My name is Giorgos Spyridakis. I live and work in Kamilari, a picturesque village in the South of Crete, in the Messara plain.

I come from a family of farmers, established in Kamilari for many generations.

 

My parents still work in our family farm today, taking care of our chickens, geese, rabbits, goats and cows, as well as growing some vegetables.

 

We have a family restaurant in the village, Milonas, which I run with one of my brothers from April to October.

 

My family has been growing olives on their land generation after generation. Every year, we keep a limited amount of our olives to eat as such (after curing them ourselves according to a family recipe) and we press the rest into olive oil, which we use for the family consumption as well as for the Milonas restaurant.

I’ve often received enquiries from my restaurant guests about my olive oil, but it is not until 2014, which was an exceptional crop year, that I started to consider selling the excess olive oil.

 

I have a passion for agriculture and also produce my own wine from my Syrah grapes.

 

And after my father, and my grandfather before him, I own the family license to distil Raki, so I also make my own.

 

I am also an enthusiastic rider and a member of the Messara Horse Association (website here, in Greek only: Συλλογος προστασιας Γεωργαλιδικων Αλογου.)