Mina Olive Oil: What the Published Numbers Actually Tell You
Mina olive oil usually arrives in a kitchen sideways. You buy the harissa first, then the preserved lemons, and only later notice that the same Moroccan food brand also sells a single-origin extra virgin olive oil. What is unusual is what happens when you look at the product page. Most olive oil brands tell you almost nothing beyond a country and the words cold pressed. Mina publishes an acidity ceiling, a polyphenol threshold and a full comparison chart, set out row by row on its own site. That is rare enough to be worth reading properly rather than skimming — which is what this article does.
We should say the obvious thing early. Sidr & Stone sells a Moroccan olive oil too, so this is a review written by a competitor. We have handled that by sticking to what Mina publishes on mina.co, and by being specific about the rows where we lose. For our own oil, see our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil.
The Short Answer
- Mina is a Moroccan food brand named after the family matriarch. On mina.co the olive oil is described as 100% Moroccan, single-origin, grown on the company's own family farm, never blended, and traceable to the individual tree.
- Mina publishes two figures most olive oil brands never publish: free acidity of less than 0.2%, and total polyphenols stated as greater than 300 mg/kg. Both sit in plain view on the product page.
- Free acidity below 0.2% is four times tighter than the 0.80% maximum that extra virgin olive oil is permitted under the IOC trade standard and the equivalent EU rules. That is a real, creditable number.
- Total polyphenols and the narrower fraction the single authorised EU health claim is defined on are two different measurements. The distinction matters more than the size of the number.
- Mina states that its oil is third-party lab tested. It does not name the laboratory or publish the report — which is the category norm rather than a failing, because almost no olive oil brand publishes either.
- Sidr & Stone publishes no polyphenol figure and no acidity figure at all. Our oil is a first harvest, currently on pre-order. On published chemistry Mina is ahead of us, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
- If you want a Moroccan extra virgin olive oil you can buy today, from a brand that puts numbers on the page, Mina is a sensible choice.
Who Mina Is, and Where the Olive Oil Comes From
Mina's own story page traces the brand to 1950s Casablanca, where the family matriarch the brand is named after made her first harissa. She later cooked in Paris, then moved to New York and ran a catering business; the family has continued the business since. The olive oil sits in a range alongside harissa, shakshuka and tagine sauces, preserved lemons, olives, capers, sardines and Moroccan teas.
On the product page, Mina states that its extra virgin olive oil is 100% sourced from the company's own family farm in Morocco, that it is never blended, and that each batch can be traced back to the specific tree the olives came from. It is sold in 500 ml, 1 litre, 2 litre and 5 litre formats, and the site lists it as Non-GMO Project Verified, OU kosher, vegan, and free of gluten and soy. No organic certification is claimed. The site also names the master miller who runs the extraction, which is a small piece of transparency you rarely see on a supermarket-facing brand.
Moroccan olive oil is genuinely hard to find outside Morocco — the country consumes very nearly all of what it produces — so a Moroccan brand with a reliable retail presence in the United States is doing something structurally difficult. We have written about why that is in more depth in our guide to African olive oil and where it actually goes.
Reading Mina's Own Comparison Table, Row by Row
Mina puts a seven-row comparison chart on its product page, setting its oil against a column headed Other Extra Virgin Olive Oils. Charts like this are marketing documents, but this one is unusually specific, and specific claims can be checked. Here is what each row actually establishes.
| What Mina's chart states | What that establishes | What it does not settle |
|---|---|---|
| Sourcing: Moroccan, single-origin | One country, one farm, no cross-border blending | Nothing about the cultivar, or the specific region within Morocco |
| Acidity: less than 0.2% | Fruit handled and pressed quickly, with little hydrolytic breakdown | Nothing about flavour, freshness in the bottle, or polyphenol content |
| Polyphenols: greater than 300 mg/kg | A total-phenolic figure well above what a commodity oil typically carries | The analytical method, the laboratory, and how the total splits between compounds |
| Process: cold extraction, olives kept below 81°F | Roughly 27°C — at or under the temperature ceiling the IOC uses for cold extraction | Whether that ceiling is verified batch by batch |
| Harvest: early harvest | Fruit picked green, which favours phenolics over yield | The harvest date of the bottle in front of you |
| Traceability: traceable to the tree | Internal record-keeping that most bottlers cannot match | Whether the buyer can see that record |
| Purity: third-party lab tested | Testing happens outside the company | Which laboratory, to which standard, and what the report said |
Two honest observations about the chart. First, the comparison column describes the olive oil category in general rather than any named competitor — the 50 to 70 mg/kg polyphenol figure and the "up to 0.8% acidity" figure are category characterisations, not measurements of a rival oil. That is normal for a chart of this kind, and worth reading as such. Second, the rows on Mina's side are unusually falsifiable. A brand that prints a number invites you to check it. Most do not print one at all.
What "Less Than 0.2% Acidity" Actually Measures
Free acidity is the proportion of fatty acids that have broken away from the glycerol backbone of the oil, expressed as a percentage of oleic acid. It rises when fruit is bruised, stored in heaps, attacked by fly, or left too long between picking and pressing. It is therefore a good proxy for how carefully the fruit was handled — and a poor proxy for almost everything else. Acidity tells you nothing about taste, and nothing about polyphenol content.
The extra virgin grade is defined by a set of limits, not one. The current IOC Trade Standard COI/T.15/NC No. 3/Rev. 22 (June 2026) and the live EU instruments, Regulations (EU) 2022/2104 and 2022/2105, agree on the following.
| Parameter | Extra virgin limit | What it indicates | Does Mina publish it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free acidity (as oleic acid) | Not more than 0.80% | Breakdown between fruit and press | Yes — stated as under 0.2% |
| Peroxide value | Not more than 20.0 meq O₂/kg | Early-stage oxidation | No |
| K232 | Not more than 2.50 | Primary oxidation products | No |
| K270 | Not more than 0.22 | Secondary oxidation, or refining | No |
| Delta-K | Not more than 0.01 | Traces of refined oil | No |
| Sensory panel | Defect median 0.0; fruity median above 0.0 | Faults a machine cannot see | No |
Publishing one of six is not a criticism — it is roughly one more than the category average, which is zero. It is simply worth knowing that a very low acidity figure is a statement about fruit handling, not a full quality certificate. If you want the longer version of how these limits work in practice, we set it out in our guide to what extra virgin actually means.
Polyphenols: Mina's Figure, and the One the EU Claim Is Defined On
Mina's chart gives a total polyphenol figure of greater than 300 mg/kg. Total polyphenol numbers are useful, but they are method-dependent: a colourimetric assay and a chromatographic method can return meaningfully different totals from the same oil, which is why a figure without a stated method is hard to compare across brands. Mina states the number and states that testing is third-party; it does not state the method or name the laboratory. Almost no brand does either.
The distinction that matters more is this. The only authorised health claim for olive oil polyphenols in the European Union sits in Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, and it is defined on a narrower fraction than total polyphenols. The claim — "Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress" — "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", and "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".
Five milligrams per 20 grams works out at 250 mg/kg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives specifically — not of total phenolics. So a total-polyphenol figure above 300 mg/kg does not, by itself, settle whether an oil meets the regulation's threshold, because the two measurements count different things. That is a fact about the analytics, not a judgement on Mina's oil, and it applies to every brand that quotes a total. Sidr & Stone does not make the claim either, because we do not yet publish the figure it would rest on. Our fuller treatment of the chemistry is in our article on olive oil polyphenols.
Mina's site also carries a set of general wellness statements alongside its polyphenol section. We do not reproduce or echo other brands' health claims, and we would gently encourage caution about any olive oil marketed on specific health outcomes.
Cooking With It: What Heat Does to a High-Polyphenol Oil
Mina describes its oil as ideal for all uses — drizzling, cooking and baking. A reasonable reader then asks the obvious objection: if you have paid for polyphenols, is it wasteful to put the oil in a hot pan?
The published work gives a usefully specific answer. Lozano-Castellón and colleagues, writing in Antioxidants in 2020 (volume 9, issue 1, article 77; PMID 31963124), heated extra virgin olive oil under controlled domestic conditions and measured the phenolic loss: roughly 40% at 120°C and roughly 75% at 170°C. The finding that matters, though, is the second one — even after that loss, the cooked oil in their experiment still met the threshold set out in the EU regulation. Losing three-quarters of a large number can still leave a meaningful one.
Stability is a separate question from phenolic retention. Casal and colleagues, in Food and Chemical Toxicology in 2010 (volume 48, issue 10, pages 2972 to 2979; PMID 20678538), ran repeated deep-frying trials and found extra virgin olive oil remained within acceptable degradation limits for 24 to 27 hours of frying, against roughly 15 hours for a vegetable oil blend. Olive oil is a robust cooking fat, not a fragile one.
The practical position, then, is unglamorous and true: cook with it if you want to, and finish with it raw when the flavour is the point. Heat costs polyphenols; it does not make the oil pointless.
Where Mina Is Genuinely Ahead of Us
The fair way to compare two brands is to line up what each one publishes and let the gaps show. Ours are real.
| Published on the brand's own site | Mina | Sidr & Stone |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Morocco | Morocco |
| Single origin, no blending | Stated | Stated — one family-owned grove |
| Free acidity figure | Stated as under 0.2% | Not published |
| Total polyphenol figure | Stated as over 300 mg/kg | Not published |
| Analytical method or named laboratory | Not stated | Not published |
| Harvest date on the bottle | Not stated | Not published |
| Certified organic | Not claimed | Not certified — organically grown |
| Halal certified | Not stated | Yes |
| Available to buy today | Yes | Pre-order, first harvest |
Read that table honestly and Mina wins the rows that matter most to a reader buying this week: it publishes chemistry, and it ships. We do not publish a polyphenol figure, and we will not imply one by describing our oil in language borrowed from a number we have not measured. A reader who wants a Moroccan extra virgin oil in the cupboard by Friday, with an acidity figure attached, should buy Mina rather than wait for us.
The second objection worth taking seriously is whether an olive oil that sits inside a broad pantry range can be as carefully made as one from a single-product estate. On the evidence Mina publishes, that objection does not hold: owning the farm and controlling the extraction is a stronger structural position than most single-product brands occupy. Range breadth is a distribution decision, not a quality one.
Why Sidr & Stone
Our own olive oil is a small thing by comparison, and we would rather describe it accurately than dress it up. It comes from one family-owned grove on the plains outside Marrakech, and it is the kind of oil that exists because someone waited for the season rather than the calendar.
- Single-estate — one family-owned grove near Marrakech, Morocco, with no blending across origins.
- Rain-fed — no irrigation; the trees take what the season gives them.
- Organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides. We are not certified organic, and we say so rather than imply otherwise.
- Single harvest — a small, limited batch, picked only when the fruit is ready, sometimes weeks later than neighbouring farms.
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest — which is where flavour, aroma and polyphenols are either preserved or lost.
- Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed, and it may show a little natural sediment, which is normal.
- 100% natural — one ingredient, olive oil, nothing added.
- Dark glass with a gold label — because light is one of the two things that ages an oil fastest.
- Halal certified, with 10% of profits going to charity, and fulfilment in the UK, EU and US.
We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the best olive oil — that would be the very kind of 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, that we do not yet publish a polyphenol figure and will not imply one, and that the evidence of the care is in the taste, the colour and the size of the season's batch. If you want a wider view of how these choices play out across the category, our guide to single-estate olive oil covers the ground.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mina olive oil?
Mina olive oil is a single-origin Moroccan extra virgin olive oil sold by Mina, a Moroccan food brand whose range also includes harissa, shakshuka and tagine sauces, preserved lemons, olives, capers and teas. It is sold in 500 ml, 1 litre, 2 litre and 5 litre sizes.
Is Mina olive oil actually Moroccan?
Yes. Mina states on its own site that the oil is 100% Moroccan, grown on the company's own family farm, never blended with oil from other origins, and traceable back to the individual tree. That is a stronger origin statement than most brands make.
What does Mina's "less than 0.2% acidity" mean?
Free acidity measures how much the oil's fatty acids have broken down between the fruit being picked and the oil being pressed. Extra virgin olive oil is allowed up to 0.80%, so under 0.2% indicates fruit that was handled quickly and carefully. It says nothing about flavour or polyphenol content.
Is a total polyphenol figure the same as the EU health claim threshold?
No. Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 defines its threshold on hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives, at least 5 mg per 20 g of olive oil, rather than on total polyphenols. A total-phenolic number and the regulated fraction are different measurements, so one does not automatically establish the other.
Is Mina olive oil organic?
Mina does not claim organic certification for its olive oil on its own site. The product is listed as Non-GMO Project Verified, OU kosher, vegan, and free from gluten and soy. Sidr & Stone is not certified organic either — our oil is organically grown.
How does Mina compare with Sidr & Stone?
Both are single-origin Moroccan extra virgin oils. Mina publishes an acidity figure and a total polyphenol figure and is available now; Sidr & Stone publishes neither figure and is currently a pre-order first harvest. We are halal certified and give 10% of profits to charity. On published chemistry, Mina is ahead.
Where can I buy Mina olive oil?
Mina sells directly through its own site, mina.co, and the brand is also carried by mainstream American grocery retailers and online marketplaces. Availability outside the United States is more limited, which is common for Moroccan oils.
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
The reason Mina is worth writing about is not that it is the best oil in the category. It is that Mina prints numbers, and printed numbers can be argued with. A brand that says "under 0.2% acidity" has committed to something; a brand that says "premium quality, cold pressed" has not. That difference is the whole of the buying decision in one line.
What we would add is only that a number needs its context. Acidity is one of six parameters that define the extra virgin grade. Total polyphenols and the regulated hydroxytyrosol fraction count different things. Early harvest raises phenolics and lowers yield, which is a real trade the producer absorbs. None of that diminishes what Mina publishes — it is simply how to read it. For the general version of that skill, see our guide to choosing a quality olive oil, and for another Moroccan brand reviewed on the same terms, our look at Morocco Gold.
Our own cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil — single-estate, rain-fed, organically grown, unfiltered, and pressed within hours of a patient 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 Mina's publicly stated product information as published on the brand's own website at the time of writing; specifications 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.