The Bläuel family

Τhe noble olive tree and its fruit played a significant role in Austrian Fritz and Burgi Bläuel’s decision to ‘plant roots’ in the Mani region of the Peloponnese. At the end of the 1970s they moved to the Mani, full of hope, creativity and idealism of youth. Joining in with the olive harvest and working the land, they learned about the culture of the olive. With much effort they managed to communicate effectively to the farmers the benefits of organic agriculture and the associated market opportunities, and gradually accompanied them toward the transition. So thanks to this successful collaboration with smallholders, by the mid-1980s the first organic olive oil in Greece was produced.
The same spirit leads the next generation of the Bläuel company: Felix Bläuel, 30 is now at the head of the company and is actively committed to developing his parents’ life work into modern ecological and sustainable strategies. His focus is on the wellbeing of the region and its inhabitantss. His sister Julia is studying Environment and Natural resource Management in Vienna.

Portraits of the Family Members:

Fritz Bläuel: from olive-harvest worker to sustainability entrepreneur: born in Austria, the visionary and philanthropist organic pioneer came to the Mani in the 1970s and founded the company Bläuel Greek Organic Products and the MANI brand.

Burgi Bläuel: since the beginning she has worked with all her energy to build the family busines. Formerly educated in music and musical composition, Burgi now continues the Bläuel pioneer spirit in the organic resort Mani Sonnenlink, Greece’s first and so far the only certified organic and veggie Hotel.

Felix Bläuel: studied Business Administration and Marketing in Thessaloniki, before joining the company as a junior partner. He is committed to the future sustainable development of the company and of the Mani region.

Julia Bläuel: The youngest of the second-generation Bläuels studied Environment and Natural Resource Management in Vienna.