On the Greek island of Lesvos, tucked away in the Mediterranean Sea, an award-winning, single estate extra virgin organic olive oil brand with a socially responsible vision was born.
εvoᶾ stands for more than just extra virgin olive oil. It is a story. It’s a lifestyle. At a time when social consciousness and responsibility is coming to the fore, εvoᶾ olive farms stands out for its high-quality products and its business ethics. Consumer awareness in sustainable living is on the rise, and thus, many shoppers want to understand the ethics behind the companies where they spend their hard-earned cash.
Evo3 business model included being the first Greek olive oil social enterprise. For every bottle sold, a tree is planted in a deforested area in Africa, Haiti, or Nepal (via their tree-planting partner Eden Reforestations Projects) creating employment for people in these impoverished areas. For every ten trees that are planted, one work day is created for these locals. Our olive oil literally takes the oil back to the soil and creates a cycle of life, which is a choice that can make the world a better place.
However, the company does not stop there. εvoᶾ olive farms has formed partnerships with the American Association of Cancer Research in the USA donating a portion of the money from the sale of each bottle, supports Magic Breakfast in the UK to ensure children get enough to eat, have joined the UN Global Compact, and has partnered with the Women’s Coop of Parakila on Lesvos.
εvoᶾ Olive Farms’ Story
εvoᶾ’s story actually begins on the island of Lesvos during World War II, where Yiannis Kamatsos, farmer and father of five, and Stratis’ grandfather, bore the winters and fought off starvation to produce olive oil, his most precious commodity.
He would load his oil onto a small fishing boat in the middle of the night, crossing the Aegean Sea to the mainland, evading German and Italian soldiers, risking his life for his family, to trade his valuable olive oil for enough food and supplies to keep them alive during the harsh times of the war. The oil had saved himself and his family.
His son, George Kamatsos, embarked on his own journey, immigrating to the United States alone, when he became of legal age, trading his father’s olive trees for the medical profession. After 27 years in the United States, his return to his native island brought an intense desire to pick up where his father had left off. Transforming the production to organic cultivation using sustainable methods. He also continued to use the traditional methods that he had learned from his father. This knowledge has now been passed on to his son, Stratis.
Olive Oil Fraud?
In the UK, εvoᶾ together with its distribution arm, The Premium Greek Olive Oil Company’s purpose is providing consumers with information to be able to differentiate between real and fake olive oil. This information is aimed at helping combat fraud and low-quality products in the supply chain. The lack of transparency and fraud in the supply chain have been highlighted between the potential post-Brexit trade deals (especially between the UK and USA) that could see food with lower safety standards end up on British homes and plates. Fake olive oil has plagued supply chains for years including British markets.
The three pillars of transparency, traceability and social responsibility led εvoᶾ’s olive oil to be certified with the Ethically Sourced kitemark, and to become part of an ethical supply chain – the Ethically Sourced Network. This will allow their olive oils to have traceability throughout their logistics supply chain until it gets to their final destination, the homes of their customers.
εvoᶾ -Quality Olive Oil
The εvoᶾ extra virgin olive oil is the product of three generations of farming using modern sustainable methods to create a natural blend of aromatic sensations, touching all your senses. Made only from native types of olives found only on and unique to the island of Lesvos, our oil brings the characteristics of the olives together to form an olive oil that is delicate and versatile, with aromas of ripe fruit, green grass, tomato and notes of walnut.
The taste itself exhibits abundant fruitiness, green grass, sweetness, some bitterness, light pungency and notes of hay, with exceptional harmony, a high complexity and high persistence. It’s an exquisite tasting oil, with the low acidity percentage average of 0.35% and a peroxide value of 3.8 meqO2/kg, giving it the highest health benefits as well as its aromas and flavors, enhancing and not overbearing any food it is paired with.
“The aim at εvoᶾ is for the consumer to come along with us on our journey, be part of our microcosmic, special world. “There is a symbiosis, a relationship, between our product and the those who enjoy it. They share our passion for our olive oil and they celebrate it. We would like for everyone to share the passion and love for our olive tree, olives and olive oil. We invite everyone to be a part of our story and our greater journey of making their choice count,“ synchronously chime Stratis Kamatsos, Founder of εvoᶾ olive farms and Leonie Mirmikidis, Director of The Premium Greek Olive Oil Company.
Production is kept under strict control to remain 100% organic for the olive oil and olives for the designated groves. All the farming methods employed are sustainable: no chemical fertilisers and no chemical pesticides are used to eradicate the olive fruit fly. Additionally, the olives are grown in two different microclimates on the island of Lesvos, mountainous and coastal, which complements its uniqueness.