Efkrato Limited Reserve Organic Early Harvest Evoo 250ml

A Precious Gift of the Cretan Land
EFKRATO is a premium, limited production, organic, high phenolic, extra virgin olive oil produced
exclusively from the ancient Cretan variety Tsounati.

It is an award-winning gourmet product which is also very rich in antioxidants (polyphenols). It offers a unique combination of nutritional value and gastronomic pleasure.

EFKRATO comes from our family’s small olive groves in northern Crete, Greece and is the optimised form of the same pure olive oil we grew up with.

Organoleptic Characteristics

EFKRATO is a gourmet product that harmoniously combines the bitterness and pungency of early harvest olive oils with aromas of green fruits, artichokes, green peppers, freshly cut grass, etc.

Although it started its course only in 2018, it has already been awarded in many international competitions.

Cultivation & Production Process in Harmony with the Environment

We have a loving and respectful relationship with the olive grove that generously gives us back not only its fruit, but also snails (one of the most preferred delicacies of the Cretan cuisine), wild grasses (fennel, native capers, wild asparagus etc).

The way we work with nature is of great importance to us and a key component of EFKRATO’s identity. As a result, the cultivation methods we use are stricter than those of organic farming and practically impossible to apply in large scale production of olive oil.

The main way of fertilization is our “cooperation” with horses and sheep that give us organic manure in exchange for the wild grasses of the olive grove. We take advantage of leguminous plants for nitrogen fixation in the soil rather than using artificial fertilisers. These plants coexist harmoniously with the olive trees and do not allow the depletion of soil nutrients which is often the case with monocultures.

We also offer about 1 euro for each bottle of EFKRATO that is produced, to myClimate (www.myclimate.org) in order to compensate for all the CO2 emissions related to its production. 

The olive fruits are selected by hand, one by one, and only those in excellent condition are used in the production of EFKRATO. Olive oil extraction is done every day at low temperatures and only a few hours after harvest. Only the batches with the best organoleptic characteristics are bottled.


Inspiration Behind the Name and Label
EFKRATO can be seen as the result of the joined influence of the micro-climate in the area of northern Rethymno in Crete, Greece, the wind that reaches from the Cretan sea, the clay soil and the abundant sunshine that ensures the location of the olive grove on the slope of a coastal hill at an altitude of about 55 meters.

All the above in combination with the abstract form of the olive leaf and olive fruit provide the inspiration and comprise the synthesis of our label.

The ideal combination of factors such as the geographical location, the climate, the Tsounati variety but also our own treatment and care, is concentrated in the name “EFKRATO”.

This ancient Greek word (“εύκρατο”) consists of the components “εὖ”+ “κεράννυμι” where the second means to mix, to combine, to regulate the temperature, and “εὖ” indicates the good property of the other synthetic. Ιn other worlds, it means the ideal combination of parameters that allow for our EVOO to exist.

We find it interesting that in Greek the word “wine” (“κρασί”), with which olive oil has so much in common, is a related word.

Nutritional Value & Health Claim

Harvest takes place before the fruits ripen, in order to produce what the ancient Greeks called “ωμοτριβές” and modern Greeks call “αγουρέλαιο”(early harvest olive oil), which from ancient times was considered the most nutritious olive oil.

Modern scientific studies confirm this belief: Polyphenols, the antioxidants contained in large quantities in early harvest olive oils such as EFKRATO, have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective and neuroprotective properties.

EFKRATO contains many times more polyphenols than the limit allowing for a health claim to be made (according to Regulation 432/2012 of the European Union).

EFKRATO is filtered and stored in a protective atmosphere using the noble gas argon, thus maintaining its organoleptic characteristics and nutrients for much longer.

Never before what is good for your health has been so delicious!