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Aristeon – a real extra – virgin olive oil from Zakhyntos island. Accordingly to the olive oil sommelier Pepe Petko Karaivanov – Pepe it is “one of the best in the World”. This product that possesses the most prestigious certificates in the World now is represented by the Bulgarian company ExtraVirgin.BG.
-We find you on a fantastic island with even more fantastic olive oil. How did you find yourself here? – The love to my wife and to my freedom let me here in Zakynthos, Greece. Otherwise I was close to become pilot in BALKAN Air Company. Infact I have over 300 flying hours but I understood this heavy duty is not for me, so in 1997 I ended here. I deal with olive oil since 2002 – 2003 – almost 20 years. And how it all started? – Like all beautiful things in the world: entirely by chance.
-So, where the love to olive oil did come from?
- At first time I started here with hotel and restaurant business. I still manage them, by the way. I am used to work constantly and out of the season it is very lazy in Zakhyntos. In the first five years I created wonderful family which I love very much and made a lot of contacts including these with the owners of Aristeon. On the other side the owners of Aristeon began to need man how is educated technically, to work with the machines. I speak well several languages which is a big plus here too. Enjoyed it all since the first day and that’s how it all began.
-How did it become your job?
-As the time was passing I swallowed all habits, knowing and procedures about olive oil extraction that were new for me. Became to understand the whole closed circle from the olive trees to the olive press and first drops of oil and could not leave it anymore. All this made me devoted to this natural gift, given by mother nature.
-What kind of qualities should someone have to become olive oil sommelier?
-Neither I know very well the olive oil and its way of manufacture, I can still not call myself complete sommelier. There are still secrets I have to learn and understand but also I know many other else that typical sommeliers can not know, because they work with the complete product. For example: I can recognize if a product is with island or continental origin, period of harvest of olives, is the olive forest sunny or shadow, has been the storage right. My very strong abilities are quality rating and taste differentiation. Of course, there are more.
What are the qualities of an olive tree that will like one olive oil sommelier?
An olive tree must have the following qualities not only to be liked, but to fit all healthy and taste requirements:
- Green color for the early harvest and golden for the later.
- Bitter taste with long aftertaste and а twist of spiceness that makes a light tickle to the throat.
- Very important for me: clear island origin.
About the rate: the rate can be compared to a bottle of quality wine, but the difference is that the wine will be consumed in one dinner, and the olive oil will be consumed for a whole month. So I find quite reasonable to invest in quality olive oil product like ours.
-Please present the Greek olive oil factory Aristeon, and why do you find its products the best.
-Aristeon on Greek language means excellent and the company proves and demonstrates it constantly by producing the highest quality olive oil. Taking a look at all our certificates, you can find all them in one place very rare. This confirms that you’ll receive the whole competition of tastes, aromas and healthy ingredients.
Aristeon is traditional family business, started back in 1850 at the island of Zakhyntos. At the beginning the olive pressing has been performed with traditional olive mill with stones driven by donkeys. Part of this mill still can be seen in the company museum. After that the process is getting developed, until year of 2008 when our company creates entirely new and modern vision, with new Eco technologies that meet all recent requirements. Aritseon has its own ancestral olive forests in which two species of olives are grown: Koroneiki and Dopia. The perfect climate and soil quality make this place perfect for growing of these olive trees.
The factory on Zakhyntos is small, works only with local materials and modern equipment. The whole manufacture process – from the olives gathering under the trees to the ready bottled product which is bottled by hand – all this is made on the island.
-What kinds of olive oil are made there?
-On Zakhyntos there are only two olive branches: KORONEIKI and DOPIA, with BIO option. In fact all our production is BIO, but some of the forests are not BIO registered because of the long and boring administrative procedure. KORONEIKi is my favourite, but DOPIA takes all the awards. Both are perfect.
We suggest KORONEIKI in combinations that in Greece are very popular: with fresh garlic, fresh lemons and fresh oranges. Quite important is to announce that the addings are made in the olive press during the production; not in the ready olive oil.
DOPIA is the diamond in the production list of Aristeon. It is incomparable in taste extra virgin olive oil. It is quite valuable and is received as culinary rareness, because only 5% of the olive trees on the island are DOPIA branch. The quantity of DOPIA trees is quite limited and because of that there is higher attention to every small detail of extraction og this olive oil. It is pressed on even lower temperature – 25 degrees per Celsius with norm 27 degrees according to EVO.
-Please share your favorite recipe with olive oil :)
I’ ve been always enjoying the taste of tomatoes with bread impregnated with olive oil. I like it in salads, also everything that is fried in olive oil. There is a special technology for frying in olive oil, without knowledge do not try, you can ruin your meal.
Will share with joy one my favorite very easy recipe for our busy life: spaghetti il oil. Boiled and dried after, the spaghetti are put in pan in which are already lightly fried olive oil, garlic and chily pepper. When the spaghetti take enough of this brilliant taste, serve without any other spices etc.
-Is Greek olive oil the best in the world?
-Well, do not think I am interested, but my opinion is the best olive oil comes from the Greek islands. There it is produced in many small family factories that insist high quality.
In Italy and Spain olive oil production is a huge business and the quantity is more important than quality. And they are the better traders. I would like to quote one of the best specialist in the olive oil industry Tom Muller – We should value the excellent types of olive oil the same way we value the expensive types of wine. This phrase led to discussion and new unsuccessful try for regulations in Italy and Spain. One important thing is: the real good olive oil can never reach the client in the tourist’s trunk.
-Why?
- Simple. After the producers cover they are own needs, the quality olive oil is sold out in large quantities by traders and goes to the trading axe Italy – Spain – USA; or is mixed with lower quality oil for the “trunk trade”. The tourist buy virgin olive oil in the better case, in the other case – virgin with added oils. There is nothing harmful but nothing useful too in them. But I am tired to advice adult people who say “I buy olive oil from Greece; friends bring me olive oil from Greece” so I can only smile on this kind of phrases. Infact I think 80 % of the people in Greece understand nothing of olive oil; but the other 20% understand very well, and you can not even smell real olive oil for less than 10 EUR per litter here in Greece – and I mean even without the taxes. Keep in mind that the strongest tax control over the olive oil is in Greece, so imagine what kind of olive oil cheaters there are on the other Mediterranean side. You can just type in Google ‘olive oil mafia” to see what I am talking about. And back when I am talking about Greece: if you have all the best certificates, you must be flawless and keep to all requirements; otherwise the authorities and your business forever.
-What will be your advice to people still not created their olive oil taste? What is the type they must start and the way to add in their dishes?
-Well, warning – real olive oil leads to addiction :) Once started, every time you realize you pour more and more on your dishes. But thanks god, unlike more of the other addictions, olive oil leads to longer and healthier life and sharp brain. The most important part of the quality of olive oil is to be real Extra Virgin. This is unrefined product and is the highest quality olive oil that can be made without temperature and chemical treatment. I love Koroneiki type and always compare other types with it. It is rare to find another one as good. Buy and try different types, create your own taste and after few experiments, if you still like this food, you will come back here.
For feeling all the bouquet of aroma, pour 1 – drops on your hands and warm them. The wonderful smell of fresh olives will spread around. And is good for the skin too. Or just try small drink and a piece of bread after it. Everything is faked these dates, but the taste and the aroma can be not in this product.
Olive oil can replace sunflower oil in all our kitchen – from the salads to the meals. For example, fried vegetables must be done much better with olive oil instead of sunflower oil.
-Can people fry and cook with olive oil?
-Not just can, they must! Here in Zakhyntos no other fat is used. The truth is, that through temperature treatment olive oil is losing great part of its taste and healthy qualities, but compared to other fats does not spread carcinogenic. Clever and successful people do not make compromises here.
-It is notable, you always say “real” before virgin oil.
-This is the most important detail! In fact, even the Greeks hardly find real virgin olive oil. Outside Greece is even harder. This is because officially the olive oil is the most faked food in the World. The real problem here is when some people buy olive oil for cure. At least, when you find the real olive oil, felling is like hammer hit for the senses, and you understand that you have lost your time with fake oil.
-For an olive oil expert, which is the most passionate moment in the whole process?
-Hard to say. Every stage – care for the olive trees, fruit gathering to the olive mill and the first drops of oil, everything is like magic. All is important equally for the final result.
-Are there differences in the taste and type of the olive oil like it is in the wine? Is the olive oil better in dry or humidity year?
-Yes, making of olive oil is quite simple to making of wine. There are different types from the different years – some Summers are dry, others are rainy.
Better olive oil is made in years with hot and dry Summer.
-Is the olive oil getting better or worse during aging?
-The taste of the olive oil changes during the aging but does not get worse. In the beginning taste is sharp and spicy – this is the taste I like. But many people like the softer taste that comes after aging.
-Let’s fix how it is right to be said: zehtin or olive oil?
-Because as discussed there are a lot of fakes, word zehtin is already forbidden trade name in the whole World, and the rules must be followed. For me personally nevermind how it is called, most important is to be real product.
-How would you like to end your introduction?
-I would like to quote our friend tom Muller and his wonderful sentence. Wine has effect over the human body instantly, while the olive oil works with our body carefully and moving on misterious ways enters our body cells. Wine is a funny Dionissiu, olive oil is Athens – beautiful, wise and mysterious. Wine represents the life that we want, olive oil – the life as it should be – fruitful, sharp and with a twist of bitter taste.