The olive tree is among the first trees to provide sustenance to human kind, bringing along a wealth of health benefits. The olive tree’s history, cultivation, fruit, and fruit juice (none other than olive oil), are inextricably linked to the peoples of the Mediterranean and to Greece in particular. Olive trees thrive near the sea under the Mediterranean sun, show a preference for infertile and rocky soils, and can survive weather conditions of drought and rough winds. It is precisely because of all those reasons that Greece is the home of the olive tree: The country’s outstanding terroir encourages olive trees to yield fruit that gives unique, traditional Greek products which envelop all of the history and tradition of Greece.

Historians believe that the olive tree has its roots in ancient Greece. Its history and cultivation, together with its fruit and olive oil, the juice of that fruit, have become one with the Mediterranean peoples and cultures and with Greece in particular. Some parts of Greece where olive growing is a way of life and a tradition such as Crete, the Cyclades, as well as the Sporades Islands, are believed to be the birthplace of the olive tree. Homer cites that olive growing began in prehistoric times. More specifically, olive growing dates back to 3000 BC. From the Cycladic Period to the present, olives have been a fundamental element of the Greeks’ social and economic history. A symbol of peace, tranquility, fertility, and rebirth, the olive tree is the Mediterranean culture’s most precious legacy, literally a "divine gift”. The ability of the olive tree to bring forth new growth throughout the year, to grow new shoots from even the most desiccated of trunks has always awed humans. Its fruit, olives, has been a staple of the Mediterranean diet for centuries.

In Greece, there is a wide range of rare olive varietals which, depending on the olive variety and its place of origin, yield quality table olives and are cultivated mostly in the period October to January. The olives’ green, purple-brown, or black color is linked to the olives’ stage of maturation. According to the scientific studies carried out on the health benefits olives have, Greek olives are highly nutritious and rich in antioxidants, dietary fiber, trace minerals, monounsaturated fats, and Vitamin E.

The olive tree is among the first trees to provide sustenance to human kind, bringing along a wealth of health benefits. The olive tree’s history, cultivation, fruit, and fruit juice (none other than olive oil), are inextricably linked to the peoples of the Mediterranean and to Greece in particular. Olive trees thrive near the sea under the Mediterranean sun, show a preference for infertile and rocky soils, and can survive weather conditions of drought and rough winds. It is precisely because of all those reasons that Greece is the home of the olive tree: The country’s outstanding terroir encourages olive trees to yield fruit that gives unique, traditional Greek products which envelop all of the history and tradition of Greece.

Historians believe that the olive tree has its roots in ancient Greece. Its history and cultivation, together with its fruit and olive oil, the juice of that fruit, have become one with the Mediterranean peoples and cultures and with Greece in particular. Some parts of Greece where olive growing is a way of life and a tradition such as Crete, the Cyclades, as well as the Sporades Islands, are believed to be the birthplace of the olive tree. Homer cites that olive growing began in prehistoric times. More specifically, olive growing dates back to 3000 BC. From the Cycladic Period to the present, olives have been a fundamental element of the Greeks’ social and economic history. A symbol of peace, tranquility, fertility, and rebirth, the olive tree is the Mediterranean culture’s most precious legacy, literally a "divine gift”. The ability of the olive tree to bring forth new growth throughout the year, to grow new shoots from even the most desiccated of trunks has always awed humans. Its fruit, olives, has been a staple of the Mediterranean diet for centuries.

In Greece, there is a wide range of rare olive varietals which, depending on the olive variety and its place of origin, yield quality table olives and are cultivated mostly in the period October to January. The olives’ green, purple-brown, or black color is linked to the olives’ stage of maturation. According to the scientific studies carried out on the health benefits olives have, Greek olives are highly nutritious and rich in antioxidants, dietary fiber, trace minerals, monounsaturated fats, and Vitamin E.