Atsas Olive Oil: What a Record Polyphenol Number Tells You
Atsas olive oil comes from a farm in a place that should not really have a farm on it — the United Nations buffer zone that runs across Cyprus. It is also one of the very few olive oils anywhere that publishes a specific total polyphenol number with a unit attached, which makes it an unusually good subject for a question most buyers never get to ask: what does a high-phenolic claim actually establish? Atsas gives you more to work with than almost anyone in the category, including us. This article is about reading what they publish properly, rather than either dismissing it or taking it as more than it is.
For our own oil, see our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil.
The Short Answer
- Atsas olive oil is made by ATSAS ORGANIC PRODUCTS LTD, a family-run business incorporated in Cyprus in 2012, farming roughly 7,000 olive trees at Evrychou in the Solea Valley, inside the UN buffer zone.
- Atsas publishes a specific polyphenol figure with units — its own site states that in 2020 it produced an oil with the highest total phenolic content recorded, at 4,947 mg/kg, among 7,854 samples from 15 countries. Very few producers publish any number at all.
- What that figure establishes is that one harvest, six years ago, was exceptionally high in total phenols. It is not a per-batch, per-bottle or current-season result, and the analytical method is not stated alongside it.
- The range is unusual: monovarietal Koroneiki, a Kalamon–Koroneiki blend, a Kalamon-only limited run of 200 bottles, and a blend using the local Cypriot variety. All are described as cold pressed and unfiltered.
- Atsas publishes its harvest timing openly — Silver and Gold editions begin at the end of August, 7 Elies about a month later. That is genuinely early picking, which is the main lever on polyphenol content.
- The only authorised EU health claim for olive oil polyphenols requires at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g of olive oil, plus a daily-intake information requirement. It contains no "250 mg/l" threshold and does not use the word "nutraceutical", despite how often it is paraphrased that way online.
- Sidr & Stone does not publish a polyphenol figure for its olive oil and does not hold organic certification. On both counts Atsas is ahead of us, and we say so plainly.
Who Atsas Is, and Why the Location Matters
ATSAS ORGANIC PRODUCTS LTD describes itself as a family-run agricultural enterprise incorporated in 2012, with offices in Nicosia and the farm at Evrychou in the Solea Valley. The farm carries about 7,000 olive trees.
The location is the part everyone leads with, and for once the romance is also the agronomy. The company's own About page notes that the farm sits in the UN buffer zone, and argues that this "incontrovertibly contributed in retaining the land intact for numerous years". That is a reasonable claim rather than a poetic one: land that has been out of intensive agricultural use for decades has not had synthetic inputs applied to it, and the soil biology reflects that. It is a genuine head start on organic conversion, not merely a good story.
What sits on top of that is a permaculture programme the site describes in unusual detail — rainwater harvesting through dams and gabions, an artificial lake collecting rainwater to irrigate the olive trees, wild flora maintained for pollinators, bird nests encouraged as natural pest control, and companion planting of pomegranate, carob, azarole and fig opuntia. Worth noting for accuracy: Atsas irrigates, from harvested rainwater. Cyprus is arid and that is a sensible answer to it. Our own trees are rain-fed and unirrigated, which is a different answer to a different climate — neither is the correct one in the abstract.
The Number: 4,947 mg/kg, and What It Establishes
Here is the sentence that makes Atsas worth writing about, quoted from its own About page: the farm "takes pride in producing, in 2020, a premium extra virgin olive oil with the highest total phenolic content recorded (4947/mg/kg) among 7854 samples from 15 countries."
A figure, a unit, a year and a comparison set. That is more disclosure than the overwhelming majority of olive oil producers offer, and it deserves to be credited without hedging. Most "high in polyphenols" claims in this category are adjectives. This one is a measurement.
So let us read it properly, because a number this good is worth understanding rather than just repeating.
| What the claim states | What it establishes | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| 4,947 mg/kg total phenolic content | An exceptionally high total-phenol result — several times the level at which an oil is generally considered high-phenolic | Which phenols. Total phenols is a bulk measure, not a breakdown of hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, oleocanthal or tyrosol |
| "in 2020" | The result belongs to a specific harvest | What this season's oil measures. Phenol content varies substantially year to year with rainfall, ripeness and picking date |
| "highest recorded among 7,854 samples from 15 countries" | The result was benchmarked against a large sample set rather than self-declared in isolation | Which programme or database the comparison came from — the page does not name it |
| No method stated on the page | — | Whether the figure is by HPLC or a colorimetric total-phenol assay. The two are not directly comparable, and the difference can be large |
| No per-batch certificate published | — | What the bottle in your hand contains |
None of that is an accusation. It is the normal distance between a headline result and a per-bottle guarantee, and it applies to every producer who has ever won a chemistry prize. The practical reading is: Atsas has demonstrated it can make an extraordinarily high-phenolic oil, in conditions it controls, and that is a real capability. Whether the specific bottle you buy this year matches that record is a separate question that the published information does not answer. Our guide to high phenolic olive oil goes into what the different measurement methods mean and why the numbers move around so much.
The One Authorised Claim, and the Way It Gets Misquoted
There is exactly one health claim about olive oil polyphenols authorised in the EU, and because high-phenolic oils are marketed against it constantly, it is worth setting out exactly.
Under Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, the authorised claim is: "Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress." Its conditions of use read, in full: "The claim may be used only for olive oil which contains at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives (e.g. oleuropein complex and tyrosol) per 20 g of olive oil. In order to bear the claim information shall be given to the consumer that the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20 g of olive oil."
Two things follow that are worth knowing. First, the condition is expressed as hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g — not as total phenols. A very high total-phenol figure makes the threshold likely but does not by itself demonstrate it, because total phenols and the specific hydroxytyrosol fraction are different measurements. Second, the claim carries an information requirement: to use it, the consumer must be told the effect is obtained at a daily intake of 20 g of olive oil.
Atsas's own page for its 7 Elies oil states that "its beneficial effects can be obtained with a daily intake of 20 grams" — which is precisely the framing the regulation asks for, and is a sign of somebody who has read the instrument rather than the marketing summary of it.
The misquotation to watch for is elsewhere. Across the high-phenolic corner of the internet you will find the regulation paraphrased as setting a threshold of "250 mg/l", above which an oil "can be considered a nutraceutical product". The arithmetic behind the number is sound enough — 5 mg per 20 g works out at 250 mg per kilogram — but the regulation says no such thing. It contains no threshold expressed in mg/l, and it does not use the word "nutraceutical" anywhere. "Nutraceutical" is not a category in EU food law. If a page tells you an oil qualifies as a nutraceutical under 432/2012, that page is not describing the regulation accurately, whatever the underlying oil is like.
Recorded neutrally, and without reproducing any of it: Atsas's own website carries a health benefits section. We do not echo health claims made by other companies, and we make none for our own oil.
The Range, and What Atsas Discloses About Making It
| Oil | Olive variety | Sizes | Filtration | Stated character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atsas Silver Edition | Koroneiki (monovarietal) | 100ml, 250ml | Cold pressed, without filtering | Spicy and fruity, fresh fruity aroma, light green colour |
| Atsas Gold Blend Edition | Kalamon–Koroneiki blend | 250ml | Cold pressed, without filtering | Spicy, bitter and fruity; intense fresh olive aroma; bright olive-green |
| Atsas Limited Edition | Kalamon only | 250ml, 200 bottles | Cold pressed, without filtering | Strongly spicy and bitter; stated as the highest-polyphenol oil in the range |
| 7 Elies | Koroneiki–Kypriaki (Cypriot) blend | 500ml | Cold pressed, without filtering | Soft spicy and fruity; recommended for raw use |
Three details in that table are more interesting than they look.
Kalamon as an oil olive. Kalamon is best known as a table olive, and pressing it — let alone as a monovarietal, and as the range's highest-phenolic bottling — is an unusual choice. It suggests the fruit is being picked far greener than a table crop ever would be.
The Cypriot variety. The 7 Elies blend uses Kypriaki, the local Cypriot cultivar, alongside Koroneiki. Cyprus is a minor origin on the world map of olive oil and its indigenous variety almost never appears on a label outside the island. That is a genuine point of interest for anyone who has worked through the Greek and Italian cultivars and wants something they have not tasted. If Koroneiki is new to you, our Koroneiki olive oil guide covers what the variety brings.
Unfiltered across the whole range. Every oil is described as cold pressed without filtering. That is a defensible choice for phenolic retention and it means natural sediment is expected rather than a fault — the same position we take with our own oil. Our guide to unfiltered versus filtered olive oil covers the trade-off, which is real in both directions.
On process, Atsas publishes more than most. Harvest for the Silver and Gold editions begins at the end of August, with 7 Elies about a month later — that is early even by high-phenolic standards, and it is the single biggest lever on the numbers discussed above. Olives are hand-picked to avoid bruising and taken to a mill on the farm itself. The site states the farm abstains from milling with heat or with the addition of water, which are the two shortcuts that raise yield and cost phenols. Bottling is done by hand on the farm, into dark brown glass for 7 Elies and black glass for the three editions. Our note on cold-extracted olive oil explains why the no-added-water point matters more than most label language.
On awards, Atsas's own news pages are specific rather than vague. Its post of 27 April 2026 records a Silver Award in the Quality Category at the New York International Olive Oil Competition 2026 for the Atsas Gold Blend. Naming the competition, the year, the category and the medal is the right way to report an award, and it is more than "award-winning" on a front label ever tells you.
The Objections Worth Taking Seriously
"A record from 2020 is six years old — is it still relevant?" Partly. It demonstrates capability and it demonstrates that the farming and milling choices are capable of producing that result. It does not tell you about the current season, and a producer who published a current-harvest figure each year would be giving you more. This is the fairest criticism available and it is a mild one, because publishing a dated figure honestly is better than publishing an undated adjective.
"Very bitter, very pungent oil is not pleasant to eat." A real objection, and Atsas's own descriptions do not dodge it — the Limited Edition is described as strongly spicy and bitter. High-phenolic oils are peppery at the back of the throat, and the sensation is the phenols. If you want an everyday oil for dressing a salad, the most extreme bottling in a range is usually not the one to buy; 7 Elies is described as the softer one and recommended for raw use. Pungency is a feature you should choose deliberately, not a quality grade.
"Cyprus isn't a serious olive oil country." By volume, no — it is a small producer alongside Spain, Italy, Greece and Tunisia. But volume and quality are different axes, and single-estate producers in minor origins are frequently where the interesting oils are, precisely because they cannot compete on scale. The same argument applies to Moroccan single-estate oil, which is what we make, so we would be arguing against ourselves to say otherwise.
Where Atsas Is Genuinely Ahead of Us
Two places, and we will not soften either.
They publish a polyphenol figure and we do not. Sidr & Stone does not currently publish a polyphenol number for its olive oil, with or without a method. Atsas publishes one with a unit, a year and a benchmark. That is a real disclosure we do not match, and no amount of describing our oil as rich in polyphenols would be an equivalent — an adjective is not a measurement, and we would rather say that about ourselves than have a reader work it out.
They describe their cultivation as certified organic and we do not hold certification. Our oil is organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides — but we do not hold a formal organic certificate, and we describe it honestly rather than implying one. Where a producer holds genuine certification, that is worth something a description is not.
Set out side by side, with the category norm for context, it looks like this.
| Disclosure | Atsas | Sidr & Stone | Category norm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polyphenol figure with a unit | Yes — 4,947 mg/kg, 2020 harvest | No — we publish none | Rare; usually an adjective |
| Analytical method named | Not stated on the page | Not applicable | Rare |
| Per-batch certificate | Not published | Not published | Very rare |
| Organic certification | Described as certified organic cultivation | Organically grown, not certified | Mixed |
| Harvest timing | Yes — end of August, and a month later for 7 Elies | Yes — single late harvest, once per season | Rare |
| Olive variety | Yes — per bottling | Not published | Occasional |
| Filtration stated | Yes — unfiltered across the range | Yes — unfiltered | Occasional |
| Milling method | Yes — no heat, no added water, mill on the farm | Yes — cold-pressed within hours of harvest | Rare |
| Free acidity, peroxide value, K-coefficients | Not published | Not published | Almost never published |
What we would ask of Atsas in return is the thing every high-phenolic producer eventually gets asked: a per-harvest figure, with the method named, published each season. The 2020 record is an excellent reason to believe they could.
Why Sidr & Stone
We came to this article with less to publish than Atsas has, so the honest framing is what we do offer rather than what we can out-measure.
- Single-estate — one family-owned grove on the plains outside Marrakech, Morocco; no blending across origins
- Rain-fed — no irrigation; the trees take what the season gives
- Organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides
- Single harvest — a small, limited batch; once the season's pressing is gone, it is gone until next year
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest — flavour, aroma and polyphenols preserved
- Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed, and it may show natural sediment
- 100% natural — one ingredient, olive oil, no additives and nothing else
- Dark glass with a gold label — protective packaging against light
- Halal certified
- 10% of profits to charity, across every Sidr & Stone product
- Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US
Our harvest philosophy is the opposite of theirs, deliberately. Atsas picks at the end of August to maximise phenols. We pick late — sometimes weeks after neighbouring farms — once the rains have rehydrated the soil and the fruit has finished maturing on the branch. Early picking buys pungency and phenols at the cost of yield and softness; late picking buys ripeness and roundness at the cost of the peak numbers. Both are considered positions. Ours is the one that suits a rain-fed Moroccan grove, and it is why we are careful not to imply a phenolic figure we have not measured.
We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the best olive oil — that would be the very claim this article warns against. What we will say is that our oil is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown, and cold-pressed within hours of harvest — and that the evidence of that care is in the taste, the colour, and the season's small limited batch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Atsas olive oil?
Organic extra virgin olive oil from ATSAS ORGANIC PRODUCTS LTD, a family-run Cypriot business incorporated in 2012, farming around 7,000 olive trees at Evrychou in the Solea Valley within the UN buffer zone.
How high is Atsas olive oil in polyphenols?
Its own site states that in 2020 it produced an oil with the highest total phenolic content recorded, at 4,947 mg/kg, among 7,854 samples from 15 countries. That is a dated result for one harvest rather than a per-batch figure, and the analytical method is not stated on the page.
Which olive varieties does Atsas use?
Koroneiki for the Silver Edition, a Kalamon–Koroneiki blend for the Gold Blend, Kalamon alone for the Limited Edition, and a Koroneiki blend with the local Cypriot variety for 7 Elies.
Is Atsas olive oil filtered?
No. Every oil in the range is described as cold pressed without filtering, so natural sediment is expected rather than a defect.
When is Atsas harvested?
The site states that harvest for the Silver and Gold editions begins at the end of August, with 7 Elies about a month later. That is early picking, which is the main reason a high-phenolic oil is high-phenolic.
What does the EU health claim for olive oil polyphenols actually require?
Under Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g of olive oil, and the consumer must be informed that the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20 g. The regulation sets no "250 mg/l" threshold and does not use the word "nutraceutical".
Does Atsas publish acidity or peroxide values?
Not on the pages we read. Free acidity, peroxide value and K-coefficients are not published alongside the polyphenol result, which is the norm across the category.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
Atsas is the rare producer that gives a reader enough to argue with. A figure, a unit, a year, a benchmark, a harvest date, a milling method and a filtration decision — that is a body of disclosure, and it lets you form a view rather than take one on trust. The proper response to it is neither to treat 4,947 mg/kg as a guarantee about this year's bottle nor to wave it away because it is dated. It is to understand exactly what it covers, which is what we have tried to set out.
The wider lesson travels beyond one Cypriot farm. Total phenols is not the same as hydroxytyrosol; a record harvest is not a per-batch certificate; and the one authorised European claim says something narrower and more precise than the internet's summary of it. A producer who publishes a number is doing more for you than one who publishes an adjective — and reading the number properly is the part that falls to the buyer. Our guide to green olive oil covers how much, and how little, colour and pungency tell you about the same thing.
We publish less than Atsas does on chemistry, and more on where the oil comes from. Our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil — single-estate, rain-fed, organically grown and cold-pressed within hours of harvest — is available to pre-order. First harvest, estimated shipping from November 2026. Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Pre-Order Sidr & Stone Organic Marrakech Olive Oil — Limited First Harvest →
Disclaimer: This article describes Atsas Organic Products' publicly stated practices and published figures as they appeared on atsas.com.cy at the time of writing; specifications, results and brand practices may change, and readers should check current sources. Comparisons are made in good faith and in fair terms. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.