The Kalamata olives you can buy from us, originating from Greece, are completely untreated – apart from the debitting process we carry out with natural sea salt. You are probably wondering why we have to de-bitter olives. The answer is very simple: freshly harvested Kalamata olives taste unpalatably bitter. If you try them directly from the tree, you will immediately notice that you do not want to keep the olive in your mouth. On the tree, the olives are raven black, but after debitting, they become lighter and appear purple.
If we only soaked the olives in water, another change would occur with the debitting process. The firm flesh of the flavorful Kalamata olives would quickly become soft. Debitting in salt water takes about three to four months, during which we change the water at regular intervals of four to six weeks. The clear water turns black, so the olive gains color. We also use fresh herbs from our organic partner in Central Greece. We add the herbs to the Kalamata olives as soon as they have been de-bittered for consumption. The water and the olive oil made from our olives, which you can also buy, thus gain a natural rosemary and thyme aroma. In short: steeped in fresh herbs, homemade wine vinegar, and our olive oil, our Kalamata olives offer you an incomparable feast for the palate.
