Our team
The success element of an activity is rootedon the people involved thus, the people participating in the agricultural Viannos Cooperative Assosiation for olive oil is considered our most important asset. Our team, currently consisting of 73 small scaled producers, who are groves’ owners in the area of Viannos, is our precious driving force.
Young and older farmers are self-organizing into a powerful combination: on the one hand lies the undoubted experience and on the other the power of youth. Authentic people, unpretentious, offer proudly to whoever will trust them the exact same product they feed their own children. Having control over every single stage of production process, from farming to consumption, they feel so confident about the quality of their product that they do not hesitate to “sign” it and give the branches of their common effort their own names. Each branch,one of us, one of our families, one story that deserves to be exploited!
Manolis Kladakis
Manolis Kladakis was born in 1947 in the village of Agios Vasilios in Viannos, a village with a long history, spread over a hill between fertile valleys of outstanding natural beauty where you may gaze almost across the wholeprovince.
His primary education was gained in Viannos, where he spent all his school years. Excellent student,he studied and traveled for a few years as a captain in the Mercantile Navy. Afterwards his love of the sea lost ground by his love of humansthus; he was devoted to medical science with studies in Athens and Germany.
He practiced medicine as a doctor in Crete but he never left out of his occupations the olive tree cultivation. The strong bond with hishomeland and the anxiety about the growth prospects of his region led him to interfere with local administration and he has been elected Viannos’ Mayor for eight serial years. This gave him the opportunity to deal in depth with the difficulties of olive tree cultivation and the barriers towards theexploitation of such an important product for the whole region.
Today,he is leading the way in our initiative, faithful to his vision for the promotion of quality local products and the strengthening of agro-food activity in the inland of Crete.
Manthos Gourniezakis
Manthos Gourniezakis was born in 1953 ina farmers’ family in AnoViannos, a village which has been praisedbygreat Cretan writers for its beauty and for the modest stoutness of its inhabitants.
He attended Viannos’ High School until the fifth grade, but he graduated from “Kapetanakio”High School of Heraklion. He studied Pharmaceuticals at Athens and since 1982 maintains a pharmacy in AnoViannos, active supporter of villagers in every difficult situation. Heismarriedand hasonedaughter.
Along with his work as a pharmacist, he is working consistently and passionately towards the cultivation of his privately owned olive groves. He strongly believes in the excellent quality of Viannos olive oil and is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of joining our powers.
As a member of the Board of Directors of Viannos Cooperative Assosiation, he is working with all his strength to promote this highly valuedolive oil, an olive oilof such a great tradition,which roots are lost in the mist of time. Due to his love for the homeland region and to the faith in the prospects of its local products, he is at the forefront in order to assure that the association provides added value by its collective work and Viannos olive oil will get the market share that deserves.
Charilaos Trigonakis
Charilaos Trigonakis was born in AnoViannos in 1959 by parents with significant commercial activity for their times. He graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Romania and works as a public veterinarian. Since 1987 he lives permanently in the village and is married with three children.
His dynamic character and the directnesswhich distinguishes him gained the trust of his fellow compatriots and he was elected for three quadrennials in Viannos City Council, which has also served worthily as Chairman for a period of time.
Heis involved inolivecultivation from his childhood and he is characterized by the love of any product generously offered byhis home land. As member of the Board of Directors of Viannos Cooperative Assosiation, he considers duty and moral obligation to strengthen the local identity of the region and to preserveany collective memory, which is perceived as the irreplaceable base for current and future growth. In this context, he believes that the mission of Viannos Cooperative Assosiation is capable to become a very important legacy for our children and our birthplace.
Michael Papadimitrakis
Michael Papadimitrakis was born in 1949 in Ano Viannos. His childhood and early school years were spent in Viannos and then he graduated from Heraklion High School. In 1967, he successfully entered the Agricultural College from which he graduated five years later in 1972.
He worked for years as an agronomist in the Greek Ministry of Agriculture with specialization in plant protection issues and always gave generously his knowledge and scientific advice to his fellow citizens. He is married with two children and is not an exaggeration to state that he is dealing with the cultivation of olive trees and related issues from his childhood.
As a member of the Board of our Union, he transfers all of his precious experience and expertise to the younger and passes over all his great love for Viannos earth and of its homeland fertility that characterizes it.
Young and older farmers are self-organizing into a powerful combination: on the one hand lies the undoubted experience and on the other the power of youth. Authentic people, unpretentious, offer proudly to whoever will trust them the exact same product they feed their own children. Having control over every single stage of production process, from farming to consumption, they feel so confident about the quality of their product that they do not hesitate to “sign” it and give the branches of their common effort their own names. Each branch,one of us, one of our families, one story that deserves to be exploited!
Manolis Kladakis
Manolis Kladakis was born in 1947 in the village of Agios Vasilios in Viannos, a village with a long history, spread over a hill between fertile valleys of outstanding natural beauty where you may gaze almost across the wholeprovince.
His primary education was gained in Viannos, where he spent all his school years. Excellent student,he studied and traveled for a few years as a captain in the Mercantile Navy. Afterwards his love of the sea lost ground by his love of humansthus; he was devoted to medical science with studies in Athens and Germany.
He practiced medicine as a doctor in Crete but he never left out of his occupations the olive tree cultivation. The strong bond with hishomeland and the anxiety about the growth prospects of his region led him to interfere with local administration and he has been elected Viannos’ Mayor for eight serial years. This gave him the opportunity to deal in depth with the difficulties of olive tree cultivation and the barriers towards theexploitation of such an important product for the whole region.
Today,he is leading the way in our initiative, faithful to his vision for the promotion of quality local products and the strengthening of agro-food activity in the inland of Crete.
Manthos Gourniezakis
Manthos Gourniezakis was born in 1953 ina farmers’ family in AnoViannos, a village which has been praisedbygreat Cretan writers for its beauty and for the modest stoutness of its inhabitants.
He attended Viannos’ High School until the fifth grade, but he graduated from “Kapetanakio”High School of Heraklion. He studied Pharmaceuticals at Athens and since 1982 maintains a pharmacy in AnoViannos, active supporter of villagers in every difficult situation. Heismarriedand hasonedaughter.
Along with his work as a pharmacist, he is working consistently and passionately towards the cultivation of his privately owned olive groves. He strongly believes in the excellent quality of Viannos olive oil and is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of joining our powers.
As a member of the Board of Directors of Viannos Cooperative Assosiation, he is working with all his strength to promote this highly valuedolive oil, an olive oilof such a great tradition,which roots are lost in the mist of time. Due to his love for the homeland region and to the faith in the prospects of its local products, he is at the forefront in order to assure that the association provides added value by its collective work and Viannos olive oil will get the market share that deserves.
Charilaos Trigonakis
Charilaos Trigonakis was born in AnoViannos in 1959 by parents with significant commercial activity for their times. He graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Romania and works as a public veterinarian. Since 1987 he lives permanently in the village and is married with three children.
His dynamic character and the directnesswhich distinguishes him gained the trust of his fellow compatriots and he was elected for three quadrennials in Viannos City Council, which has also served worthily as Chairman for a period of time.
Heis involved inolivecultivation from his childhood and he is characterized by the love of any product generously offered byhis home land. As member of the Board of Directors of Viannos Cooperative Assosiation, he considers duty and moral obligation to strengthen the local identity of the region and to preserveany collective memory, which is perceived as the irreplaceable base for current and future growth. In this context, he believes that the mission of Viannos Cooperative Assosiation is capable to become a very important legacy for our children and our birthplace.
Michael Papadimitrakis
Michael Papadimitrakis was born in 1949 in Ano Viannos. His childhood and early school years were spent in Viannos and then he graduated from Heraklion High School. In 1967, he successfully entered the Agricultural College from which he graduated five years later in 1972.
He worked for years as an agronomist in the Greek Ministry of Agriculture with specialization in plant protection issues and always gave generously his knowledge and scientific advice to his fellow citizens. He is married with two children and is not an exaggeration to state that he is dealing with the cultivation of olive trees and related issues from his childhood.
As a member of the Board of our Union, he transfers all of his precious experience and expertise to the younger and passes over all his great love for Viannos earth and of its homeland fertility that characterizes it.