The Forgotten AEBEK Olive Oil Factory: Corfu’s Industrial Heritage

Corfu is famous for its olive groves, but less familiar is the industrial history of the island’s olive industry. In Mantouki, near Corfu Town’s port, the abandoned AEBEK factory is a reminder of the workers, manufacturers and traders who helped shape the island before tourism became dominant.

Mantouki and Corfu’s industrial past

The portside neighbourhood of Mantouki was well placed for workshops, mills, warehouses and manufacturing. The AEBEK complex formed part of this wider industrial landscape, linking Corfu’s olive harvest with processing and trade.

AEBEK: founded in 1924

AEBEK was established in 1924 as an olive oil processing enterprise. It refined olive oil, recovered oil from olive pomace and manufactured soap. The surviving buildings help illustrate how traditional agricultural products became part of a modern industrial economy. Historical accounts differ on some details of the original ownership, so these should not be treated as settled without further archival evidence.

What did the factory make?

Refined olive oil was one product. The factory also extracted olive-pomace oil from the material remaining after pressing olives. Soap manufacture was another important activity, making use of the wider olive-oil production chain. The site was therefore more than a conventional village olive press.

The people who worked there

The factory was a workplace as well as a landmark. Research into a strike in 1933 records labour tensions in Mantouki and reminds us that industrial history is also social history. The experiences of workers and their families deserve a place alongside the island’s better-known architectural and cultural stories.

Modernisation, decline and closure

The company experienced difficult periods during the twentieth century. Historical accounts describe major modernisation of machinery around 1958, followed by further challenges. The associated consortium was dissolved in 1980, and the factory finally closed in 1985. Its closure marked the end of more than sixty years of industrial activity.

What remains today?

The former complex included eleven buildings, with some structures dating from the nineteenth century and earlier warehouse uses. Parts have been recognised for their heritage value. The industrial heritage inventory records the site as ruined and its original equipment as no longer surviving. The remaining architecture is an important physical record of Corfu’s manufacturing history.

Could the site have a future?

An academic architectural proposal has considered reusing the former complex for activities linked to olive production, research and local products. This is a design proposal, not evidence that a restoration has been approved or funded. It nevertheless raises a worthwhile question about conservation and adaptive reuse.

Visiting Mantouki responsibly

Mantouki offers an interesting perspective beyond the familiar Old Town sightseeing route. Explore the wider neighbourhood from public streets, but do not enter abandoned or restricted factory buildings: structures may be unstable and the site is not a managed visitor attraction.

Why the story matters

The ruins remind us that Corfu’s history includes agriculture, trade, industry and working families, not only palaces and beaches. Do you remember AEBEK in operation, or know somebody who worked there? First-hand memories could help preserve this overlooked chapter of the island’s history.