Onur was a baker in Kurdistan. He is not afraid of any job. Stately, broad-shouldered, hands like vices. They have strength and feel. He arrived in Lesbos eight years ago. Abdul got off the boat on a Greek beach a year later. In Syria, he was a mechanic. He has fixed up his decrepit old Greek Corsa in such a way that it attracts the envious stares of German car fans. He fled Syria when a bomb fell on his workshop. What remains of his workplace is a pile of mangled metal.

Both are united by their dreams. They sought security and freedom. Onur for himself, Abdul also for his four children and wife. This desire was fulfilled by our Greek project. Both happy, they toil like oxen from dawn to dusk, despite the heat pouring from the sky. They are waiting for the olive harvest, which they will haul to the press, squeezing the oil out of it, which will later reach you in a bottle with the NIKA label. They have won their future with hard work and the opportunities that you give them.

Nikos and Katerina named their oil NIKA. There was not a shred of desire for flair in this. They noticed the coincidence later. Because ‘nika’ is the Greek word for victory. In 312, Constantine the Great, going to clash with Maxentius, saw the sign of the cross in the sky and heard ‘en toutoi nika’ (‘under this sign you shall prevail’). He won the battle. He proclaimed the Edict of Milan afterwards, giving Christians freedom to profess their faith. In Greek tradition, the banner with the inscription ‘en toutoi nika’ means as much to us as the two naked swords from Grunwald.

“Nika means victory. Today, with their hard work in the olive oil mill, refugees are winning freedom and security for themselves. What they have dreamed of since war and persecution forced them to flee their homeland is coming true,” says Nikos.

The oil is available for pre-order from the Good Factory Shop. It is not only a top quality product, it is helping and working for refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos.