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—ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION—
A clean mouthfeel and lingering flavour, with a vibrant bouquet of green notes. Pour some in a small wine glass, have a swirl, and expect aromas of...
Meet the producers: Maria & Dimitris.
The story goes like this: Some 20 years ago, Michael met Maria on a boat between Santorini and Crete and a friendship blossomed immediately. After many visits over the years, they became like family (Michael is now even godfather to Maria's son).
When Michael met Sarah, they’d regularly travel to see Maria in Crete, often bringing back litres of olive oil in their suitcase to share with friends in the UK. Then, in 2021, they decided to try and get more than just their friends on board, introducing Maria’s oil to a wider market. It was a smash hit, becoming the oil that won our first Great Taste Award and listings in Waitrose and Selfridges. It changed the game—and started an olive oil shift in the UK.
But beyond being an incredible oil, it’s special because of how it is made. This oil is "early harvest" for the region, meaning the olives were picked when they were quite green on the trees, and the variety—Lianolia—isn’t common. Similar to a Koroneiki, the main variety in Greece, Lianolia is typical of the island of Corfu and known for high levels of polyphenols, grassy aromas, and fresh springtime notes.
The only daughter with three brothers, Maria's parents farmed a bit of everything, specialising in wine and the local spirit, raki. Her youngest brother and his wife went on to become an award-winning winemaker, but Maria kept to her olives.
When her husband Dimitris entered the picture, he introduced a much more natural approach to farming their groves, prioritising low or no tilling, removing chemicals, and adding in other types of fruit trees and herbs for them to enjoy, while increasing the biodiversity on the land.
It's their groves—so full of life, nutrients, and beauty—that set the bar for the sort of land stewardship we look for with other farmers now.
About the region.
We’re moving into central Crete with this oil, to the wine region south of Heraklion, where vines and olive groves cohabitate harmoniously across the fertile land. The beauty of this slender island is that no matter where you go, you’re not far from a breathtaking view of the Aegean. The rolling, idyllic hills of Maria’s village of Dafnes turn into plains as they hit Dimitris’ groves near Messara. This batch is a marriage of the olives their parents and grandparents left for them.
As a marker of their commitment to regenerative practices, Maria and Dimitris have an abundance of flora on their groves. Citrus, bay trees, grape vines, oregano, capers, pomegranates, and wild greens are regularly harvested for their kitchen table.
But, like much of the Mediterranean, they are battling an insidious and ever increasing threat: climate change. For the past two years, yields have been too low for them to share, and although better than the previous years, 2025 was another difficult harvest, making this limited batch even more special.
How to pair it: seasonal recipe spotlight.
Known as “horta”, this dish is a beloved staple throughout Greece, where foraging, boiling, and dressing wild greens is somewhat of a ritual. In Crete, Maria’s family forages stamnagathi (a wild chicory), but you can use spinach, kale, or other seasonal greens. Bathed in olive oil and lemon, this dish is simple, nourishing, and incredibly addictive.
Find this recipe—and more from Maria and our other inspiring producers—in Drizzle: Olive oil-infused recipes from across the Mediterranean, written by Sarah, our founder, and available to pre-order now.
*Extra* exclusives...
Booking some upcoming travel? As a member of our Olive Oil Club, we'll give you a £20 gift card for our site when they visit one of our producers for a tasting.
From grove walks to dinners under the stars, it's a great way to dive more into the world of EVOO and support farmers doing right by people and planet.