About Us
The name of the new social cooperative 'To Boli,' founded in December 2025, symbolizes the birth of a new tender shoot emerging from an old, deeply rooted tree trunk.
BOLI – collectively creating new paths
'Boli' symbolizes a new beginning built on strong foundations. Until 2025, and for more than a decade, we were active members of a similar social cooperative initiative, which we co-founded and with which we continue to collaborate. Our work develops within an environment that has been shaped over the years and is now taking on a new direction—with respect for experience and openness to new ideas.
We are a diverse group of people with different experiences and interests. What unites us is the desire for a more just and sustainable life, based on a harmonious relationship with nature and with one another. We believe that meaningful change can only arise through cooperation.
Our vision
To reconnect people: with each other, with themselves, and with a healthy way of living and eating.
We draw inspiration from the wisdom of the old Cretans: community, connection with nature, and high-quality, natural products—such as good olive oil from living soils—form the foundation for a meaningful and balanced life.
Our Mode of Operation
The Social Cooperative "Boli" is a collective venture where profits are not distributed to members. Our activities are organized into distinct lines of work, managed by subgroups where members take on specific roles. Important actions are first discussed collectively, and all decisions are reviewed by the full membership in regular assemblies according to the principles of direct democracy.
In addition to our members, we welcome volunteers from both home and abroad. Their participation strengthens solidarity and helps share the goals of "Boli." For those traveling from distant areas, we provide accommodation within the cooperative's facilities.
Our Activities
Our activities have 2 main pillars.
Olive Oil
Crete is famous worldwide for its high-quality olive oil, and that is exactly why one of our main activities is dedicated to producing olive oil of truly exceptional quality.
Our cooperative brings together small-scale producers who cultivate their olive groves following the principles of natural, organic, and biodynamic agriculture. Absolutely no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial treatments are used, and no cheap labor is ever employed during the harvest.
Our extra virgin olive oil is strictly cold-press extracted and is unfiltered, ensuring all the good qualities remain. It is then distributed directly to the consumer community – without intermediaries.
Beyond production, our cooperative is passionate about promoting conscious consumer behavior through information and authentic hands-on experiences.
Visits and Experiences at Our Farm
We operate a small holding farm of approximately 5 acres hidden in the hills in the outskirts of Heraklion. We open the doors of the farm to host seminars, retreats, small events and workshops. We also do olive oil tasting and traditional cooking lessons and of-course eating!
We also aim to work with educational programmes with local schools to bring the young generations into contact with nature's cycle and local agricultural production.
Our Values and Cultivation Methods
We place particular emphasis on cultivating and using local plant varieties. For our crops, we use traditional, reproducible seeds.
Cultivation is carried out either in a completely natural way or using organic methods, always in harmony with the seasons and without the use of greenhouses.
Our core principle is respect for nature, people, and animals. In this way, we also contribute to promoting biodiversity in our region.
At a small traditional farm like ours, the harmonious collaboration of crop and animal production, combined with composting and the raising of domestic animals — such as goats, chickens and pigs — creates a natural cycle without organic waste. Crop residues are used as animal feed or composted, while animal by-products return to the earth as natural fertilizer. In this way, nothing is lost and nothing is thrown away; everything is reused in a natural, harmonious and sustainable way. This synergy constitutes one of the most complete forms of natural recycling and self-sufficiency.