by Dan Kollias, Kollias Olive Oil
What Does “Early Harvest” Mean in Olive Oil?
Most varieties of olive change color from green to a dark purple as they ripen. Simply put, early harvest olive oil (“agourelaio in Greek”) is made from olives harvested when they are still green and haven’t ripened yet. In Filiatra, Greece, where Kollias Olive Oil is produced, that means we harvest and press at the end of October or beginning of November each year. These green olives have a higher concentration of chlorophyll, and as a result, our early harvest olive oil has a darker, greener color than most olive oils you will find at the store. Those oils, made from fully ripened olives harvested later in the season, tend to be more golden in color. But there’s a lot more to it than just how it looks.
What Does Early Harvest Olive Oil Taste Like?
There is a distinctive difference in flavor between early harvest and “late harvest” olive oil. Early harvest olive oil has a more robust aroma and flavor. The smell is more fresh and fruity, and the taste is sometimes described as peppery or spicy. They are also a little more bitter. For these reasons, they make excellent finishing oils, as they add a featured flavor to meats, vegetables, rice, and pasta dishes. It's also a favorite for bread, salads, soups or grilled vegetables. In comparison, late harvest oils tend to have a more mild flavor that’s less likely to stand out.
Why Does Early Harvest Olive Oil Have More Polyphenols?
In addition to the flavor, research has shown that early harvest olive oil may have more health benefits than late harvest oil. Early harvest olive oil has higher concentrations of polyphenols, which are natural antioxidants. Polyphenols have anti-inflammatory properties which may have preventative and therapeutic effects for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and other chronic illnesses.
Polyphenols are only one measure of olive oil quality. Learn more about acidity and what it means in olive oil and see our laboratory guide to olive oil quality.
Why Is Early Harvest Olive Oil More Expensive?
With so many benefits, you might be wondering why early harvest olive oil is not more widely available. The answer is simple: it’s the cost. Unripe green olives are smaller than fully ripened dark olives, and they produce significantly less oil. For 100 kg of fully ripened olives harvested, a grower can expect to get 20 to 25 kg of olive oil from the mill. To harvest 100kg of olives early, that same grower can only expect to get 12 to 14 kg of olive oil. In other words, it takes nearly twice as much fruit to make early harvest olive oil. The overwhelming majority of olive growers sell their oil wholesale, and they would rather have the cash than the premium product.
We prefer the premium product. At Kollias Olive Oil, we produce our extra virgin olive oil from early-harvest Koroneiki olives grown on our family farm in Filiatra, Greece. Our olives are harvested and pressed in late October and early November to produce an oil with the robust flavor, peppery finish and naturally high polyphenol content characteristic of early-harvest Greek olive oil.
When Is Early Harvest Olive Oil Produced in Greece?
There is no universal calendar date for “early harvest”; timing varies by region, cultivar and season. Kollias Olive Oil is always produced from our own early harvest Koroneiki variety olives in late October or early November each year.
