Meet the Producer

👋 From the Grove in Crete

My name is Spiro Collias, and I produce this olive oil from my family’s grove in Agia Marina, Crete — the same land my family has cared for for generations.

What you’re holding isn’t a brand concept or a bulk product.
It’s the result of hands-on farming, careful harvest timing, and personal responsibility for every step, from the tree to the bottle.

🌿 Why I Do This Differently

Most olive oil sold today is blended, anonymously sourced, and handled at industrial scale.
That wasn’t acceptable to me.

So I do things the harder way:

  • Olives grown on one family estate

  • Hand-harvested at optimal ripeness

  • Milled immediately after harvest

  • Gravity-filtered, not aggressively polished

  • Independently lab-tested for quality and freshness

  • Bottled with full traceability

Every decision is made to protect flavor, freshness, and natural polyphenols — not volume.

🧪 Transparency Matters

I believe olive oil should be judged by facts, not marketing.

That’s why every harvest is:

  • Independently lab-tested in Crete

  • Verified to meet and exceed EU Extra Virgin Olive Oil standards

  • Qualified for the official EU polyphenol health claim

  • Recognized with a Gold Award at the NYIOOC

You can see the lab results.
You can see the awards.
Nothing is hidden.

🏅 Recognition, Not Hype

Winning a Gold Award at the New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC) was meaningful — not as a marketing badge, but as confirmation that careful farming and restraint still matter.

The judges tasted blind.
The oil stood on its own.

🍽️ How I Use This Oil at Home

This is the olive oil I cook with every day:

  • Finished over vegetables and beans

  • Drizzled on fish and grilled meats

  • Poured generously over salads and bread

  • Used raw, where quality matters most

It’s bold, fresh, and naturally peppery — exactly how true extra virgin olive oil should taste.

🤝 From My Grove to Your Table

I don’t produce olive oil to chase trends or volume.
I produce it to share something real — and to stand behind it personally.

Thank you for supporting small-scale farming, transparency, and quality over shortcuts.

— Spiro Collias

How to Interpret Our Olive Oil Lab Results

Olive oil quality can be measured objectively.

Independent laboratory analysis verifies freshness, purity, and antioxidant content — and explains how our olive oil tastes and performs.

Below is a plain-English guide to understanding the key lab results for Collias Estates Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Free Acidity

Result: 0.45%

(EU limit for Extra Virgin Olive Oil: ≤ 0.8%)

Free acidity measures the condition of the olives and how carefully the oil was produced — not flavor.

Lower acidity indicates:


Healthy olives


Careful harvesting


Rapid milling after harvest

What this means:

A low acidity confirms that the olives were handled properly and processed quickly, preserving quality from tree to mill.

Peroxide Value

Result: 8.48 meq O₂/kg

(EU limit: ≤ 20)

Peroxide value measures early oxidation — essentially how fresh and stable the oil is.

Lower values indicate:


Fresher oil


Better storage conditions


Longer shelf stability

What this means:

This low peroxide value reflects a fresh, well-preserved olive oil with strong resistance to oxidation.

UV Absorbance (K232, K270, ΔK)

These tests detect oxidation, improper storage, or adulteration.

Our results are well within Extra Virgin Olive Oil limits, confirming:


Purity


Proper handling


No refining or blending

What this means:

These values verify that the oil is genuinely extra virgin and carefully produced.

Total Polyphenols

Result: 644 mg/kg

Polyphenols are natural antioxidants found in fresh olive oil. They are responsible for:


Bitterness


Peppery throat sensation


Oxidative stability


Health-supporting properties

Higher polyphenol levels are common in:


Early harvest oils


Well-stressed olive trees


Minimally processed oils

What this means:

The naturally bitter and peppery character of our olive oil is a sign of freshness and antioxidant richness — not a flaw.

Typical ranges:


  • Grocery Store Olive Oil:

    50–150 mg/kg

    Mild, little bitterness or pepperiness

  • Better Grocery / Imported EVOO:

    150–250 mg/kg

    Lightly fresh, still mild

  • Boutique / Small-Batch Olive Oil:

    250–400 mg/kg

    Noticeable bitterness and pepperiness

  • High-Polyphenol Extra Virgin Olive Oil:

    400–700+ mg/kg

    Bold, bitter, peppery, antioxidant-rich

EU-Approved Polyphenol Health Claim

Hydroxytyrosol & derivatives: 11.3 mg per 20 g of oil

(EU requirement: ≥ 5 mg per 20 g)

Our olive oil qualifies for the official European Union health claim:

“Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress.”

What this means:

This claim is allowed only when laboratory testing confirms sufficient levels of specific phenolic compounds. Our result exceeds the required threshold by more than double.

Why Transparency Matters

Many olive oils never publish lab results.

Some are tested once — others not at all.

We believe transparency matters:


Numbers prevent marketing exaggeration


Lab results verify freshness and purity


Trust is built through openness

Every harvest of Collias Estates olive oil is independently tested so you know exactly what’s in the bottle.

Independent Laboratory Certification

Our olive oil is analyzed by an independent laboratory in Crete and certified to meet — and exceed — European Union standards for Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Laboratory certificates are available for review.