History and Properties
Olive oil has a long and rich history, both as a food and as part of cultural traditions. It originates from the Mediterranean region, where olive trees have been cultivated for more than 6,000 years. Ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians valued olive oil not only as a staple food but also as a symbol of peace, prosperity, and purity. It was used in cooking, medicine, cosmetics, and even in religious rituals and lamps.
From a nutritional perspective, olive oil and especially cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is best known as a natural source of healthy fats, especially monounsaturated fatty acids. It also contains bioactive compounds such as vitamin E and polyphenols, which contribute to its stability, helath effects and unique taste.
Terra Creta
In the Pure Arctic Oil composition, we use an organic cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil from Terra Creta. This extra virgin oil is made from olives grown in the eponymous estate, located in the sunlit mountain and hilly olive groves of the island of Crete. Both old and new technologies are used in production: slow-farming techniques make its taste and aroma unique. Such Greek oil belongs to the category of bio-organic and frequently becomes the oil of the year.
During the cultivation and production of organic olive oil, everything involved in the process returns to the environment. The animals feed on the leaves, and water after washing the olives is returned to the olive groves for irrigation. Farmers also use oilcake as fuel for heating water for household needs. Olive trees in Crete belong to families only, not big companies. As a result, locals have a more personal approach to trees, the environment, and final product care.
Traceability and Certification
For more than 13 years, the Terra Creta factory has had an online tracking system for consumers. Tracking also includes complete laboratory analysis and satellite photos of the exact field location where the olive oil originated. When a farmer delivers a batch of olives to a squeeze plant, he receives a unique barcode that accompanies the olives in an online system throughout the entire production process. This system tracks the oil in the way of storage, spill, and delivery worldwide.
Polyphenols
The olives at Terra Creta are grown and harvested using slow farming techniques, which is more sustainable, it provides high quality and superior taste. The olive cultivar used, and the time of harvest secures a high polyphenol content in the olives and in the finished cold-pressed organic extra virgin olive oil. Polyphenols are known to be strong antioxidants which is important for the body, but also for the oxidative stability of the cold-pressed organic extra virgin olive oil and very much so also for the powerful combination between fresh, traceable and sustainable Arctic wild cod fish oil and cold-pressed organic extra virgin olive oil.
