In 1907, the visionary teacher Stylianos Koutoupis (1874-1945) inspired the cooperative idea. This idea was implemented in 1915 with the registration in the Official Gazette of the establishment in Petrina of Laconia, the first olive-growing cooperative of Greece, the “Agricultural Cooperative of Petrina”.
The Agricultural Cooperative of Petrina was founded in 1915 in the village of the same name, on the Eastern slopes of Mount Taygetos. However, the original idea of its establishment dates back to November 1907, when its founding members (numbered 58) and its initial activities were mainly supply operations. In 1936, he founded the first Hydraulic Oil Mill in Greece, consisting of a cleaning and washing plant for olives and an oil refinery.
In 1938, common pressing was established by mixing the fruit of olive oil during the delivery to the olive mill, thus avoiding the fruit remaining for a long period of time for oiling, which led to the achievement of the production of excellent quality olive oil, with very low acidity. The most important thing is that the joint pressing, storing and selling brings about an admirable social cohesion.
From 1948 onwards, the total production of olive oil is stored in privately owned tanks of the Agricultural Cooperatinve of Petrina, at a controlled temperature away from light and air.
In its course, the Cooperative is distinguished by numerous certifications. Characteristic are the one from the ELOT EN ISO ISO 9001, 22000 & 22005.
Finally, the development and implementation of an Integrated Management System in agricultural production, which meets the requirements of Agro 2.1 and 2.2, is worth mentioning.