Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2020/C 102/09)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘ΕΛΑΙΟΛΑΔΟ ΜΑΚΡΗΣ’ (ELAIOLADO MAKRIS)

EU No: PDO-GR-02388-AM01 – 11.1.2018

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s)

‘Ελαιόλαδο Μάκρης’ (Elaiolado Makris)

2.   Member State or Third Country

Greece

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.5. Oils and fats (butter, margarine, oil, etc.)

3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Elaiolado Makris’ is an extra virgin olive oil produced from olives of the indigenous ‘Elia Makris’ variety, which accounts for around 99 % of the olives grown in the defined area.

‘Elaiolado Makris’ has the following characteristics:

Colour	:	bright yellow-green, becoming golden yellow as it matures;
Aroma	:	medium fruity with a median of Mf > 4, with a scent of herbs, daisies and marigolds when the olive oil is produced from semi-unripe olives, and a dominant scent of camomile when the olives are ripe. Notes of apple and almond harmoniously complement the fruity aroma of ‘Elaiolado Makris’;
Taste	:	well-balanced, with a slightly bitter aftertaste with median bitterness (Μb = 2–3), slightly pungent with median pungency (Μp = 2–3), median defect (Μd = 0);
Acidity	:	low acidity < 0,6;

Peroxide value: < 10,9 meq O2/kg;

Ultraviolet absorbency: Κ270: < 0,18, and Κ232: < 2,2;

Waxes: < 127,8 mg/kg;

Oleic acid: ≥ 75 of total fatty acids;

Low to medium content of campesterol (≤ 2,9) and residual sterols, and total sterols > 1 000 mg/kg;

Absorption coefficient variation (Delta-K = 0–0,002).

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

‘Elaiolado Makris’ is produced from the indigenous ‘Elia Makris’ olive variety grown in the area, which yields olives that are spherical, medium-sized and black when ripe.

3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The cultivation of old and new olive groves planted with the indigenous ‘Elia Makris’ variety, the harvesting of the olives and all the stages in the production and processing of the olive oil.

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product to which the registered name refers

3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product to which the registered name refers

Labelling will include the name of the product and the EU PDO logo. It will also include the following:

—	Logo with the name of the product in Greek or Latin characters, with a photograph of the village of Makri in the background above a picture of an olive tree with drops of olive oil dripping down and forming a pool of olive oil with olives in the centre.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The defined geographical area covers the administrative boundaries of the Makri communal district, which includes the settlements of Makri, Dikella, Mesimvria and Plaka, and the settlement of Chili in the Alexandroupoli municipal district.

5.   Link with the geographical area

‘Elaiolado Makris’ has distinctive organoleptic and physico-chemical characteristics. These are due to a number of factors, namely the specific indigenous ‘Elia Makris’ olive variety, which thrives in the defined area, the area’s soil and climatic conditions, and the methods used by the local producers.

The specific organoleptic characteristics of ‘Elaiolado Makris’ are:

—

the medium fruity aroma with a scent of herbs, daisies and marigolds when harvesting begins, and a dominant scent of camomile when the olives are ripe, complemented by notes of apple and almond. This combination is typical of ‘Elaiolado Makris’, which is produced in the defined area from the indigenous ‘Elia Makris’ variety,

—	the slightly bitter and pungent taste, harmonious and balanced, which is also a combination typical of the indigenous ‘Elia Makris’ variety.

The specific physico-chemical characteristics of ‘Elaiolado Makris’ are:

—	low acidity < 0,6;

—	a low peroxide value (< 10,9) and hence increased resistance to oxidation and suitability for storage, which gives the oil its typical freshness;

—	low absorption coefficients (Κ270: < 0,18 and Κ232: < 2,2), which are a sign of freshness, rapid post-harvest processing and storage in the right conditions;

—	a low absorption coefficient variation (Delta-K: = 0–0,002);

—	its keeping quality, which is mainly due to the high level of monounsaturated oleic acid, which is minimally susceptible to autoxidation.

The defined area is the most northerly point in Greece where olives are grown and consists of a hilly plain, with an average altitude of 200 m. The soil is medium-textured sandy loam. It is poor and calcareous in the mountains and of limestone origin, medium-textured and fertile in the plains, with a CaCO3 content of 3 % to 31,6 %. The organic matter content is low to satisfactory in a few areas (1,8 % to 6,5 %). The pH (7–8) is generally neutral to slightly alkaline. The limestone origin of the soil, in combination with the continual exposure of the olives to the sun due to the configuration of the land, helps to increase the concentration of volatile components, which give ‘Elaiolado Makris’ its fruity aroma.

The defined area where ‘Elaioloado Makris’ is produced has a coastal Mediterranean microclimate with mild winters and cool summers. Dangerous frosts are rare. On the few occasions when there have been frosts, the ‘Elia Makris’ olive has proved very resistant, with minimal damage to the trees. In the defined area, which has 15 kilometres of coastline along the Thracian Sea and mountain peaks – the branches of the Rodopi mountain range to the north-west, north and north-east – the conditions for growing the indigenous ‘Elia Makris’ olive are exceptionally good. The long hours of sunshine, the absence of major fluctuations in temperature and the fact that frosts and cold winds are rare, owing to the natural barrier created by the mountains in the north of the defined area, contribute to the smooth progression of all stages in the olive trees’ development (flowering, growth) and enhance the fruit’s organoleptic characteristics. The area’s very distinctive microclimate is such that olive fruit fly is rarely a problem, so there are very few damaged olives and the few that occur do not adversely affect the acidity of the olive oil.

The distinctive indigenous ‘Elia Makris’ variety, which has been grown for hundreds of years in the defined area only and is adapted to the prevailing soil and climatic conditions, yields olive oil with the specific quality characteristics of ‘Elaioloado Makris’. ‘Elaioloado Makris’ is one of the first olive oils to be produced during the year in Greece, even though the area is the northernmost part of the country and one of the most northerly olive oil-producing areas in the EU. This is due to both the indigenous variety and the local microclimate. The fact that the variety crops early means that the fruit’s growth and ripening periods coincide with maximum exposure to sunlight. This increases the levels of the oil’s aromatic components and gives it the yellow-green or bright golden yellow colour typical of ‘Elaioloado Makris’.

The most important human factors influencing the specificity of the product are:

—

The harvesting method. Harvesting in small olive groves is done by hand by the producers themselves or by workers so that the olives gathered are not damaged. In large olive groves where there are many trees, the olives are gathered using individually-operated electric harvesters. The olives are collected in crates or nets and, once they are cleared of branches and leaves so as not to be squashed, they are transferred to plastic crates with holes at the bottom and on the sides for better ventilation.

—

The transportation of the olives to the mill and the milling of the olives, which takes place on the day of harvesting or within 24 hours. If they are not milled the same day, the olives are kept protected from conditions that favour the development of microorganisms and cause the quality of ‘Elaiolado Makris’ to deteriorate. The harvesting method and the immediate transportation to the mill and milling ensure that the olives remain undamaged, so that the oil produced has low absorption coefficients Κ270–Κ232, a low Delta-K (absorption coefficient variation) and low acidity.

—

The storage time, which is very short, as the oil starts to be marketed shortly after it is stored, the storage conditions, where the oil is kept at a suitable temperature, in a cool, dark place, in suitable, closed containers that protect it from contact with oxygen and from the light and the fact that the number of times it is decanted is kept to a minimum, are factors that contribute to the low peroxide value, low absorption coefficients (Κ270–Κ232) and low Delta-K of ‘Elaiolado Makris’.

—

The gentle production conditions. After the olives are crushed, malaxation takes place at a slow speed (17-19 revolutions per minute) for a short time (40 to 45 minutes) and the temperature of the olive paste is kept at approximately 27–32 °C. This temperature helps to ensure that the volatile components of the olive oil are not destroyed, the colour is not altered and the acidity does not increase. The slow malaxation speed and short malaxation time help the droplets to coalesce to form bigger drops and are crucial for limiting the formation of emulsions, which make it harder to separate the oil from the olive paste and the vegetal water.

In summary, the harvesting of the olives at the right stage of ripeness, the good practices applied by the producers during harvesting and during transportation of the olives to the mill, the fact that the olives are milled within a short time of arrival, the good malaxation and extraction practices, the conditions in which the oil is stored, together with the olive variety itself and the soil and climatic conditions, ensure that the oil’s specific organoleptic and physico-chemical characteristics (fruitiness, fresh sensation, low absorption indicators, low acidity, low peroxide value, good keeping quality) are preserved and that its colour does not alter.

The people of Makri and the surrounding area have been linked with olive growing and ‘Elaiolado Makris’ since time immemorial. The long-established presence of olive trees in the area is bound up with its history, traditions and culture and evidenced by historical sources and bibliographical references. In the ‘Ancient Makri Olive Grove’, olive trees can be found today whose size, shape and gnarled trunks attest to their great age. The presence of old-style manually operated olive presses and wooden presses from the 19th century also attests to the local people’s long-standing experience in producing olive oil.

‘Elaioloado Makris’ has been entered in many international competitions, where it has won major awards. In 2012, in Portugal it won gold in the 2ο Concurso internacional de azeites virgem extra – Premio Ovibeja in Portugal. In 2013, it won a gold wreath in the Kotinos quality competition for packaged, branded extra virgin olive oils in Greece. In 2015, it won gold in the Concurso Internacional de aceite de oliva en el Mediterraneo – Terraolivo in Jerusalem, Israel. In 2016, it won gold in the London International Olive Oil Competitions. In 2018, it won gold in the Concurso Internacional de Aceites di Oliva Virgin Extra ‘OLIVINUS’ in Argentina and gold again in the New York International Olive Oil Competition in the United States. In 2019, at the 16th Concorso Oleario Internazionale AIPO d’Argento, it achieved a score of ‘tre gocce’ (three drops). In the EVOO world ranking it is placed 18th out of 12 000 for 2019. It also appears in the top 500 in the world for another year in the Flos Olei guide 2020.

Every year, in summer, an Olive Festival is held during the last 10 days of August. It is organised by the Makri women’s association, with the help of the olive producers’ cooperative and Evros Regional Unit. Many visitors come from within the area and beyond and seminars and talks are organised on good practices in olive growing, along with tasting classes given by experts in olive oil. There are also visits to olive-growing plots for stake-holders to learn about the Makri olive, and various other events. On the closing evening of the festival, everyone comes together to sample foods and different specialities made with ‘Elaiolado Makris’.

Publication reference of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of the Regulation)

http://www.minagric.gr/images/stories/docs/agrotis/POP-PGE/prodiagrafes_elaiolado_makris111219.pdf

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(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.