Crete and Koroneiki describe origin. Whether an oil qualifies as extra virgin is not decided by the island story, but by a defined set of chemical and sensory criteria. We keep those two things separate.
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Olivora's Cretan olive-oil offers focus on Koroneiki and traceable origin within our partner context on Crete. Where a product names a specific region, mill, batch or harvest, the product page and label remain authoritative.
Origin is mainly a transparency signal: it helps explain where olives were harvested and where the oil was produced. It does not automatically prove extra-virgin classification or make one region categorically better than another.
That is why we avoid country rankings and blanket statements such as “Koroneiki is automatically richer in polyphenols”. Properties like that need evidence for the concrete oil or batch.
The category is legally defined. Under the EU basis currently verified by Olivora, free acidity must not exceed 0.80%. Additional chemical criteria and sensory assessment also apply: the defect median must be 0.0 and fruitiness must be present.
A particularly low acidity figure is therefore not a standalone quality ranking. One number cannot replace the other measurements or sensory assessment.
If Olivora publishes laboratory, acidity, polyphenol or sensory values in future, we treat them as batch-specific data and publish them only with matching evidence rather than as permanent properties of an origin or variety.
EU rules distinguish “first cold pressing” from “cold extraction”. The term “cold extraction” for extra virgin or virgin olive oil is tied to the relevant extraction process below 27 °C; it is not an automatic premium seal.
Polyphenol and health claims are also narrower than many marketing texts suggest. The authorised EU olive-oil polyphenol health claim requires at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g of olive oil, together with consumer information about a daily intake of 20 g.
We therefore do not infer a concrete polyphenol content or health claim from variety, origin, bitterness or pungency. That requires evidence for the relevant batch.
Start with the correct category and a traceable origin. The more clearly product, origin and batch information fit together, the easier the claim is to verify.
Laboratory values are useful when they belong to the relevant batch. A permanently highlighted number without batch, date or analysis context is far less informative.
EU labelling rules are practical about storage: protection from light and heat matters. Light-protective packaging and appropriate storage are therefore sensible quality safeguards without turning them into a blanket quality promise.
The regulatory statements on this page follow public, verified EU and IOC sources. Our evidence-backed guide documents the current source status, primary links and the precise distinction between acidity, cold extraction, sensory attributes and polyphenol claims.
Not by default. Origin can provide traceability and context, but it does not replace chemical and sensory quality assessment. What matters is the concrete oil and its verifiable product or batch information.
There is no responsible single number for every oil. Follow the best-before date and storage instructions for the concrete product. Regulated labelling places particular emphasis on protection from light and heat; once opened, keep the bottle closed and avoid unnecessary long storage.
No. Bitterness and pungency can be positive sensory attributes, but they are not a batch-level laboratory value. We do not infer a concrete polyphenol content or health claim from them.
Yes, extra virgin olive oil is also used for cooking. A universal maximum temperature is not an EU quality definition and depends on the concrete oil and use, so we deliberately avoid presenting one blanket temperature here.
Origin is not proof of quality. We publish batch-specific values only with matching evidence; the product page, label and batch information remain authoritative for the concrete product.