This is the list. If the answer to your question is not found below, then please e-mail me and I’ll post the answer here for every one to see and to share. Sharing is a good thing.

“Are your olive oils made from Kalamata Olives?”

No. The best Kalamata Olives are for eating and we put those olives in our jars (you should try them). Our olive oils are made from the unripe koreneki olive. When harvested, the olive is about the size of your pinky finger and packed full of the good stuff.  We press 5 kilos of koroneki olives to make one Liter of our Olive Oil. Skip the Kalamata Olive Oil, and save the olives for your plate where they belong. I’ll try and snap a picture of a koroneki olive next time I am in Greece.

“Do your olives with Wine Vinegar in the Brine contain alcohol?”

If you are you looking for a cocktail, then I suggest you buy a bottle of your favorite spirits. And when you do, please  think about our stuffed olives as a very tasty garnish (pimento stuffed are classic, but I prefer the garlic stuffed myself. Crunch!) That being said, the brine has wine vinegar, not wine. Vinegar is not considered to be alcoholic, as the alcohol in wine” is consumed during the fermentation process, which is how you end up with vinegar.

“I’ve had this bottle of [fill in your product here] in my pantry for [fill in length of time here]. Is it any good?”

All our products have a best before date printed on the bottle or jar. If its past the best before date, then its past its prime flavor season. If the product doesn’t have a best before date, (and look closely, because some of the products we carry are dark in color and ink is black), then the best before date either washed off or smeared off. My advice is to throw your [fill in your product] away.

“Should I refrigerate [fill in your product here]?”

Refrigeration never hurt anyone.  Even if it has olive oil as an ingredient (a “no go” zone for our premium bottles of E.V.O.O.), you can refrigerate if you’d like,  depending on how long you plan to keep the product. That being said, the label of each product should indicate if you need to refrigerate that product. If the label doesn’t say “please refrigerate after opening” , then you don’t need to refrigerate the product. If it says you need to refrigerate,…well, you get the idea.

“I used to buy your products at [fill in your store here], but I can’t find it there anymore. Where can I buy your products?”

Right here. On this site. If the exact product you want isn’t here, then we don’t carry it in stock anywhere. However, we may have an item very similar to what you purchased in the past. Take a look around the product pages to see what we have. (But please feel free to talk to your local grocer, price club, market, etc. about re-stocking your favorite product back into the store nearest you. Generally, a little note to the Manager goes a long way.)

• The olive oil tree found its way to Europe from the island of Crete more than 2,500 years ago.

• The Bible makes more than 140 references to the olive tree and to olive oil.

• The ancient Greeks, Jews and Egyptians used olive oil in their reading lamps, to anoint their kings and religious leaders, to treat a myriad of ailments, and to massage athletes in preparation for their efforts.

• In Ancient Greece, Olympic Champions were given a crown made of olive branches. The olive tree is a symbol of triumph, wisdom, and peace.

• Some prefer olive oil to the often-recommended mayonnaise for conditioning hair. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in the microwave for 10 seconds and apply to DRY hair. Leave it on for about 10 minutes, then shampoo.

• The Byzantine Empire’s persecution of artists forced cooks and chefs to seek refuge in Greek Orthodox monasteries. Here, in order to distinguish themselves from the monks, in addition to wearing long robes they also wore tall black hats. When the heat of persecution cooled, the chefs changed the color of their hats to white, which later became known in French as “toques” or “toques blanches”. Today, these are still worn by chefs.

• According to Ancient Greek mythology, the citizens of Attica called upon the Gods Of Olympus to participate in a contest where the God that presented the best gift to the region would have a city named after them. Goddess Athena, born on the Island of Crete, was aware of the olive tree’s symbolism and thusly presented it to the citizenship of Attica. The populace chose Athena’s gift and not only did the citizens of Attica name a city in honor of Goddess Athena (Athens), but the Athenians also consider her as their protector.

• Considered as the symbol of purity, peace, wisdom, glory, and power, the olive tree was frequently involved in religious expressions as well as in the arts and athletics. In addition to cooking and consumption, olive oil was often used in fragrances, medicine, light and burning fuel.