Have you ever wondered where your olive oil comes from and who produces it?
The Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Messinia seeks to answer these questions with a new sleek video clip. Messinia, located in the southwestern part of Peloponnisos in Greece is home to the famous Kalamata olives and high quality olive oil. The union was founded in 1987, when seven local cooperatives joined together, reaching 26000 persons as its members. Its aim is to protect the interest of members and to ensure the superior quality of the crops produced in Messinia. Among their goals is the marketing not only of their products but their methods of production. What better way to do that than with a catchy video clip?
The film was produced for the union by foodstandard SA, a Greek company that provides services in food quality and food marketing through studies for food chain partners, agrofood industries and non-governmental organizations. According to Michael Manousos, assistant general manager of foodstandard, the company has been working with the UAC of Messinia for over 6 years. Foodstandard wanted to strengthen the communication aspect of the union, making it more effective and useful, while at the same time showcasing the innovative actions their company has introduced to the union.
The film has 2 purposes: to promote the olive oil of the UAC of Messinia, but also the activities of foodstandard, the company behind these cutting-edge activities. “A visual presentation is more powerful, so we wanted to show in a few minutes the activities of the union as well as our innovations,” Manousos explains. One of those innovations is efarmer, a mobile application designed to interact in real time with the producers in which all cultural operations are recorded, such as plant operations, fertilization and harvesting.
The noted Greek director and cinematographer Takis Zervoulakos directed the film, a high quality and costly production, as all the shots in the film were original. During filming actors were not used, but instead the central characters of the clip were the actual employees and farmers of the UAC of Messinia and foodstandard. Manousos tells us that it has not been decided how the film will be used in the future, but most likely it will be in a variety of settings. “It will certainly be played in expositions but it can also be used in local television shows,” Manousos says. Until then you can view the film here at Olive Oil Times and learn more about the renowned olive oil of Messinia.