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In Greek the word “Theion” signifies something precious, given to us by God or by nature.

The necessity of faith in all people and the need of the human soul to believe in a higher power, would naturally lead people to encapsulate this concept in a single word: Theos (=God). Certain things are considered “theion” (=divine) because of their transcendental origin, and their features or properties are superior or supreme compared to anything else on the planet.

Divine things are considered eternal and are based ONLY on truth.

Divine things are considered eternal and are based ONLY on truth.
In Homer, the gods represent everything that is most perfect, grand and good. They are examples of supremacy and beauty, they are more powerful than humans, they are the most perfect among all beings. They are immortal, free of old age and disease (θεοί ρήϊα ζώοντες). They govern the human race, outmatching them both in wisdom and knowledge.
The gods provide all goods to humans, the sudden and the unexpected, which is the meaning of the Greek adverb: theothen (coming from a supreme power, having divine powers).
Plato, in his work “Cratylus”(397 BC), claims that the word theos derives from the verb theein (to run), its literal meaning being everything that moves in a circular orbit, that “circumambulates and returns to itself (tho-os = fast, states energy)”, because for ancient people the Sun and the Moon and the other heavenly bodies that “traversed” space were their first gods.
The relationship with the divine leads to piety, safeguarding of the bond and its worship.
And this is how the olive tree was worshipped and honoured by the people who knew it, and they loved it passionately because it gave them its blessings and security. It became eternal, full of ancestral tales. On the chosen and gentle child of Mother Earth, the Sun’s beloved daughter, the stars and the Moon ecstatically shine their light on its magic foliage every night.
The olive tree, a sacred - divine tree that encloses the history and culture of the people that worshiped it. From Noah’s Ark, the wisdom of goddess Athena, to the garden of Gethsemane, it becomes a timeless symbol of social and religious values.
The olive fruit and olive oil are a THEION gift, they are the miracle, nature’s gift to man. Beautiful and brilliant, “a yellow liquid gold”, as Homer called it. Happy are those who were fortunate enough to taste it and experience its benefits!
An unsurpassed life source, it was linked to rebirth and light. It is a wonderful food for the material body, a curative, a beauty treatment, it is the basis of our sacramental and ceremonial life, lights our dark nights with gentle light, shines from the vigil-light and connectshuman prayer and supplication with the Divine, it is the bounteous blessing of God and Nature to Man.
It is simply the THEION olive oil, a perfect gift for life eternally ever after.

The colour, aroma and flavour vary and depend on the following factors:

• The variety of the olive tree
• The location and type of soil, where it is cultivated
• The environmental and weather conditions under which the olive tree is cultivated
   and grows.
• The ripeness of the olive
• The season and the olive harvesting method
• The period that follows from the harvesting of the olive and its storage to the
   production of the oil
• The olive oil production method
• The storage techniques, the method for packaging the oil (Bottling by Hand)
• The way in which the olives are carried to the oil presses

What we must always remember is that the great enemy of olive oil is air. The ideal place to store olive oil therefore must be dark and cool, with a steady temperature, ranging from 10 to 18o C.

• Fine virgin olive oil with acidity ≤2%. It is considered from the olive tree fruit using exclusively mechanical or natural methods and always at low temperatures.

• Virgin olive oil lampante It is considered from olive oils with high acidity. It needs chemical processing and refinement.

It is a healthy nutritional product, rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and has a high concentration of natural antioxidants, making it unique for human health. Olive oil stands out for its exceptional aroma, heavenly flavour, its advantages including unique nutritive and biological elements, which make it an irreplaceable food.It is the traditional fatty food of Greek cuisine and a fundamental part of the famous Mediterranean diet, which constitutes a model for a healthy diet and a factor of longevity.

Since the very ancient times the olive tree was considered a sacred tree. In fact, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, gave the “Moria” olive tree, the gentle and beneficial fruit-bearing tree to her favourite city, to ensure fertility, wellbeing and honour for it.

In 480 BC the Persian army conquered Athens killing the few inhabitants that had stayed there and set the city ablaze. When the Athenians returned victorious from the Battle of Salamis all they could see was ruins and ashes. But overnight, the sacred olive tree sprouted on the Acropolis, a proof of the triumph of life and the faith of its citizens that they would rebuild their city and their temples, so they could gloriously survive through the centuries.

This divine tree, which provides food and light to people, requires only that it is not uprooted and nothing else. The eternal and evergreen olive tree can be cut down or even burn to the ground leaving only its roots, and it will sprout again.

The use of olive oil and leaves in ancient rituals contributed to its symbolism as the tree of good. A sacred symbol of the lifecycle, it is present in all important moments and ceremonies, such as birth, baptism, marriage and death. When a boy was born in Athens they would hang an olive branch wreath on the door. They also crowned the dead with olive branches to show that they were winners in the battle of life. The olive branch was the symbol of the Olympic ideals, of Peace, Wisdom and Victory, and it was the only prize that the athletes of ancient Greece competed for.

For ancient Greeks, the suppliant who rubbed oil on himself before entering the temple enjoyed divine protection. Aeschylus, in his tragedy “the Suppliant Women”, sings the praise of the "fragrant” fruit of the “blond olive tree". The daughters of Danaus, the insubordinate enemies of marriage, hold olive branches when they go to Argos to ask for protection. Euripides too, in his “Suppliant Women”, shows the grieving mothers of the dead leaders holding olive branches when they reach the temple of Demeter in Eleusis to plea. Sophocles, in Oedipus at Colonus, refers to the unique presence of the olive tree and lists it among the graces of Athena. Xenophon, the historian, in his Symposium, mentions that the “thallophoroi” held branches of the Moria Olive tree in the great Panathenian Festival. The stewards handed out olive oil to the athletes, to rub on their bodies, and oil was the prize won by the winners of the games and the chariot races. There are many references in the works of the tragic poets to the customs surrounding olive oil and olive tree branches.

Homer called the olive tree powerful, long-leaved, sacred and olive oil the “liquid gold”, while Hippocrates called it the “great healer”. In Homer’s works there are many references to the custom of rubbing oil on the bodies of the dead. Thus the Goddess Aphrodite rubs the lifeless body of Hector with fragrant oil.Homer’s heroes use oil and wine as libations for the dead. Achilles makes such a libation to his dead friend Patroclus. In the Odyssey, Ulysses and Diomedes first wash up with hot water and then rub oil on their bodies. When Telemachus went to the palace of Sparta they prepared a bath for him, and after they washed him they rubbed olive oil on him. Greeks and Romans were perhaps the first to use olive oil to rub their muscles to keep them soft.

Greeks cultivated the olive tree for its unique products, olives and olive oil.The tree blends in harmoniously with the Greek landscape and the spirit of its inhabitants, the sun and the air.It is and always will be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the Greek spirit and soul.A guarantee for peace, a symbol of prosperity and affluence, supplication and entreaty, fertility and the triumph of life, and above all tradition and culture.

From Noah’s Ark, the wisdom of goddess Athena, to the garden of Gethsemane, it is a timeless symbol of social and religious values. Its presence in the Greek and broader Mediterranean area influenced not only the daily life and worshipping habits, but also the customs and morals of the people who lived and still live under its shadow, creating over the passage of time a very special culture, the culture of the olive tree.The olive tree in the Bible, the Koran and in ancient texts is the most sacred, the most respected and the most worshipped tree.

Greek literature, from Homer to 20th century Greek poets Elytis and Ritsos, drew its inspiration from the olive tree, while painters depicted the tree, the fruit and its cultivation in various ways, from ancient frescoes to modern paintings.

The olive tree is a living hymn to creation and its oil is a true source and a foundation of life.

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D, E, K and in iron, magnesium, selenium, copper, phosphorus and many other trace elements.It is thus not only part of a healthy diet but it also has a beneficial effect on a series of diseases. It is a good source of antioxidants (polyphenols and flavonoids), substances that protect cells from damage – oxidation caused by the activity of foods and other substances (tobacco), the effect of extraneous factors (ultraviolet radiation), chemicals and carcinogens.

The properties of olive oil are stimulant, corroborant, neuroprotective and cardioprotective. Two more of its substances make it an incredibly powerful natural product. These are oleocanthal and oleosin. The first has a powerful anti-inflammatory activity similar to that of medicines and it is the substance responsible for the burn we feel inside our throat when we swallow fresh oil. Oleosin is its most powerful antioxidant.

Scientists keep discovering more beneficial properties for health which this valuable product has to offer. It is believed that the time is not far when processed olive oil will be sold in pharmacies based on its protective medicinal character.

Extra virgin olive oil:

• Participates in the calcium absorption process, contributing to bone
  development and strengthens the spine, especially in children.
• Helps the development of children’s’ brains (vitamin E) and has a positive
  effect on the development of the central nervous system.
• Facilitates digestion be reducing gastric fluids and the chances of ulcers
  developing.
• Helps the intestine function properly thanks to its composition in fatty
  acids and chlorophyll.
• Stimulates the pancreatic lipase enzyme, facilitates the gallbladder’s secretions
  and helps in the metabolism of endogenous cholesterol.
• Helps fight osteoporosis and thanks to vitamin E it slows down the ageing
  process thanks to its rich content in antioxidants.
• Helps lower the concentration of the “bad” LDL cholesterol and maintain the
  levels of the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol in the blood, while it prevents
  cardiovascular diseases and protects the body from coronary disease.
• Helps in the proper metabolism of diabetics and the regulation of their
  blood-sugar.
• Rejuvenates skin, dull hair and is good for the nails, with a moderate
  sun-protective action.
• Deters the formation of free radicals which cause cell degeneration.
• Its frequent use decreases the risk of a number of cancers, such as in the
  breast, pancreas, stomach, larynx, bladder and prostate.
• • According to scientific research, in combination with a Mediterranean diet,
  it combats cancer and heart disease.

Consumers must pay special attention to the information on the product’s label.

It is an ideal food, because its composition and its contents make it irreplaceable; it is further the foundation of the Mediterranean diet, which has been proven to be the model for a good and healthy diet and a factor of longevity. Thanks to its abundance in monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid) and its richness in antioxidants, it has an advantage compared to other fatty substances since it has been proven that it takes very high temperatures, for extended times, in order for it to sustain changes.

Thus extra virgin olive oil can be consumed in our daily diet in various ways and different cooking techniques such as:Foods cooked in the pot, baked in the oven, on the charcoal grill, on the grill, in the frying pan. Also in pies and sweets, raw in fresh or boiled salads, on rusks or toasted bread, on cheese sprinkled with oregano, for marinating meats, poultry and fish. Also wonderful when combined with herbs.

Because all its organoleptic characteristics are absorbed by the body, it is preferable to add it at the end of cooking, so its beneficial substances remain intact, and to bring out its exceptional aroma and amazing flavour. Olive oil may successfully accompany all types of food.

Its smoking point is above 200-210oC and it is the best fat for frying, since it is more resistant to high temperatures and oxidation. When used in the frying pan it is best not to add salt during the preparation of the food.

For its curative benefits we can drink a tablespoon of olive oil before breakfast in the morning.Its nine calories per gram are valuable for the body. A Greek proverb says: “Eat oil and come at night” stressing its nutritive power and its overall contribution to wellbeing, health, libido increase and fertility (vitamin E).Ancient Greeks discovered this very quickly and perhaps this is the main reason they considered the olive a sacred tree and its fruit divine. In folk tradition newlyweds had to eat bread soaked in oil on their first night.

made from olive oil, which they believe to have miraculous properties for the body, health and beauty. In Homer’s Iliad, Hera, the wife of the powerful Zeus, knows the secrets of female beauty and rubs her body with fragrant olive oil. The mortals also used it their daily life for personal hygiene, cleaning and as a cosmetic. They moisturized and softened their skin with it, and also used it on their hair to make it healthy and shiny. Women preferred it with fragrances, while men restricted themselves to “clean” pure olive oil.

As regards the hygiene of the body, the Greeks and the Romans were perhaps the first to use olive oil for rubbing on their muscles to keep them flexible. This trend is nowadays gaining more and more followers in cosmetology.

Olive oil and especially virgin oil, is rich in antioxidants (vitamins A and E).It further contains other important ingredients, such as a high concentration of vitamin K, trace elements that are beneficial for the skin as well as iron which is very good for the hair. It has demulcent, moisturizing and antiseptic properties. After a warm bath apply a small quantity of olive oil on the skin and massage. The skin will be rejuvenated, moisturized and glowing. The fatty acids it contains help keep the skin soft and smooth, they nourish it and replenish its protective layer.