Effy and Vassily Ligris
The olive tree symbolizes excellence, peace and prosperity. Fifty-five years ago, in Greece, in the region of Kalamata, in the village of Kalethéa, my Papou Vassily and my father Stavros Ligris planted an olive grove of Vatsikes trees on land that has been passed down from generation to generation. For fifty-five years, our family has lived with this oil, a central ingredient in our lives and rituals as much as in our dishes. For instance, our culture uses olive oil for baptisms. In our family, each newborn is fully anointed in the olive oil from our family estate. This strong bond continues from birth to death.
And so, the olive grove has passed down from Papou Vassily to my father Stavros to me. When my friends tasted the olive oil, they loved it. Their enjoyment inspired me to share the oil with others who appreciate good food fresh off the land. With my family's approval and blessing, I present our premium unfiltered, cold-pressed L'Olivier de Vassily Olive Oil, named in honour of my grandfather Vassily. Even the name of the company pays homage to my family, since Kalikori means "good daughter" in Greek. By sharing the traditions of my family, this is what I aspire to be.
All year long, we nurture the olive grove. Théo Kosta, master caretaker, begins the harvest in November, before all the olives are ripe. We pick the olives by hand, just as it's been done for hundreds of years. Then the olives are sent to the pressing machine, which washes and sorts the olives and extracts the oil.
Because of the early harvest, the amount of oil we produce is small but of premium quality. The high quality is partly due to the rocky soil of the mountainous Kalamata region. Also, the small, green olives produced by the Vatsikes trees are used only for olive oil. Our olive oil is not a blend. It comes only from the olives of the Vatsikes trees planted by my Papou Vassily.
The early harvest gives the oil its green colour, its aroma and flavour of grassy meadows in spring, as well as its peppery finish. Like fine wine, the unique flavour of each year's yield depends on the climate and the rainfall. Because the quantity is limited, the number of bottles is never the same year to year. Once opened, the oil must be used within the month to guarantee freshness. In addition, each bottle carries the date the oil was harvested, as well as a "best before" date.
L'Olivier de Vassily Olive Oil is best consumed raw, as a finishing oil drizzled on cooked dishes such as fish or soup, in pesto and on salads. The oil is also perfect for dipping bread.
From my family estate to you, a taste of Greece, a taste of tradition, a taste of spring.
Effy Ligris, Kalikori
