Cretan Olive Oil is the Best in the World & comes from the Greek Island of Crete

Cretan Olive Oil

Cretan Olive oil is very special. And we believe it is the best olive oil in the world.

Cretan Olive Oil has been the hidden secret in the world of olive oil producers, consumers and top chefs. The legendary vibrant health and long lives of the Cretans has been attributed, in part, to their vast consumption of their home grown olive oil as part of the traditional Cretan diet.

The ancient land of Crete is home to 30 million olive trees and the Cretans make full use of the abundant fruit and have been cultivating the olive tree since 3500 BC during the early Minoan period. The Minoan palace of Knossos has an olive press room.

Cretans consume far more olive oil than any other population in the world and live longer and healthier lives too! This leaves very little of this "elixir of life" for the export market.

Today the Cretans still eat far more olive oil than any other people in the world. And as a famous study proved, are the healthiest and longest living people.

So it's not surprising that the traditional Cretan Diet uses only olive oil rather than other fats or oils. Substituting olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, for saturated fats or polyunsaturated fats can assist your body to maintain a lower weight, reduce the effects of ageing and reduce blood pressure.

It's been shown to inhibit the growth of some cancers and is beneficial for people at risk of or who have diabetes. It also lessens the severity of asthma and arthritis. With all these health benefits it is little wonder that some hail this precious oil as a miracle cure. The octogenarian Cretan farmer and his 100 years old mother are living proof!

In Greece in general and on Crete, olives are generally harvested from early November right through to February dependent on the area and variety. Harvesting of the Crete olives is usually a family affair with children, the elderly, women and men all contributing to the labour intensive and time consuming process.

Hand picking Crete olives is still the best method for harvesting from the olive groves because it causes the least amount of bruising to the fruit and thus yields the best oil.

Some olive farmers beat the olive trees with large poles to loosen the olives that fall to nets laid on the ground. Others use large wooden or plastic devices to "comb" through the foliage and loosen the olives.

Cretan olive oil has to be the very best in the world as it is still hand harvested using traditional methods to produce the olive oil and is entirely organic. The unpolluted Greek island is the ideal setting for truly wonderful tasting and nutritious Cretan olive oil to be produced.