ABEA

Founder	Jules Dey
Founded at	Nea Chora, Chania
Headquarters	Agrokipio, Municipality of Eleftherios Venizelos, Chania, Crete, Greece
Services	Olive oil, pomace and soap production
Official language	English Greek

ABEA S.A. is a company that produces olive oil in their factories in Crete, Greece. It was founded in 1889 and today is the oldest olive oil processing plant in Greece. Their headquarters are based in the city of Chania. In the 2017 Cretan Olive Oil Competition, ABEA finished 5th in the "Honorable Mentions" list for the "Organic Olive Oil" award. Their shop, headquarters, and factories are all based within the Chania regional unit.

History

In 1889, Jules Dey, a French chemist, founded the company in the Nea Chora district of the city of Chania. In 1894, the company was repurchased by the Sahel Tunisien company. The building permit for the first factory was issued in 1899 by the General Administrative Council of Crete.

In 1917, a group of men repurchased and renamed the company as ANATOLI S.A. (Anonymous Enterprising Company). The local businessmen were P. Markantonaki, K. Naxaki, K. Manousaki and G. Kasimati. The first article of association was signed by the temporary government of Eleftherios Venizelos in Thessaloniki on January 16th, 1917.

Since then, the company operated successfully until the breakout of World War II. During the Battle of Crete, multiple air bombings by the Nazis destroyed much of the factory and infrastructure. It was rebuilt in the years after the war and operations resumed.

In 1994, ABEA's pomace and soap making plants were relocated to Keramia, a small municipality south of Chania.

The year 2004 was a huge step for ABEA's olive oil production process. The olive oil press was relocated and modernized to the present-day location of Agrokipio, in the Municipality of Eleftherios Venizelos.

In 2014, 51% of the company stock was bought over by the cooperative bank of Chania.

Awards and Recognitions

In 2015, ABEA received a distinction in the 7th contest of extra virgin olive oil, "Excellence 2015", held at the hotel Divani Caravel. ABEA was also granted the bronze "Excellence 15" prize amongst 74 other samples and products.

Otherwise, here is a list of other awards and recognitions ABEA has won:

• Protected Designation of Origin
• Protected Geographical Indication
• TUV Hellas System Certification ISO 22000
• TUV Hellas System Certification ISO 9001

Products

ABEA specializes in producing two main areas of production: olive oil and cosmetics. They produce four kinds of olive oil:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Classic Olive Oil
• Refined Olive Oil
• Olive Pomace Oil

When producing cosmetics items, they use four main ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Honey
• Lavender
• Orange

Locations

ABEA currently has three locations, all based within the Chania regional unit.

• Administration and Packaging Factory, Agrokipio, Municipality of Eleftherios Venizelos, Chania, Crete, Greece
• Soap Production and Olive Pomace Oil Production Factories, Porti, Municipality of Keramia, Chania, Crete, Greece
• ABEA Shop, Skalidi 116, Chania, Crete, Greece