Q: Why Kouzini? What makes you different?
A: That is a GREAT question. Kouzini Greek extra virgin olive oil is from here. A small family farm which produces 100% Greek Ultra Premium extra virgin olive oil. Never mixed, blended or adulterated. The Kalamata region of Greece is known for their olives, and also the fruits oil. The olives which make up each bottle of Kouzini are hand picked and pressed within hours of harvest. This ensures the highest quality and most flavorful extra virgin olive oil. Our oils are COLD pressed only, which means the olives are never heated passed 80 degrees Fahrenheit or 27 degrees Celsius during the extraction process, maintaining all of the olive oils nutrient dense values of polyphenols and tocopherol.
Q: What is is Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
A: That is a great question! Kouzini is considered an ULTRA PREMIUM extra virgin olive oil. To get this title, our Greek extra virgin olive oil had to meet certain criteria. Ultra Premium (UP) is a new category of olive oil that distinguishes the highest quality olive oil in the world. The UP standard was created in response to the growing need to separate high quality extra virgin olive oils from what dominates the so called “gourmet” and “premium” olive oil markets, as well as the broader category sold in mass markets the world over under thousands of brands and private labels. The absurdly low standards created and fostered by numerous trade associations and government agencies responsible for policing them has only contributed to the confusion and misinformation. EU producers are actually given a perverse incentive in the form of government subsidies to keep their oils in storage until market conditions improve. This practice clearly demonstrates the governmental complicity with retailers and bottlers to sacrifice quality for price. Lack of enforcement and testing by these trade associations and governmental agencies has led to a marketplace dominated by inferior oils and rife with adulteration. These practices by some of the world’s largest olive oil producers and bottlers have led to a steep decline in prices of extra virgin olive oil and are driving quality oil producers out of business. (reference)
Q: What is Extra Virgin?
A: Extra virgin is the highest quality and most expensive olive oil classification. A true premium olive oil such as Kouzini, Organic extra virgin olive oil, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil and our premium original, is a single source never blended olive oil. It should have no defects and a flavor of fresh olives. It must be produced entirely by mechanical means without the use of any solvents, and under temperatures that will not degrade the oil. It's not easy to produce extra virgin olive oil. A producer must use fresh olives in good condition and monitor every step of the process with great care. Extra virgin olive oil doesn't stay that way: Even in perfect storage conditions, the oil will degrade over time, so it's important to enjoy it within its two-year shelf life.
Q: What is Single Source olive oil?
A: Single source or single origin olive oil, is when the olive oil comes from ONE specific location. Our PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) Lakonia ensures that our olives to produce our olive oil were all grown, picked, and pressed at the same time in the same location (Lakonia Greece). Promising 100% real authentic extra virgin olive oil. Some big olive oil companies buy oil from all over the world and from different countries blending and mixing new oils with old oils. This is an olive oil sin. Not only are you consuming old olive oils mixed with new, but the health benefits have also greatly diminished. Kouzini is never mixed blended and we always have our harvest date on our bottles so you know exactly when Kouzini was pressed.
Q: What does Kouzini mean?
A: Growing up in Greece in a small Greek village almost always involves family and food. Each house usually has two kitchen. The main kitchen and also a Kouzinaki outside or in the basement. Kouzini is the shortened version of Kouzinaki, which mean "small kitchen" in Greek.
Q: What is the difference between Kouzini premium and Kouzini premium Unfiltered olive oil?
A: Unfiltered Olive oil has microscopic bits of olive left inside the oil. Unfiltered oil will be cloudy until it settles to the bottom. Some consider unfiltered oil superior because of the added flavor from the fruit, while others find it too strong. Ultimately, it is a matter of personal preference. When you use Kouzini Unfiltered premium olive oil, just shake the bottle before use and enjoy!
Q: How do you store olive oil?
A: Olive oil should be stored in a cool, dark place. Properly stored, olive oil can keep for at least three years. It is, however, at its peak within a year and a half of production. Olive oil should not be stored in the refrigerator. If chilled, olive oil will become cloudy and eventually solidify or crystallize. Should this happen, the oil is perfectly fine; just leave the oil at room temperature for a time to restore it to its natural state.
Q: Is olive oil healthy?
A: YES!! Olive oil is known as one of the best sources of monounsaturated fatty acids, a type of fat that has been shown to improve blood cholesterol levels. The antioxidants in olive oil have also been shown to help fight a multitude of diseases.
Q: Can you cook/fry with olive oil?
A: Yes! A high quality, low acidity extra virgin olive oil’s smoke point is roughly 400 degrees Fahrenheit, far above 250-350 degrees that covers most cooking. Make fried food healthier by using olive oil. Try gently frying an egg in Kouzini EVOO, make French fries and fried chicken in olive oil and taste the Kouzini difference!
Q: How many olives does it take to make 1 bottle of olive oil?
A: Generally it takes over 1,000 olives weighing between 4 and 8 kilograms to make one liter of extra virgin olive oil. A large tree can yield enough olives to produce five 1 Liter bottles of olive oil. Each bottle of Kouzini is approximately 650 fresh pressed olives!
Q: Why Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
A: Great question! A major factor is the taste difference. This is because the olive trees in different countries belong to different species. Also, taste is often based on soil conditions and climate. Greece has spectacular cultivation climate for olives, especially in the Kalamata region where Kouzini comes from. This why the Kouzini extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata is PGI.( Protected Geographical Indication) No other country can use the name Kalamata or Koroneiki. Even if you are not a professional olive oil taster, you can taste the difference between other country of origin olive oils. Consumer surveys of extra virgin olive oil have shown that Greek extra virgin olive oil is the most chosen in a blind taste test.
Well known in the olive oil industry, Italy as a country consumes more olive oil per capita than it can produce. They are experts at olive oil marketing and export more olive oil than they actually harvest. Due to the high exportation, Italian olive oil producers import oil from Greece,Spain etc. Majority of the time, Italian olive oil found in supermarkets actually is mixed with olive oils from other countries. In worse cases they can be mixed with other bad oils to mask the taste and odor. Greece produces much more olive oil than it consumes as a country due to a low population of about 10 million, compared to that of Italy of about 61 million. This leaves plenty of fresh 100% Greek extra virgin olive oil that is unadulterated and ready to be exported. This is why when looking for a extra virgin olive oil. Look for 2 things 1. Single origin and 2. production dates on the bottle.
Greek extra virgin olive oil contains more polyphenols and tocopherols which are powerful antioxidants. Up to 5.5mg of polyphenols in every tbsp. and up to 1.6mg of tocopherols (Vitamin E) per tbsp. Polyphenols are antioxidants which can reduce the risk of developing a number of health problems including coronary artery disease. As they appear to block the action of some enzymes linked with cancer, they have also been linked with cancer reduction.
Q: Is there a cancelation fee or restocking fee on orders?
A: Due to the credit card processing companies, if you ever need to cancel your order, there will be a cancelation or restocking fee on the total order amount as listed below. (Kouzini has no control over this) Please contact us beforehand if you have any questions!
Paypal transactions 2.9% + .30
Credit Card transactions 3%
International transactions .047%
Q: Why is my Canadian shipment taking longer?
A: We are sorry if you are experiencing a longer transit time to Canada. We consolidate our shipments to Canada a few times per month and ship out to save on shipping and customs. Sometimes depending on customs clearance, packages might be delayed as long as up to 2 weeks! If you have a longer than normal transit time, please contact us asap and we will make sure everything gets figured out accordingly!
Have any other questions? Wanna say Hi? Send us an email! We will be happy to answer any of your questions or concerns!