The Groves
Olive groves in Mani, Greece
Our family groves are in Mani, in Greece’s southern Peloponnese, in the foothills of the Taygetos mountains. This is where Something Else began.
The groves came through the family from Auntie Aphrodite, who cared for the trees for decades before passing them to her nephew Nikos. Today Nikos and Lesley look after them, and we also work with neighbouring growers in the area.
Rain-fed, mountain-grown
Our groves are rain fed rather than irrigated. At elevation beneath the Taygetos mountains, the trees grow more slowly and the fruit develops through the rhythm of the local seasons rather than intensive irrigation.
No pesticides or chemical sprays
We do not use pesticides or chemical sprays on our land or trees. We are not currently certified organic, so we do not describe the oil as certified organic, but the way we farm matters to us and we want to be clear about it.
Soil regeneration
Healthy trees start with healthy ground. Soil regeneration is an important part of how we think about the groves: maintaining living soil, protecting the land from unnecessary inputs and improving the condition of neglected plots as they come back into regular care.
Koroneiki olives
Koroneiki is Greece’s best-known oil olive variety. The fruit is small, but it can produce intensely aromatic extra virgin olive oil with grassy, green and peppery characteristics.
Keeping groves in use
Part of the longer-term work behind Something Else is keeping existing groves productive and, where possible, bringing neglected olive plots back into regular care rather than letting them disappear from use.
We will show that work as it happens rather than dressing it up as a finished sustainability story.
Olive groves in Mani, Greece
Keeping olive groves in care is where Something Else begins.
Our family groves are in the Gaitses area of the Taygetos mountains in Mani. They are rain fed rather than irrigated, and their elevation generally means the olives ripen later than fruit grown lower down. Rainfall, temperature, wind, fruit load and crop condition still shape each season.
Auntie Aphrodite looked after these trees for decades. Nikos and Lesley do that work now.
What comes next
There are olive plots across the region that have fallen out of regular care.
Our ambition is to bring some of them back. One plot at a time.
That means clearing, pruning, maintaining and harvesting, while improving and protecting the condition of the soil. Soil regeneration is an important part of how we think about the long-term health of the groves.
As projects begin, we'll show the plot, its condition, what we're doing and what has actually been completed.
The groves and the oil we sell
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The family groves
The family groves are where Something Else began and remain central to the work. They are planted with Koroneiki olives, are rain fed, and we do not use pesticides or chemical sprays on our land or trees.
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Neighbouring growers
They are not the whole supply story. We also work with neighbouring growers in Mani, and each batch tells you where the oil being sold came from.
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Is the oil organic?
No. Our oil is not certified organic. On our family land we do not use pesticides or chemical sprays, but we do not describe the oil as certified organic.
Part of 1% for the Planet
Something Else commits at least 1% of annual sales to approved impact partners through our 1% for the Planet membership.
The groves are where this business started. Supporting environmental work beyond them is part of where it goes next.
What we show, and what we don't
As the grove project develops, we'll add dated photographs and updates here.
Not promises. What actually happened.