Volvi Estate is a centuries-old olive grove, covering a large part of the mountainous northern shores of Lake Volvi in Northern Greece. At 400 ha and with 70,000 olive trees it is the largest private olive farm in the country.

The Estate lies within a natural reserve, one of Greece’s national parks of remarkable beauty (www.foreaskv.gr) and a habitat to many rare species. In this land, wild olive trees have been growing for many hundreds of years, unaffected by humans, keeping all their valuable natural ingredients to the full. They have relied solely on the protective microclimate of the lake and the seasonal cycle of sun and rain.

In earlier times, the oil was extracted in the Byzantine olive mill, dating from 1324 A.D. and still standing in the center of the Estate. Wild olive oil is very difficult to produce, as the trees have less fruit and the ratio of oil to fruit is much smaller than in the grafted trees. The properties of the oil however deserve every labour. Its phenolic compounds are more than three times the limit set by EU Regulation 432/2012 in order for an olive oil to qualify for a health claim. Moreover, our wild olive oil has almost entirely oleocanthal and oleacein, phenolic compounds whose biological activity has been studied to more extent. Research is still ongoing on additional health-protective effects of high levels of oleocanthal in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and certain forms of cancer. In fact, a recent study by the University of Athens showed that oleocanthal and oleacein from Volvi Estate Wild Olive Oil presented cytotoxic activity on human cancer cells.

Volvi Estate Wild Olive Oil is a unique superfood. Produced in the most natural way, certified organic, and extracted the same day the fruit is harvested to ensure maximum quality. Its taste, despite the high presence of oleocanthal, is fruity and very rich. A spoonfull a day, consumed raw, is all that is required to enjoy health protecting properties.