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In Greece, the olive harvest runs from October to January: earlier in the south and for olives picked green, later in the north and for riper fruit. The olives are brought down onto nets, taken to the mill within a day or two, crushed and separated into oil, which is then left to settle, analysed and bottled. The first oil of the season tastes greener and more peppery than the oil you will be using in spring.
This article follows those steps one by one, and then the harvest we are following closely this year: Olea Las, a certified organic estate in Laconia that grows a single variety, Koroneiki. Picking starts there in October, and the first oil is expected in tins in November.
When the olive harvest happens in Greece
The calendar depends on three things: where the grove is, which variety grows there, and how ripe the producer wants the olives to be. In the Peloponnese and on Crete, picking often begins in October; further north, it moves into November and December.
The choice of ripeness matters most for the oil. Olives picked green give less oil per kilo, with a grassier taste, more bitterness and more pepper. Olives left to ripen give more oil, rounder and softer. Most producers pick across this range over several weeks, and the start date is decided in the grove, not on the calendar.
| When | The olives | The oil |
|---|---|---|
| Early harvest, October | Green, firm | Less oil; green, bitter and peppery |
| Mid-season, November to December | Turning colour | Balanced |
| Late harvest, December to January | Dark, ripe | More oil; round and mild |
What happens in the olive grove
Nets are spread under each tree, and the olives are brought down onto them with hand rakes, long poles or small hand-held machines that shake the branches. Leaves and twigs are sorted out, and the olives go into ventilated crates or sacks. Many Greek groves sit on slopes and terraces, which is why so much of this work is still done by people rather than by tractors.
From the grove to the mill, step by step
Once it is off the tree, an olive starts to change, so the time between picking and pressing matters. These are the steps between the grove and the tin:
- Picking. The olives come down onto nets and go into crates.
- Transport. They reach the mill, usually within a day or two.
- Washing and crushing. Leaves are blown away; the olives are washed and crushed, stones included, into a paste.
- Mixing. The paste is turned slowly for a while, so that the drops of oil can gather.
- Separation. A centrifuge separates the oil from the water and the solids.
- Settling. The new oil is cloudy and bright green. Over the following weeks, the fine particles settle to the bottom, and the oil is filtered or drawn off the deposit.
- Analysis. A laboratory analyses a sample to classify the oil.
- Bottling. The oil goes into bottles or tins and leaves for the shop.
Why new-harvest olive oil tastes different
In its first weeks, new oil usually tastes greener and more peppery, with a bitterness that softens over the months. It is the same oil you will use all year, only younger. The very early oil from unripe olives, sold unfiltered for a few weeks, has its own name in Greek, agoureleo; we explain the difference and how to use it in olive oil for the pot and olive oil for the plate.
Olea Las, harvest 2026/27: where we are
Olea Las is a certified organic estate in Vrontamas, a village in Laconia in the south-east Peloponnese. It grows one variety, Koroneiki, the small olive behind much of Greece's extra virgin olive oil. This year we follow its harvest step by step, and publish each step as it happens.
| Step | When | What we publish |
|---|---|---|
| Picking | From October | Photographs from the grove, sent by the producer |
| Laboratory analysis | Early November | The full report, with its date and lot number |
| Bottling | November | The day the oil leaves for our warehouse |
| Opening for the waiting list | Second half of November | 48 hours before everyone else |
How to follow this harvest
The waiting list is for the 1L and 3L tins from the first bottling. Joining costs nothing and also signs you up to our newsletter: you receive the laboratory report when it arrives, and 48 hours to order before the new oil opens to everyone. The photographs from the grove are added to the harvest diary on the same page as the producer sends them. Join the Olea Las waiting list.
Until then, the oils for everyday cooking, in bottles and in tins, are in the Greek olive oil range. Everything is shipped from Greece. Delivered across Europe.
Frequently asked questions about the olive harvest in Greece
When does the olive harvest start in Greece?
Usually in October in the south, in the Peloponnese and on Crete, and later further north, continuing into December or January. The exact date depends on the variety and on how ripe the producer wants the olives: early picking gives a greener, more peppery oil, later picking a rounder one.
Why is new olive oil cloudy?
Freshly milled oil carries tiny particles of olive flesh and water in suspension. Over the following weeks, they settle to the bottom, and the oil becomes clearer. Some oils are sold cloudy on purpose, as unfiltered new oil; others are filtered or drawn off the deposit before bottling.
Is new-harvest olive oil the same as agoureleo?
Not exactly. Agoureleo is the oil from very early, unripe olives, sold for a few weeks and usually poured raw. New-harvest oil is simply the first oil of the season, which can come from olives at any stage of ripeness. Both taste greener and more peppery than oil that is a few months old.
When can I order the new Olea Las oil?
When the oil is in our warehouse and its laboratory report is published, which we expect in the second half of November. People on the waiting list are told by email and can order 48 hours before everyone else.
