Biolea has been successful in the challenge of bringing the traditional olive oil production system up to today’s food production standards by applying cutting edge technology and operating from a solid scientific base. Biolea Astrikas Estate extra virgin olive oil is one of the very few standardized stone milled & cold pressed olive oils still being produced worldwide.
With over thirty years of experimentation and innovations, the Dimitriadis family has found unique methods to elevate the traditional process, by milling the olive paste with shorter batches to prevent oxidation and using stainless steel filters instead of plastic or natural fibers to achieve higher organoleptic properties. The traditional method is labour intensive and requires specialization and experience, nevertheless, Biolea is committed to maintaining and promoting this “slower” method because it produces superior quality olive oil in a very sustainable way.
Biolea is an artisanal olive oil, the exclusive product of our family-owned olive groves. Estate olive oils, like estate wines, are prized for their distinctive characteristics, which are influenced by natural factors such as soil, altitude, microclimate and olive variety. Cultivation and production techniques add to the individuality of the product’s character. At Astrikas Estate, olives are harvested with careful techniques early in October and brought within several hours to start the milling process in order to preserve the olive fruits’ maximum aromas and health value. The responsibility and quality control of cultivation, harvest, production, storage and bottling are all under our one single estate. Mediterranean island microclimate, perfect elevation 300 meters above sea level, and arid and organic cultivation of the Koroneiki olive variety shape the distinct characteristics of our olive oil.
The Astrikas Estate family olive groves are farmed organically without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides and have been certified organic for the past 20 years.
Beyond organic cultivation, Biolea has developed sustainable ways of farming in order to help preserve the environment. Although our olive trees produce less without irrigation, arid cultivation helps conserve our island’s precious water supply and avoid the introduction of non-biodegradable PVC plastic irrigation pipes. At the same time, we have discontinued plowing or any heavy machinery in our fields to help prevent the increasingly concerning issue of soil erosion in Crete.
At Biolea we pride ourselves in the careful and simple cultivation, harvesting and production practices used to produce olive oil with the least amount of processing and damage to the flavor, aromas and health benefits the olive fruit has to offer. As a result, Biolea olive oil has a high concentration of antioxidants and health benefits. Oleocanthal and oleacein present important biological activity and they have been related with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective and neuroprotective activity. Biolea belongs in the category of olive oils that contain >5 mg hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol or their derivatives per 20 gr that protect the blood lipids from oxidative stress according to the Regulation 432/2012 of the European Union.
