A family oil from Crete

Crete has grown olives for four thousand years. Creta Verde comes from one protected valley on its western coast, made by one family since 1999.

The place

Kolymvari, Chania

West of Chania town, the Kolymvari region slopes from the White Mountains down to the sea. Dry summers, mild winters and sea air give its Koroneiki olives an intensity the rest of Crete does not match. The European Union protects the name: only oil pressed here may be called PDO Kolymvari.

The family

Cretan Taste, since 1999

Creta Verde is made by Cretan Taste, a small family company in Chania run on knowledge passed down through generations. Their olive oil carries certifications most big brands never earn: PDO by AGROCERT, ISO 22000:2018 audited by TUV Austria, and registration with the US FDA.

The recognition

Awarded in Berlin

At the Berlin Global Olive Oil Awards 2021, Creta Verde entered for the first time and came home with medals including the Gold you see printed on our tins. Judges described what Cretans already knew: green apple, fresh cut grass, artichoke, and a clean peppery finish.

Olive groves running down to the Cretan coast
The harbor of Chania, Crete
Greek flag over the Cretan sea

The quality file

Everything below is printed on the label or comes from the producer's published certifications. Bring any bottle and check it against this list.

0.42% max
Free acidity

The single most honest number in olive oil. EU law allows extra virgin up to 0.8%. Creta Verde's label commits to at most 0.42%, and its quality panel prints the K270, K232 and peroxide limits too.

Olive branches framing the White Mountains of Crete
PDO Kolymvari Chanion Kritis

Certified by AGROCERT, the Greek state certification body. The PDO seal is printed on every label with the producer's code.

100%
Koroneiki, single variety

The small Cretan olive prized for oil, hand picked and pressed the same day.

Cold
Extracted, never refined

Mechanical extraction only, at low temperature. No heat, no chemicals, no additives or preservatives.

Olives on harvest nets in a Cretan grove
Berlin GOOA 2021

Gold award, printed on the tin.

ISO
22000:2018 and US FDA

Food safety management audited by TUV Austria. US FDA facility registration for export.

Why the peppery catch matters

Fresh, genuine extra virgin olive oil bites gently at the back of the throat. That sensation comes from its natural polyphenols, the antioxidants that make olive oil the heart of the Mediterranean diet. Refined and fake oils are smooth and flavorless because there is nothing left in them.

Shop the oil
Olives and olive oil on a spoon