Rooted in Greek tradition, refined in our very own Amador County, California, Athanasiou Olive Oil is taking over the world. In its first year of production, one might wonder if George and Louanne Athanasiou had any idea of the impact they would have on the olive oil industry — not just in California — but internationally. Coming off wins at the California State Fair, where Athanasiou Olive Oil Company took two Gold Medals and a Bronze, they entered the Los Angeles International Olive Oil Competition. With 4 oils entered, Athanasiou Olive Oil Company won 6 medals — including a coveted Best of the Northern Hemisphere.
“We were extremely excited by the awards, especially coming out of the box in our first year of production,” said George Athanasiou. “You always wonder how your product stands up to the others. That’s what got us interested in the London International Olive Oil Competition. We wanted to see if we were as good, or how we stacked up against the competition.”
George and Louanne Athanasiou are winning national and international awards for Athanasiou Olive Oil Company.
Out of over 800 entries in the London International Olive Oil Competition, Athanasiou Olive Oil Company took Platinum: EVOO Monovarietal Frantoio Class, Quality Category – Italian Frantoio ‘Sophia’ 500 mg/kg polyphenols, Platinum: EVOO Frantoio Blend Class, Quality Category – Tuscan Blend ‘Annina’, Gold: EVOO Monovarietal Frantoio Class, Quality Category – Italian Frantoio ‘Sophia’ 446 mg/kg polyphenols, Silver: EVOO Blend Class, Quality Category – Greek Blend ‘Kosta’. An astounding, and incredible nod to amazing products.
“There’s a lot of science to making olive oil. We harvest in October, early harvest. We love olive oil with depth, richness, and that signature finish. Knowing exactly when to harvest, which varieties to blend, and in what proportions allows us to create distinctive oils that people with varying tastes can all enjoy,” said George. “Hand picked, small batches, we inspect every olive. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is oil that is, among other standards, naturally extracted without heat or chemicals. Once our olives are free of debris and cleaned by the miller, they are crushed into a paste. From there the paste is slowly squeezed to remove the solids and the oil is extracted.”
Athanasiou Olive Oil Company is hands on, literally. For George this process is something he’s watched, learned and educated himself with generations of his family — harkening back to his family roots in Samos, Greece.
“It’s fun to watch people find us and our products,” said George. “There’s always lots of questions. Like what is EVOO, basically the health benefits of olive oil. Our bottles list the EVOO, everything is lab tested and bottles dated. Many don’t know that when they are buying olive oil at the store, those benefits have disappeared. Olive oil isn’t like wine, you want to use it.”
Athanasiou Olive Oil Company’s oils provide cardiovascular support, the anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidant defense. But honestly, that’s just part of the story. Tasting Atanasiou Olive Oil Company’s products is a mind blowing experience and it is very obvious why the national and international olive oil community is taking notice of this new company out of Amador County.
“We thought we had something very special,” said George. “You know, it was a big risk and a lot of work. But we also had a lot pdf support.”
Fran Perry and Linda Meadows of Artfully Rooted, 54 Main Street in Sutter Creek, have planned an amazing Olive Oil Tasting event taking place on Saturday, June 27th from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
One of those supporters is another Amador County epic store, Artfully Rooted, 54 Main Street in Sutter Creek, owned by Linda Meadows and Fran Perry. They know exactly how special Athanasiou Olive Oil Company is. Artfully Rooted highlights the boundless imaginations of artisans and craftspeople in the tri-county region. And as they say, when one great meets another great — well, everything is just that much better. Putting these two company’s together, Athanasiou Olive Oil Company will be hosting their first public tasting event at Artfully Rooted on Saturday, June 27th from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wine, appetizers, live music with Jeffery Adams — and yes, oh yes, Athanasiou Olive Oil products to enjoy. It’s a must go, must taste event you do not want to miss.
That would be the story, except I do have to discuss the balsamic I had from Athanasiou Olive Oil Company last night. It is the best I’ve ever had. But don’t take my word for it, plan to be at Artfully Rooted on Saturday, June 27th and taste for yourself. If you can’t make it, I would strongly encourage you to look for Athanasiou Olive Oil products at Artfully Rooted in Sutter Creek, or Ione Market in Ione. You can also order online, visit: https://www.athanasiouoliveoil.com/ and place your order. You can thank me later.