“ZOI” is the Greek word for life. ZOI Ultra is also the name of Laconiko’s healthiest extra virgin olive oil, which is ultra-rich in natural antioxidants that can help you live a longer, healthier life. ZOI Ultra is made from selected unripe Kalamon olives that are harvested early and treated with great care to yield the utmost health benefits and flavor.
Since ancient times, Greeks have used the olive oil made from unripe olives for medicinal purposes, such as reducing inflammation. In the current millennium, Dr. Gary Beauchamp recognized a similar peppery sensation in his throat when swallowing ibuprofen and when consuming early harvest extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
The reason: this kind of EVOO can have similar effects to anti-inflammatory medications. Beauchamp and his team named the naturally occurring anti-inflammatory phenolic compound in olive oil that leads to a stinging sensation in the throat “oleocanthal.” Laconiko’s ZOI Ultra is an oleocanthal-rich high phenolic EVOO.
The most-studied phenolic compound in olive oil, oleocanthal has been shown to have not only anti-inflammatory, but also antioxidant and antimicrobial effects, as well as the ability to help fight cancer, Alzheimer’s, and rheumatic diseases such as arthritis. (For links to much more evidence-based information about olive oil’s health benefits, see also Aristoleo.com.) The International Olive Council has gone so far as to call oleocanthal “a magic phenolic compound.”
The European Union doesn’t go quite that far, but it does officially recognize some of the benefits of polyphenols. Since 2012, the EU Health Claim, European Regulation 432/2012, has stated, “Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress” in the case of olive oil that contains “at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives (e.g. oleuropein complex and tyrosol) per 20 g of olive oil.” (Those derivatives include oleacein and oleocanthal.) Indicating that olive oil polyphenols can help prevent many illnesses if people consume enough of them, this health claim led to the creation of a new category: “high phenolic extra virgin olive oil” (HP EVOO).
Laconiko co-owners (and brothers) Diamantis and Dino Pierrakos have worked hard to discover the olive and olive oil production methods that lead to the best, healthiest olive oils. Traveling back and forth between their company headquarters in the USA and their olive groves in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece, they put 110% of their effort into ensuring that the best practices are used from the olive grove to the shelf.
For ZOI, for example, one of them is always in the grove in early October to see that the olives are gently picked and then rushed to the mill, which opens early especially for the Laconiko family. The olives are milled at a specific low temperature for a short time to ensure the highest quality, most nutritious result.
The earlier the harvest, the less olive oil, but the more healthy phenolic compounds-- which explains high phenolic EVOOs’ premium price and limited quantity. Fortunately, the intense concentration of anti-inflammatory oleocanthal and its cousin, the antioxidant oleacein, in ZOI means a little goes a long way. Even so, you may want to subscribe for a year-round supply to avoid disappointment when the year’s supply of ZOI sells out.
All Laconiko olive oils are stored in the company’s own American warehouses at a constant temperature of 55°- 60°F (12°-15°C) to preserve their freshness and their high phenolic content. Phenolic compounds in olive oil can be reduced rapidly if the olive oil is exposed to heat, oxygen, or light, and as time passes. Diamantis and Dino recommend that you buy EVOO in small containers and consume it within four weeks of opening. Keep it in the coolest part of your house or a wine cooler, ideally between 55° and 60°F.
Noteworthy for its impressively intense taste as well as its health benefits, ZOI Ultra won a gold medal for its flavor and aroma at the world’s largest international olive oil competition (IOOC), the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, both the first time it was entered in a contest, and again in 2024. ZOI also captured a double gold award at the Aristoleo Awards for its extra high polyphenol count.
“We don’t just tell you our olive oils are healthy, we show you,” Diamantis explained: “we try to certify our olive oils using any tests available to showcase their health benefits, which is very important to us. Our Certificate of Analysis (COA) is on display on our blog. We are proud that ZOI has been found to have 1870 mg/kg of polyphenols and is loaded with 1496 mg/kg of oleocanthal.”
Laconiko creates a wide range of extra virgin olive oils and flavored olive oils to satisfy a variety of needs for cooking, finishing, flavoring, and health benefits. There is something for everyone. Greeks and those who resemble them in using high quality olive oil every day will gain many nutritional benefits without any special effort.
On the other hand, consumers who use olive oil less often may want to try a high phenolic extra virgin olive oil like Laconiko’s ZOI, which offers such a large quantity of healthy phenolic compounds in each spoonful that a teaspoon or two per day is sufficient. That shot of ZOI can even be mixed with juice or added to a smoothie after it’s blended.
If you are under medical care, planning for surgery, or taking prescription medication—especially for blood thinning or blood pressure--be sure to let your doctor know you are starting to consume high phenolic olive oil with 1496 mg of oleocanthal per kg of olive oil.
Note: Laconiko is a Major Sponsor of greekliquidgold.com. Thanks to Laconiko for the photos that appear with this article and for the information used to prepare the article.
All businesses, organizations, and competitions involved with Greek olive oil, the Mediterranean diet, and/or agrotourism or food tourism in Greece, as well as others interested in supporting Greeks working in these sectors, are invited to consider the advertising opportunities on the Greek Liquid Gold: Authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil website. The only wide-ranging English-language site focused on news and information from the Greek olive oil world, it has helped companies reach consumers in more than 220 countries around the globe.