For much of the Greek olive oil sector in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic provoked the perseverance required to meet challenges and achieve success. With great dedication, many Greek olive oil producers turned a year of illness, lockdowns, and grief into a time for honoring olive oil’s health benefits and flavors and emphasizing its key role in a healthy diet.
The Greek Olive Oil Sector in the Time of COVID-19
In the strange spring of 2020, Greek Liquid Gold examined the effects of social distancing and closures on olive oil businesses in Greece during the coronavirus pandemic. Greece’s prompt, strict spring lockdown seemed to limit the spread of COVID-19, but it also presented great challenges for Greek businesses, employees, and residents.
Some Greek olive oil companies were able to close their facilities without laying off employees, partly due to government subsidies for salaries and partly by virtue of their own sacrifices, while others made arrangements for social distancing and extra cleaning to keep everyone as safe as possible at work. Many companies struggled with cancelled orders and exhibitions, as well as new customer concerns about packaging and hygiene, plus distribution and supply disruptions.
However, the news was not all bleak. As dining out was replaced by cooking and eating at home, and people thought more about how to stay well, many consumers recognized the importance of healthy foods such as extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). While restaurants’ demand plummeted, supermarket sales of EVOO increased, and online purchases skyrocketed. Some companies found it challenging to keep up with the increased demand.
In addition to doing their best to continue safely producing and distributing a magnificently healthy, flavorful product, a number of Greek olive oil companies found other ways to support the wellbeing of consumers and communities. The Pierrakos family’s Laconiko donated profits from online sales to closed brick-and-mortar businesses; others donated EVOO to needy families in their community or to scientists doing research on olive oil’s health benefits. For example, Yanni’s Olive Grove became the first olive oil company to support a clinical trial regarding the positive effects of EVOO on people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.