E A R L Y H A R V E S T

OLIVE OIL

ORGANIC - EXTRA VIRGIN - COLD PRESSED

About

The oil you’re about to enjoy hails from a small, sparsely populated village in the deep south of Lebanon named Deir Mimas.

Nestled on a hill shouldering the Litani river and in the shadow of the famous “Beaufort” castle ruins, the village was settled thousands of years ago, perhaps due to its strategic location, temperate climate, fertile soil, and abundance of fresh water. For unknown reasons, the early inhabitants chose to cultivate olive trees, planting them by the tens of thousands and patiently toiling away in the fields year-round in their meticulous care. It must have been that the quality of the olive oil was such that it easily commanded premium prices, as practically nothing or very little else has ever been grown in the village.

Furthermore, being on the natural path that connects the Galilee and the Holy Lands to the ancient Phoenician countryside, it is said that Jesus Christ passed through the village with his disciples on his many journeys to the city of Sidon and blessed its olive tree orchards – another claim the villagers proudly owe the quality of the oil to.

About Deir Mimas

The Tree

Deir Mimas and
Its Olive Trees

The olive variety is the Souri olive, which is named after the Phoenician city of Sour (Tyre) on the southern coast of Lebanon.

The Souri variety is probably the oldest variety in this area, the “cradle of olive oil”, dating back to the beginnings of olive oil production in the Middle East.

Production

Olive Oil Production

01. Harvesting / 02. Grading & Sorting / 03. De-leafing & Washing / 04. Pressing / 05. Centrifugation / 06. Storing & Bottling

In October, the olives in Deir Mimas start ripening and the olive season begins. At the beginning of the season, all the olives are dark green and not yet ripe. As the oil content in the olives starts to rise, they start to get yellowish-green. After some days they begin to blush and turn a light violet color, and then they turn dark purple, and finally they become black.

Benefits

Health Benefits of
Olive Oil

There has been a lot of research about the health benefits of olive oil. The internet is full of information about the healthy “Mediterranean diet”, which includes olive oil as one of its major ingredients.

It has been shown that the high level of monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil helps protect against heart disease.

According to health experts, the antioxidants in the oil, which are mainly the polyphenols, are very effective in protecting against inflammation, diabetes and cancerous cells. It is the polyphenols that give the oil its sharp and spicy taste, so the stronger the oil tastes, the healthier it is. Especially the sharp polyphenols in the “khadeer” oil that scratch your throat are considered to have the greatest health benefits.

Lab results

Total Phenol Count: 1,103 mg/kg (Phenols are organic compounds rich in natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The quantity and quality of phenols in olive oil is closely related to the process of olive milling and further processing. A count above 220 is considered high.)
Peroxide Value: 5.5 m Eq/Kg (Indicator of the degree of primary oxidation and therefore likeliness of oil becoming rancid. A low peroxide value indicates good quality and good preservation status. 20 m Eq/Kg is the maximum reference limit.)
Specific Extinction: 1.710 (Indicator of oil oxidation, providing information about its quality and preservation state. 2.5 is the maximum reference limit)
Free Fatty Acid: 0.10% (Indicator of the quality of the olives used to produce an oil. A low FFA value indicates that the olives were picked and processed immediately. 0.8% is the maximum reference limit.)