How to Know If the Olive Oil You Buy Is Fresh
Oct 15, 2025
When you buy olive oil, one of the most important things to look for is freshness. But how can you actually tell if the olive oil you’re holding in your hands is from the latest harvest, or if it’s been sitting around for years?
Understanding the harvest year on the label
On every high-quality olive oil, you should see a harvest year or a best-before date. This small detail tells you a lot about when the oil was made.
For example, if the label says Best Before 2026, that usually means it was harvested in autumn 2024. But if you find a bottle or can that says Best Before 2027, that means it’s freshly harvested olive oil, from this current season.
At Sopato, George always points out that the olive oil you see marked 2027 now, in October 2025, is the new harvest, pressed just weeks ago from the first ripe olives of the season.
Why PDO and Organic certification matter
If you want to be completely sure that the olive oil you’re buying is not mixed with older oil or blended from different regions, always look for these two certifications on the label:
• PDO (Protected Designation of Origin)
• Organic Certified
Both are your guarantee that the olive oil is 100% authentic and traceable from the tree to the can.
When olive oil carries a PDO mark, like PDO Sitia, Crete, it means every step of production, from harvesting to bottling, follows strict EU standards. The paperwork and analysis behind each batch make sure there’s no mixing of old olive oil or oil from other countries.
And when it’s organic certified, it means no chemicals, no artificial fertilizers, and no shortcuts. Just pure, fresh olive oil straight from nature.
Why freshness matters for taste and health
Fresh olive oil is not only richer in flavor, it’s also healthier. It contains more polyphenols and antioxidants, giving it that slightly peppery taste and all the benefits olive oil is famous for in the Mediterranean diet.
Over time, these natural compounds fade. That’s why knowing your harvest year, and choosing PDO Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Crete, ensures you’re getting the best in both taste and nutrition.
Sopato: fresh from the new harvest in Crete
At Sopato, every can of olive oil comes directly from George’s mountain fields around Tourloti, Crete. The olives are hand-picked and cold-pressed within hours, then certified as both PDO Sitia, Crete and Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
So when you open a Sopato can that says Best Before 2027, you know it’s freshly harvested olive oil, produced just weeks ago in the hills of Crete.
