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Read about the history of olive trees, selecting a premium variety of olives, and the process used to make Oleavia Olive Oils with maximum freshness, taste, and quality.
The Sumerians called Anatolia the “Garden of the Sun”.
Because the sun has poured the purest colors in the wavelength of its light mostly onto Anatolia. Covering itself with the smile of the sun, without wearing off or forgetting its own colors; Anatolia has been the cradle of many ancient civilizations. Its oldest tree is the olive. The olive tree is older than history. According to Jose M. Blazquez, the author of the internationally respected World Olive Encyclopaedia, “Olive cultivation has begun in Anatolia about six thousand years ago.” Olive forms the most important part and tradition of Anatolian culture.
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Olives, which have been processed with traditional methods for hundreds of years, today are carefully collected and they are transformed into olive oil with the most advanced, modern techniques, and meticulous, high quality, cold pressing methods.
The method and duration of olive fruit collection, the transformation of the olives into the oil with modern pressing methods, the preservation conditions of olive oil, and the taste, smell, and appearance properties determine its quality. Heat, light, and weather conditions affect olive oil.
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Oleavia Extra Virgin Olive Oil's aroma, smell, and nutritional values are unique and it is special for this reason.
The characteristics of the geographical regions, the structure of the olive trees, the type of olive, soil characteristics, and climatic conditions determine the taste of olive oil. Oleavia takes its taste from olives grown in the Mediterranean geography. It is only possible to determine that olive oil is pure and fresh and has a quality and taste that complies with international standards and food codex, with taste and multiple chemical analyses performed by tasters, food, or chemical engineers in a modern laboratory.
Oleavia is an award-winning brand that passed these tests. And our award is the symbol of the trust placed in us.
Natural extra virgin olive oil causes a very slight burning sensation in the nasal passages and a slight bitterness in the mouth. The reason for this is the polyphenol compounds that are naturally found in them and are beneficial for human health. Polyphenol compounds vary according to the type of olive, early harvest, squeezing, preservation conditions of the olive oil produced, soil condition, and climatic conditions.
The Olives
We specifically choose the varieties of olives used in our Oleavia Olive Oils for their unique flavor qualities. Many olive oils combine oils from different regions. At Oleavia, we use two different types of olives to create our oils. Both are handpicked and processed at the location where it is grown and NEVER combined with other oils. We use the Memecik olive to produce our Savrandere and Asilik editions. This olive provides a bold rich flavor with a peppery undertone.
For our Havaalani I Edition we crush the Memecik type olive with Ayvalik type, which is known for its mild taste. The difference in flavor between this edition and from Savrandere and Asilik editions is that it is significantly lighter.
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Harvesting & Pressing
In addition to selecting a premium variety of olives, the process used to make Oleavia Olive Oils ensures maximum freshness, taste, and quality. Throughout the Mediterranean, olives are traditionally harvested in November and December when olives are ripe and produce a higher yield. We harvest the olives used to make Oleavia Olive Oils in October. By most standards, this is considered an early harvest, generally resulting in a lower yield. The benefit, however, is that the fruit maintains higher levels of phenolic antioxidants and oleocanthal. We handpick the olives to prevent bruising or damage during the harvesting process.
Within hours of their harvest, we cold press the olives in a closed system that prevents the oil’s exposure to light and air. This preserves the health benefits of the oil. To further avoid oxidization, we store the oil in a stainless steel cask under a layer of nitrogen. We then bottle the oil directly from the cask.
Cold pressing is a way to make olive oil without the use of heat or chemicals. Many types of olive oil are processed by pressing olives at higher temperatures. This method is known to produce a greater yield but at the expense of the quality of the oil’s health benefits. Cold press processing retains the nutrients, purity, and freshness of taste found in premium olive oil.
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Olive oil tends to increase over the last decades as a valuable source of antioxidants and essential fatty acids in the human diet and constitutes one of the most important dietary trends worldwide.
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The Mediterranean diet has been declared by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage with a harmonious interaction with agriculture, nutritional practices, and the environment, and the basis of the Mediterranean diet is olive oil. Because olive oil is rich in plant-based foods (grains, legumes, oil seeds, fruits, vegetables) as well as many beneficial compounds it contains, olive oil is necessary for the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients in this diet.
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It has been shown that the Mediterranean Diet and olive oil, which form the basis of the diet, have a protective effect on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and some neurodegenerative diseases. Also, it is important in gut health, which is also referred to as the second brain today. Because olive oil can feed the microorganisms in our intestines by breaking down beneficial compounds. In addition to its beneficial effects on health, it also provides numerous benefits for human and planetary welfare with its positive effects on sustainability.
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A planetary health plate should consist by volume of approximately half a plate of vegetables and fruits; the other half, displayed by contribution to calories, should consist of primarily whole grains, plant protein sources, unsaturated plant oils, especially olive oil, and (optionally) modest amounts of animal sources of protein.
It is stated that the protective role of olive oil in some types of cancer is due to its essential fatty acid content, as well as compounds that have a protective effect, especially in tumor formation.
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In addition to all of these, the source of olive oil should be questioned and extra virgin olive oil should be preferred.
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However, it should not be forgotten that consumption should not be overdone, even in healthy foods.