What Is It About High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil That Has Made It So Popular Today?
- Melanie Panagiotopoulou
- Aug 9, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
A modern look at why early-harvest high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has become one of the world’s most sought-after healthy fats.
High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is having a remarkable resurgence today — yet its story is far older than most people realize.
In recent years, high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil has captured remarkable attention across the world, seemingly catching up with what the ancients and those blessed to have a fresh yearly supply of mindfully produced EVOO always on their tables have long known: high-phenolic EVOO is one of the finest fats human beings can consume.
Is High-Phenolic Olive Oil Really Something New — or Something Ancient Rediscovered?
High-Phenolic Olive Oil has always existed in small amounts, produced quietly by farmers who understood from experience that picking a portion of their olives while still small, firm, and brimming with life created something extraordinary: an oil as vibrant and potent as the young fruit from which it was pressed.
Although not formally labeled "high-phenolic" in centuries past, it was widely recognized as young or unripe oil — the cream of the crop. But producing it was rarely a practical choice for most families. Early-harvest olives yield far less oil than mature ones, making this precious first pressing naturally scarce in households that relied on their annual harvest to provide oil for cooking, nourishment, and daily life through the entire year.
Yet Mediterranean village women understood its value long before scientific studies confirmed it. They urged their farmer husbands to harvest a portion of the olives early each year, knowing that without this intentional first picking, the precious young oil would never exist. They prized it not only for its intense, lively flavor that made everyday dishes taste extraordinary, but also for its strengthening, almost medicinal virtues. It was not reserved solely for illness; it was taken daily, a small elixir of vitality. Their wisdom — passed down through taste, experience, and tradition — echoes what modern research now affirms: high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil is uniquely suited to fortify the body’s defenses.
A Family Story Rooted in Tradition
James Panagiotopoulos is the founder of PJ KABOS. His father, Dr. George Panagiotopoulos, has retold how no one in their family was ever sick. To quote him, "My parents never had to buy medicines for any of their four children, nor for themselves. Never. Not in all the years that the family grew together." Sure, DNA probably had something to do with that. They seemed to have been a strong lot (James dear grandmother—yiayia—lived to be over 103 years old!). But then, was it just DNA or the foods they ate and the life they lived?
Now you might say, "Oh, they grew up in a village surrounded by olive groves, clean air and outdoor living." Actually, they didn't. James' grandfather—papoo—was a lawyer, a judge and governor and they called a charming Athenian suburb home. However, in remembrance of that time, a snapshot from the 1950s and 60s city life emerges, an era when even the urban landscape couldn't suppress a connection to the earth; chickens were tended for fresh eggs, a daily supply of goat’s milk was secured from a goat herder who’d come around the neighborhood every day selling milk, and of course, oil from the most recent harvest was always on hand.
Every summer, James' grandmother took her four children to the village to swim, play, and breathe country air. But each fall, a more significant ritual began. She and James' papoo made the trip "home" again — a yearly pilgrimage — to take part in the olive harvest and prepare a modest batch of that treasured young oil for family and friends.
From Village Tradition to Global Table
That young oil — now known as High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil — is no longer confined to the villages and coastal towns of the Mediterranean. Thanks to modern shipping and careful handling, what was once available only to local families can now belong to households around the world.
But its existence still depends on producers brave enough to harvest early, accept lower yields, and prioritize quality over quantity. To produce true high-phenolic EVOO is not for the faint of heart.
How High-Phenolic EVOO Rose to Global Recognition
What propelled its modern rise? Information.
The internet, with all its rapid wonders — blogs, Instagram, Amazon, YouTube, TikTok, and beyond — has acted as a megaphone for this powerful, time-honored food. People everywhere have discovered what Mediterranean families have quietly known for generations.
Of course, High-Phenolic Olive Oil was never hidden. It appears in ancient texts (Hesiod), on Linear B tablets, in Homer’s epics, in the Bible, in archaeological remains, and in art. But until recently, few understood the depth of its nutritional benefits — even if they instinctively valued its taste.
Then science stepped in.
Research into phenolic compounds — something modern people trust — combined with rapid global shipping and information technology, opened the door for anyone, anywhere, to enjoy not only the flavor and aroma of a true early-harvest oil, but also its remarkable health effects.
So, What Is It About High-Phenolic EVOO?
It is profoundly good for you and your family.
It carries centuries of cultural wisdom, decades of scientific confirmation, and the dedication of producers brave enough to do the hard work required to bring it to your table.
And now, thanks to those producers — and to the technology that connects us — high-phenolic EVOO is more accessible than ever, no matter where in the world you live.
If you’d like to explore further, below is a selection of our high-phenolic extra virgin olive oils.
Our High-Phenolic Olive Oils — From Our Family to Your Table
Harvest 2024/25 High-Phenolic EVOOs from PJ KABOS
PJ Kabos Family Reserve Organic — "Phenolic Shot" Extremely Robust Taste
PJ Kabos Family Reserve Organic—"Phenolic Shot" is an award-winning, high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil that is extremely high in polyphenols, among the highest verified phenolic concentrations available in a true extra virgin olive oil today. Its intense bitterness and pungency clearly reflect the activity of these polyphenols.
PJ KABOS Family Reserve Organic—Robust, is an award-winning, high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil that is very high in polyphenols and adds depth, character and great health benefits to every meal.
PJ KABOS Family Reserve Organic—Medium, is an award-winning, high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil that is high in polyphenols and adds a lovely taste and great health benefits to every meal.
PJ KABOS Family Reserve—Medium, is an award-winning, high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil in an easy-to-store tin that is high in polyphenols and adds a lovely taste and great health benefits to every meal.
PJ KABOS Family Reserve—Robust, is a high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil in an easy-to-store tin that is very high in polyphenols and adds depth, character and great health benefits to every meal.
Please enjoy having a look around our websites and PJ Kabos Amazon Store for more about our many high-phenolic olive oils, recipes, history, etc..
And follow along with us on Instagram for photos concerning olive oil production, our groves in Greece, articles about olive oil, family history and more.
PJ KABOS is a top, on-line seller of High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is "for those who want to be good to their bodies."
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