Crete, the famous island of Greece, a storied place. With an enviable geographical location and unique climatic and morphological characteristics, has been rightly called “jewel of the Mediterranean.” Birthplace of very important people such as Doménikos Theotokópoulos, known as El Greco, Nikos Kazantzakis, Eleftherios Venizelos and many others who, through their work, left an indelible mark. According to mythology, Crete is the birthplace of Zeus, king of Gods in ancient Greece.
Crete, an island verdant in olive groves and vineyards; the island where the first European civilization was born and thrived; the Minoan civilization. It is an island – crosswords of civilizations, which, during its long-standing history, developed a rich local culture and a rare cultural heritage. An integral part of that heritage is Cretan diet, born out of the timeless need of Cretans for self-sustenance due to the natural isolation of the island and its continual succession of conquerors. Traditional Cretan cuisine is characterized by simplicity and distinct tastes. It is a well-balanced, absolutely healthy cuisine which acquires more and more staunch admirers worldwide.

Cretan diet is based on pure products of the Cretan land such as: virgin olive oil, olives, aromatic honey, wild herbs, wine, cheese, nuts, wild greens and to a lesser extent meat. These ingredients have formed the basis of the local cuisine and of the everyday life of Cretans for many centuries and are the reason for their longevity as scientific research conducted on the island since the end of the 1950’s has proven. The diet of Cretans follows the seasonal products as well as the unwritten rules of the local tradition. The cycle of the Cretan life, which, until the recent past, was mainly agricultural and stock-breeding, is related to the productive cycle of the land. This relation is still maintained as part of the local tradition and is reflected in the local diet in which seasonality plays a significant role. The olive tree and olive oil has a special place in the Cretan diet and the local cuisine. Besides, every Cretan family has its patrimonial olive groves and produces its own olive oil. The picking of the olives at the end of autumn offers a unique spectacle throughout the island. A similar ritual occurs at the end of the summer, when Cretans pick up their grapes and produce wine, vinegar and other by-products.

Olive oil constitutes the center of Cretan diet and civilization for thousands of years. Since the prosperity of the Minoan civilization, the first European civilization, the fruit of the olive tree and its by-products plays an irreparable part in the local economy and culture. Pots with edible olives and urns for storing olive oil have been discovered in the grand Minoan palaces, while the olive tree and the olive oil are depicted in murals, in painted vessels and jewelry of the Minoans, thus certifying the long-standing tradition of Crete in the cultivation and production of olive oil as well as its export trade. The important oil production of Crete continued incessantly for the next centuries until today that almost 65% of the agricultural land of the island consists of olive groves. Cretan olive oil is an absolutely natural product: it is not industrially produced but instead it is produced by means of crushing the fruit of the olive tree using mechanical means. The velvety texture and superior taste are the result of natural qualities of Koroneiki variety, which is the main variety that thrives in Crete in a mild climate with a lot of sunshine and fertile soil.

The relationship with the producers we cooperate with is not strictly professional. We see our producers as part of our family in FeleaGoods®, as people who share our vision for the dissemination of the Cretan cultural and dietary heritage. Our cooperation is long-lasting to ensure the quality of our products and they are based on principles of trust, respect for the Cretan nature, love for our land and our tradition. Our common goal is to stay loyal to our traditional recipes, production techniques, as well as processing of raw materials. Meanwhile, one of the selection criteria for our associates remains the modern facilities and the conformity to strict quality standards.
FeleaGoods® producers comprise a small community of people with a common viewpoint and dedication to quality and authenticity, a center of cooperation and continuation of the Cretan tradition.

Cretan olive oil is a product of excellent nutritional value, with remarkable therapeutic qualities. Its qualitative superiority is due to its unique composition: it is rich in monounsaturated fat, in antioxidant substances (phenols, squalanes, tocopherols) in carotenoids, trace elements and vitamin E. In addition, it is an exceptional source of Omega 3 and 6, substances not produced by our organisms but received exclusively from our food. Olive oil has anticancer and antithrombotic elements and protects people from cardiovascular diseases, controls cholesterol, protects us from free radicals produced by human organism due to internal processes and stress, as well as external factors that wear it down and are likely to cause damage and premature aging. Finally, olive oil protects us from cellular damage and it is undoubtedly a natural elixir of life and longevity.
Additionally, the cooking qualities of olive oil are exceptional, too. Not only does it offer exquisite flavor to the food but because of its antioxidant substances it is resistant to oxidization, even when cooking entails high temperature (frying), in stark contrast to oilseeds and other cooking fat.

“Oh my God, how much olive oil they consume!” exclaimed surprisingly Dr. Ancel Keys from the University of Minnesota, who studied the Cretan diet in the framework of the “The study of seven countries” (1957-1960) in order to explain the reasons behind Cretan population’s longevity and low cardiovascular diseases. Olive oil is exclusively used as a cooking fat in the Cretan cuisine. Cretans use olive oil in their food, raw in their salads, on their bread for breakfast, in sweet delicacies. However, their relation with olive oil is not restricted to their dietary habits only. They also use it in cosmetics, in natural soaps or even directly applied to their skin and hair to take advantage of its beneficial soothing and hydrating qualities. Olive oil in Crete is food, therapy, beauty and the cycle of olive tree has been interwoven with the cycle of life of every Cretan for millennia.

Felea Goods products cover a wide range of the authentic flavors of Crete, flavors with which we as well as other generations of Cretans grew up: extra virgin organic olive oil, thyme honey, aromatic vinegar, wild herbs. We constantly enrich our range of products in our efforts to spread the basic ingredients of the Cretan diet to the rest of the world. We stay loyal to our traditional methods of production and selection of raw materials and simultaneously choose modern, elegant packaging that keep our products fresh and of high quality addressing to fine consumers.