A 500-year family story, with a future-facing mission
Our roots in Kefalonia
Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian Islands, has long been shaped by the meeting of cultures. For several centuries, it was ruled by the Venetians, whose influence can still be seen in the architecture, dialect, and way of life that remains uniquely Ionian.
Our family can be traced back to circa 1500, to the small village of Dellaportata, from which our family name originates.
The Dellaporta Estate once spanned thousands of stremata — a vast landscape of olive trees, vineyards, and vegetable fields, alive with workers who cared for the land from sunrise to sunset
At the centre stood the old Venetian-style house, built around a stone courtyard with a well at its heart. Just beyond it, our family church, Agia Roggi, was built around 1650, becoming a spiritual anchor for generations of Dellaportas.
For centuries, our family and the surrounding community thrived off this land — a place of abundance, self-sufficiency, and shared purpose.
ALegacy Shaped by Nature
In 1953, a devastating earthquake struck Kefalonia, its epicentre near the Paliki Peninsula, reshaping the island and the lives upon it. It was during this time that our family moved back to Lixouri, the island’s western town. Over the decades that followed, my great-grandfather Nikolaos Dellaportas began dividing the estate between his four daughters — as he had no son — gifting each a piece of the ancestral land.
My Nona Eirini, the youngest, was entrusted with the land surrounding the church of Agia Roggi. This precious piece is what remains today as our family estate, the heart and soul of Ionian Gold.
Bringing the Land Back to Life
For nearly ten years, we have been restoring this land to its former vitality — pruning ancient olive trees, replanting vineyards, and cultivating a kitchen garden on once-forgotten soil.
Our approach is guided by biodynamic principles: no irrigation, no synthetic fertilisers, and no chemicals. Instead, we enrich the soil with natural compost, encourage pollinators, and let the rhythms of nature dictate the pace of our work.
This is more than olive oil — it is a revival of legacy, a renewal of the bond between people and the land, and a gift to future generations.
We are not industrial producers. We are caretakers of history, nurturing the same soil that sustained our family for over five centuries — and sharing its fruits with the world.
