, a fourth-generation, family-owned olive oil producer in Tsivaras, Apokoronas, Chania, Crete.

For more than 130 years, our family has lived the full olive oil cycle. We are farmers in the groves, millers at the press, and custodians of a tradition deeply connected to our land, our community, and the people of Crete.

A Family Olive Oil Story Since the 1890s

Our story began in the 1890s, in the traditional village of Tsivaras in Apokoronas, eastern Chania. Since then, four generations of our family have cultivated olive trees and produced extra virgin olive oil, passing knowledge and time-honored practices from one generation to the next.

In the 1960s, we formed a partnership company to formalize the cooperative spirit that had always been part of our family. Bringing our agricultural activities together gave us the opportunity to protect our shared heritage while looking towards the future.

Today, that same spirit continues at Melissakis Olive Mill, where we combine traditional Cretan olive oil knowledge with modern production methods and open our doors to visitors from around the world.

A Real Working Olive Mill in Apokoronas

Melissakis Olive Mill is not a tourism attraction built around olive oil. We don’t want to recreate the past, romanticize old ways, or claim to have all the answers. We simply have generations of experience behind us — and we keep learning!

In 2008, after almost 60 years of experience in olive oil processing, we moved to our current facility on the outskirts of Tsivaras. This is where we continue our family’s work — and where we welcome visitors who want to discover how Cretan olive oil is actually made.

During the olive harvesting season, you can see the cold extraction process taking place in the mill and experience the atmosphere of a working olive oil facility. Outside the harvest period, the mill remains open to visitors, offering the opportunity to tour our production plant, learn about olive oil production, and taste our cold-extracted PDO Apokoronas Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Discover the Craft Behind Cretan Olive Oil

A visit to Melissakis Olive Mill is an opportunity to go beyond simply tasting olive oil. You can learn about the journey from olive grove to bottle, discover the differences between traditional and modern production methods, and hear the stories and knowledge of the people who have worked with olives and olive oil for generations.

No staged olive oil attraction. No recreated mill. Just a real family olive mill, a living tradition, and the people behind the oil.

Explore our Olive Oil Tours and Experiences to discover the activities available at Melissakis.