The search for the best olive oil is a quest by so many of my friends who are food professionals and other friends who are gourmands and simply enjoy the best ingredients to use in cooking foods that taste great.

Here's a new addition to the many imported olive oils available in the U.S.  Greek Farms International, LLC is the producer and exclusive importer of high quality Greek olive products, under the brand name terra medi™

terra medi™ extra virgin olive oil is highly rated by culinary professionals and discerning consumers alike.  terra medi extra virgin olive oil is extracted using traditional harvest methods from the prized native Green Koroneiki olives that thrive in the sunny Southern Peloponnesus peninsula,  producing a richly flavored, extra virgin olive oil. With an acidity of less than 0.5%, it is smooth and subtle enough to please most American consumers.   Available in two sizes: 8.5 fl. oz. (250 ml) and 17 fl. oz. (500 ml).

terra medi™ also produces an organic extra virgin oil, made from the unadulterated essence of Koroneiki olives grown on private Peloponnesian estate lands. The olives’ flavor and integrity is guaranteed through certified organic farming and harvesting methods, in accordance with the NOP standards of the USDA. The result is a rich, whole and balanced olive oil.  The olives ripen under the Mediterranean sun and are harvested by hand. To ensure optimum freshness, the olives are immediately cold pressed to extract the liquid gold, distinguished by its rich, nutty flavor with a delightful peppery finish. The acidity of the organic oil is also less than 0.5%.

There are some cooks who don't like to use extra virgin olive oils to cook with - but it's my feeling that the better the oil you cook with, the better the finished dish will taste.  Just don't cook with a very high heat source so as not to allow  the extra virgin olive oil to burn.

terra medi™ olive oils are bottled in attractive 17 fluid ounce glass bottles. The extra virgin olive oil also comes in an 8.5 fluid ounce size.  The extra virgin olive oil and the balsamic vinegar  are  available at Crate & Barrel stores. In the New York metro area many high-end gourmet food stores such as Gourmet Garage, Garden of Eden and Zabar's carry terra medi™ and supermarkets such as Food Emporium and sometime soon (Spring/Summer 2007) Whole Foods Markets will be selling these outstanding products.

terra medi™ Vinegars

Red, white and  balsamic vinegars, crafter in Greece are about all the vinegars your taste buds will need to create delicious salad dressings, marinades and flavor accents for soups, stews and grilled octopus and other foods. 

These robust, yet smooth-tasting vinegars are derived from plump, flavorful Corinthian grapes, native to Greece and raisins that grow in abundance along the sunny hills of the southern Peloponnesian peninsula. The grape's must* is extracted and fermented according to artisanal methods originating and practiced for centuries in Greece's monasteries.  The vinegars are pure with no additives or colors added.

The red, white and balsamic vinegars are bottled in attractive 17 ounce glass bottles and are available at select supermarket, gourmet and specialty food stores.

Company Profile

Established in 2001, terra medi™ of Greek Farms International, LLC is a fast growing company with a line of premium food products made in Greece. Founder Apostolos Paralikas holds a master's degree in horticulture, and grew up working in his family's olive groves in Greece.  He and his partners are passionate in their mission to share the rich bounty and sophistication of authentic Greek foods with American chefs and home cooks and aficionados of high quality, great tasting foods.  Visit their website at www.terramedi.com for more information about their other products.

*Must - the freshly pressed juice of grapes or other fruit before fermentation occurs. Must can include pulp, skins and seeds.