Early Harvest
Early harvest olive oil is pressed during the beginning of the harvest season when the olives are still green or have turned a light purple. The oil pressed from green olives has intense flavor notes, and is naturally higher in antioxidants. We have bottled Zei Extra Virgin Olive Oil at origin, to ensure that the freshness, taste and health benefits come to you just the way we had pressed them in Ayvalik.
Single Region
The domain of Ayvalik, Turkey is renowned for the unique taste of its olive oil. There are around 2.5 million olive trees throughout the area of Ayvalik that produce the finest olive oil in the Aegean region, if not the whole of Turkey. Centuries old olive trees pass from generation to generation and thrive on the favorable microclimate of the region. The soil composition, the slopes, elevation and weather conditions along with the famous northern and eastern winds (Poyraz and Imbat) are known to impart the easily recognized and prized taste of a genuine Ayvalik olive oil, which once tasted, is difficult to trade with any other.
Monovarietal
Zei is a monovarietal olive oil, pressed from Ayvalik olives which have larger pits and less flesh. When pressed, they yield around 25% of oil as opposed to the 40-45% yield of some fleshier olive species. The Ayvalik species is native to the coastal line and islands of the Northern Aegean Sea and yields an olive oil with a distinct, sought-after taste.