Some New Zealand olive oil producers while not too proud to use Greek history and mythology to give their product some heritage, will then turn around and rubbish all European olive oils as “stale, flat tasting and sticky!  in order to achieve high prices for their products.

While some of the lower priced oils found in some retail stores  may well be in this category, I would like to point out that one will not find any genuine Greek olive oil  produced and packed in Greece amongst them.  Certainly not from our suppliers.

Greece is the 3rd largest olive oil producing country in the world in volume with around 400+ thousand tons per annum, and the 1st overall in quality averaging more than 80% extra virgin compared to barely 50% for Italy  and a mere 30% for Spain.
Greece is also No 1 in quality of table olives.

This is due mainly to 3 factors:

• Firstly the indigenous olive varieties which have been selected over thousands of years for their exceptional taste and quality
• Secondly the growing conditions, great steady temperate climate and free draining soil
• And thirdly the way it is farmed and processed, (see Cretan olive oil).

There are around 140 million olive trees in Greece producing an average of 400,000 + tons of oil of which around 220,000 tons is consumed in Greece! The highest consumers in the world at about 22 Lt pp.   The balance, of 180,000+ tons is exported. Around 10% of this is bottled and sold to mainly EU countries, Nth America, China and Japan (where it is preferred and normally sold at a higher price than other oils) and the balance is sold in bulk to Italy 75% and Spain the rest, who in turn blend it with their other lower grade oils (often including other seed oils) to improve quality and export it as their own extra virgin.

See Wikipedia article Regulation and adulteration of olive oil.

Greece does not import or adulterate olive oil.

“New World” olive oils are a recent phenomenon, produced in countries like US (California), Australia and New Zealand.

Generally these oils are of very low acidity which is mainly achieved by pressing green immature olives.

In Greece this is called “AGOURELAIO” which means unripe oil and it has a niche market mainly in Northern Europe, it is more expensive to produce and market due to the need for more olives per Litre.

Green oils like this usually have a more intense taste which depending on the olive variety can be very nice as a bread dip or poured over salads  (though some varieties leave an unpleasant aftertaste) but they can be too overpowering and too expensive to use  in general cooking, frying or marinating. They also have a more limited shelf life due to their more delicate composition.  EU regulations only allow up to 9 months.

A good olive oil should enhance the food, not taint and overpower it.

Our Greek olive oil is a great all around product.

Greek olive oil

The origin of taste

Greek Olive Oil