We all know the the olive tree supplies us with healthful olives during harvest but it is equally important in the simple everyday moments of the growing season. There is something very peaceful about a well maintained traditional olive orchard. Italian landscape architect, Alice Collantoni, says that olive trees have become the most requested tree for her country home designs. They are evergreens that provide shade all year long that require comparatively little maintenance. Their gnarled trunks seem to echo our own lives where we convert our daily struggles into a healthy beauty. We connect to the olive tree because it gives us so much in all areas of life and asks for very little. Experiencing the beauty of the olive tree is one of the many reasons why we love what we do.

Below is a small olive grove in the background used within a California xeriscape with manzanita, rosemary, and a ginko tree in the foreground.

Our website store now has reviews, so you can see what others think about our oils. Two weeks after placing an order, an email goes out encouraging you to review one of the oils you bought. You’ll have a chance to review each oil you buy, and you’ll get a 10% discount code for future purchases. When you submit a review of any particular oil, you won’t get another email about reviewing it until the next vintage is released. If you don’t want to receive more of these emails, you can always click Unsubscribe.

Your reviews validate Apollo’s healthy and great tasting olive oils more convincingly than any of our explanations can, and sharing your experiences makes it easier for new people to choose an oil they’ll like. We really appreciate all the help you can give each other. Thank You!

Spring is the season when the international olive oil competitions publish results. We just learned that the Los Angeles International Competition had 571 entries, of which only 366 received medals – Gold, Silver or Bronze. Of the 126 Gold medals, 26 were awarded Best in Class. Both our Mistral and Sierra won Gold medals and, being in different classes, both also were Best In Class. We feel incredibly privileged that our oils were found to be among the top 4% (better than 99.9%) of those in the competition.

Additionally, both the Mistral and Sierra are extremely rich in antioxidants (656 and 686 ppm respectively), which is far more than the average of other good extra virgin oils. This confirms our ability to make great tasting olive oils that are also extremely beneficial for our health.

In addition, this year we produced 4 Gold Series oils, about 50 gallons each, that are equally excellent and especially rich in antioxidants (from 758 to 951 ppm).

Back in November Apollo Olive Oil had the honor of being chosen as a Finalist for a 2016 Good Food Award. At last on January 16th, the winners were ceremoniously announced and Apollo was among them! Gianni received the award from the hands of Carlo Petrini, the founder of the International Slow Food Movement. There were a total of 1,927 entrants from across the U.S., with just 242 winners in 13 categories. Of the 11 winners in the ‘Oil’ category, only five were for olive oil, of which two others were also extra virgin olive oil. The Good Food Award recognizes that the Sierra and Mistral are of excellent quality and produced with sustainable methods benefiting local food economies.