Shop

About

Kurio Organic Olive Oil, handdrawn white logo
Kurio Organic Olive Oil, handdrawn white logo

Shop

About

Kurio Organic Olive Oil, handdrawn white logo

Whoa, something fresh under the sun

Whoa, something fresh under the sun

Microharvest organic olive oil from family farms in Crete, Greece.

Microharvest organic olive oil from family farms in Crete, Greece.

Shop our harvest

Exclusively Koroneiki olives

The tiny queen of big flavor

Harvested early

Harvested early

For highest polyphenol count

For highest polyphenol count

Grown in Crete, Greece

Where olives were born

Where olives were born

"The purest expression of olive oil, from the island of Crete, where it all began"

The latest harvest

Shop Now

New

Kurio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

$44

Robust flavor by nature

Fresh olive oil does not taste mild. It is bright, verdant, and alive, with notes of cut grass and herbs, and a peppery finish that catches briefly at the back of the throat.

That bite is a proof of freshness: the presence of polyphenols that have long faded in aged oil. Once you have tasted oil this way, the flat, neutral olive oils common to grocery shelves reveal themselves for what they are: oxidized, blended, or adulterated.

Certified organic in Europe & US

Early harvest

Cold pressed

Single varietal, never blended

Bottled in UV-protective glass

Robust flavor by nature

Fresh olive oil does not taste mild. It is bright, verdant, and alive, with notes of cut grass and herbs, and a peppery finish that catches briefly at the back of the throat.

That bite is a proof of freshness: the presence of polyphenols that have long faded in aged oil. Once you have tasted oil this way, the flat, neutral olive oils common to grocery shelves reveal themselves for what they are: oxidized, blended, or adulterated.

Certified organic (Europe & USA)

Early harvest in October

Cold pressed within hours

Single varietal, never blended

Bottled in UV-protective glass

Intensity, intentionally

Intensity, intentionally

Kurio extra virgin olive oil is bright, verdant, and alive. It is buttery, with notes of tomato leaf and herbs. It announces itself with a pronounced peppery kick.

Kurio extra virgin olive oil is bright, verdant, and alive. It is buttery, with notes of tomato leaf and herbs. It announces itself with a pronounced peppery kick.

Shop Olive Oil

Proud farmer with his ancient and well-kept olive oil trees in Crete, Greece.

“This is the olive oil the farmers press for their own tables.
It rarely leaves the island. Until now."

“This is the olive oil the farmers press for their own tables. It rarely leaves the island. Until now."

Hand painted illustration of olives and silvery leaves, by Laura Zheng Doyon

The Wild Garden Island of the Mediterranean

Wild Island of the Mediterranean

Our olives grow on the southern coast of Crete, where rocky, arid hills meet the Messara plain. The air carries the scent of sun-baked earth and brine from the nearby coast. Silvery olive leaves catch the light, and goats pick their way down steep, terraced hillsides between the groves. The region’s unique microclimate (where extended sunshine meets warm Mediterranean winds and rich alluvial soils) support olives that develop high phenolic content and oil with a distinct, spicy flavor.

Shop the latest harvest

Shop the latest harvest

Shop Olive Oil

Why Kurio

Kurio is for those who have learned (or suspect) that most olive oil sold in the United States is not what it claims to be.

In Crete, olive oil has never required explanation. Locals know the farmer, the grove, and the month of its harvest. The oil is pressed within hours, bottled at its source, and enjoyed over the course of the year, until the next harvest cycle. Excellent quality olive oil is not a luxury—it is simply how things are done. Kurio brings that same transparency to our friends. It is certified organic, harvest-dated, and traceable to it's region on the island. There is no guesswork or vague origins. The groves are named. The farms are known. The farmers are family.

This is an olive oil that has moved quietly between groves, kitchens, and monasteries for centuries. Pressed early, kept fresh, and used generously, without ceremony always with respect. It belongs as much to the everyday as it does to the sacred. Kurio does not improve on tradition, we simply refuse to dilute it.

Handrawn illustration of a cool monk wearing Raybans and a cat chilling with him nearby, by Laura Zheng Doyon.

Mediterranean Diet and Cool Monk™ approved

We came to Crete chasing island sun…
and accidentally became olive oil nerds. While visiting family, we were given the most luxurious olive oil we'd ever tasted, poured casually into reused plastic bottles. We couldn’t find any olive oil in New York City that tasted like this everyday staple families in Greece pour . Kurio exists because the global food system prioritizes scale over integrity, and somewhere along the way, fresh became a rare commodity. Olive oil this alive is worth obsessing over. 

We came to Crete chasing island sun…
and accidentally became olive oil fundamentalists. We couldn’t find an olive oil in New York City that tasted like the everyday oil our family in Crete keeps by the stove.

Our story

Laura Zheng Doyon and Hannah Bisewski in foreground against a beautiful view of the ocean and island in Crete, Greece.
Laura Zheng Doyon and Hannah Bisewski in foreground against a beautiful view of the ocean and island in Crete, Greece.

FAQ

Where does Kurio olive oil come from?

Kurio is made from olives grown on small, family-run groves across southern Crete, specifically in and around the Messara plain and villages like Kamilari and Tympaki. Olive growing here is deeply personal and generational, shaped by stony soils, dry hillsides, and long-established farming traditions.

Are the olives from a single farm?

Kurio comes from a network of neighboring family farms that share the same landscape, olive variety, and harvest practices. These groves are small, often tended by the same families for generations, and pressed locally to preserve freshness and integrity.

What makes small-farm olive oil different from industrial production?

Olive farms in Crete are typically very small, averaging around 1.5 hectares. Compare this to industrial olive production in Spain and Italy, where farms are designed around machinery, with trees planted in uniform rows for mechanical harvesting, optimized for volume rather than flavor, and pressed in facilities that process olives by the truckload. Small farms allow farmers to watch individual trees, harvest at the right moment, and press oil in batches they can taste and approve themselves.

Why does early harvest matter?

Harvesting in early October means the olives are still green and firm, with naturally high levels of polyphenols and antioxidants. The yield is lower, but the oil is more concentrated and resilient, both nutritionally and structurally. This choice prioritizes quality over quantity.

What olives does Kurio use?

Kurio is made exclusively from Koroneiki olives, a small-fruited variety native to Greece. Koroneiki olives are prized for producing oil with naturally high polyphenol content, excellent stability, and concentrated character, even in small quantities.

What makes Koroneiki olives different?

Koroneiki olives are small, resilient, and naturally high in polyphenols. They produce oil with exceptional stability, even at early harvest, and retain intensity and structure over time.

Is Koroneiki common in industrial olive oil?

Koroneiki is hard to find in industrial olive oil. Koroneiki trees produce less oil by volume and are less suited to high-density, mechanized farming. They are valued for quality rather than yield, which makes them a better fit for small-scale, family-run groves.

Is Kurio organic?

Yes. The groves we work with follow organic practices, shaped as much by tradition and necessity as by certification. The dry climate and low-input farming methods of southern Crete naturally support organic cultivation.

Is the oil blended or refined?

No. Kurio is not blended for consistency and never chemically refined. The oil is cold-pressed below 27°C, filtered once, and bottled as it leaves the press.

Why is it bottled in Crete?

Bottling at the source protects freshness and traceability. The oil is never shipped in bulk or rebottled elsewhere. What leaves southern Crete is what arrives in your kitchen.

Why does Kurio taste different from most olive oil?

Fresh, early-harvest olive oil is naturally bold, with a strong aftertaste. Many supermarket oils are older, blended, or produced at industrial scale, which flattens flavor and strips away character. Kurio tastes the way olive oil does at the beginning of its life.

Can I cook with it? What about smoke point?

Yes. Kurio is suitable for everyday cooking as well as finishing. Fresh extra virgin olive oil with high polyphenol content is naturally stable at heat, and its smoke point is well above typical home cooking temperatures. In Crete, olive oil is used for everything from sautéing vegetables to slow cooking, not reserved for special occasions.

How should I use Kurio olive oil?

Use it generously and often. This is everyday olive oil in the Cretan sense. Cook with it, finish dishes with it, and do not save it for special occasions.

Where does Kurio olive oil come from?

Kurio is made from olives grown on small, family-run groves across southern Crete, specifically in and around the Messara plain and villages like Kamilari and Tympaki. Olive growing here is deeply personal and generational, shaped by stony soils, dry hillsides, and long-established farming traditions.

Are the olives from a single farm?

Kurio comes from a network of neighboring family farms that share the same landscape, olive variety, and harvest practices. These groves are small, often tended by the same families for generations, and pressed locally to preserve freshness and integrity.

What makes small-farm olive oil different from industrial production?

Olive farms in Crete are typically very small, averaging around 1.5 hectares. Compare this to industrial olive production in Spain and Italy, where farms are designed around machinery, with trees planted in uniform rows for mechanical harvesting, optimized for volume rather than flavor, and pressed in facilities that process olives by the truckload. Small farms allow farmers to watch individual trees, harvest at the right moment, and press oil in batches they can taste and approve themselves.

Why does early harvest matter?

Harvesting in early October means the olives are still green and firm, with naturally high levels of polyphenols and antioxidants. The yield is lower, but the oil is more concentrated and resilient, both nutritionally and structurally. This choice prioritizes quality over quantity.

What olives does Kurio use?

Kurio is made exclusively from Koroneiki olives, a small-fruited variety native to Greece. Koroneiki olives are prized for producing oil with naturally high polyphenol content, excellent stability, and concentrated character, even in small quantities.

What makes Koroneiki olives different?

Koroneiki olives are small, resilient, and naturally high in polyphenols. They produce oil with exceptional stability, even at early harvest, and retain intensity and structure over time.

Is Koroneiki common in industrial olive oil?

Koroneiki is hard to find in industrial olive oil. Koroneiki trees produce less oil by volume and are less suited to high-density, mechanized farming. They are valued for quality rather than yield, which makes them a better fit for small-scale, family-run groves.

Is Kurio organic?

Yes. The groves we work with follow organic practices, shaped as much by tradition and necessity as by certification. The dry climate and low-input farming methods of southern Crete naturally support organic cultivation.

Is the oil blended or refined?

No. Kurio is not blended for consistency and never chemically refined. The oil is cold-pressed below 27°C, filtered once, and bottled as it leaves the press.

Why is it bottled in Crete?

Bottling at the source protects freshness and traceability. The oil is never shipped in bulk or rebottled elsewhere. What leaves southern Crete is what arrives in your kitchen.

Why does Kurio taste different from most olive oil?

Fresh, early-harvest olive oil is naturally bold, with a strong aftertaste. Many supermarket oils are older, blended, or produced at industrial scale, which flattens flavor and strips away character. Kurio tastes the way olive oil does at the beginning of its life.

Can I cook with it? What about smoke point?

Yes. Kurio is suitable for everyday cooking as well as finishing. Fresh extra virgin olive oil with high polyphenol content is naturally stable at heat, and its smoke point is well above typical home cooking temperatures. In Crete, olive oil is used for everything from sautéing vegetables to slow cooking, not reserved for special occasions.

How should I use Kurio olive oil?

Use it generously and often. This is everyday olive oil in the Cretan sense. Cook with it, finish dishes with it, and do not save it for special occasions.