Knossos Is a city on the Island of Crete in Greece. It is known in Homers ancient Greece as the capital city of the mythical King Minos who gave his name to one of the earliest literate civilisation which would come to be called the Minoan civilisation. Archaeological findings in and around the Minoan Palace in Crete is a fine example of olive oil’s role in the Cretan or Minoan civilization, which reached its peak between 1500 and 1450 BC.

Indeed, nothing is more characteristic of Crete’s landscape than its million olive trees growing in its mountainous valleys and areas. It is one of the few trees that can still produce fruits even in rocky and unproductive land. The olive-tree, symbol of wisdom and peace, has been cultivated for more than 5500 years and its oil is used in all facets of everyday life since the beginnings of the Minoan period.

The significance of the olive-tree and the olive oil for Cretans and Greeks is represented by its important role in various rituals. For example, at the Ancient Olympic Games, winners were presented with a simple olive tree branch cut with a golden knife from a wild olive tree. The Greeks believed that the vitality of the sacred tree was transmitted to the recipient through the branch.


Today still, olive oil is used in daily diets and scientific studies confirm that olive oil is proven to be an essential ingredient in a healthy diet.

More importantly, those studies show that there is a close link between the longevity of the inhabitants of the Island of Crete and their daily consumption of olive oil. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Cretans consume more than 25 kilos of olive oil per person, per year, thus raising them in the world forefront of consumers of this oil.

KNOSSOS Olive oil is an exclusive product of this region of Greece. An Extra Virgin Olive Oil of exceptional quality with an oleic acidity level of 0.08.