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The Koroneiki Olive: Small Fruit, Remarkable Oil

There’s something fascinating about the Koroneiki olive. It's not because it’s flashy or impressive at first glance, but because it isn’t.

Koroneiki olives are small. Almost unimpressive compared to larger table olives. You wouldn’t pick one up and assume it holds much value. And yet, this particular olive produces some of the richest, most concentrated olive oil in the world.

To me, that contrast, is just like something the Lord would do.

Where It Comes From

The Koroneiki olive originates in Greece, primarily in the Peloponnese region, and gets its name from the town of Koroni. It has been cultivated there for thousands of years, surviving rocky soil, heat, drought, and time.

This tree was made for hard ground...it was MADE for harsh conditions.

Why It Matters

Despite the fact that it's the smallest olive, the Koroneiki olive has an exceptionally high oil content. It's not know for it's sixze...it's known for the oil produced when it's pressed:

  • Very low acidity

  • High antioxidant (polyphenol) levels

  • A bold, peppery finish that signals freshness and purity

In other words, what it lacks in appearance, it more than makes up for in substance.

This olive isn’t grown to be admired...

IT'S GROWN TO BE PRESSED!

Pressed, Not Wasted

Koroneiki olives are rarely eaten whole. Their purpose isn’t presentation—it’s extraction. You're generally NOT going to put these on your charcuterie board. If the charcuturie board was the "christian display tray", I pray we would all want to be the Koroneiki olive. Instead of putting on the show, we are being pressed. We are being stretched beyond measure. We are the type of Christians the produce that pure, peppery, full-of-life, oil!

The Koroneiki olives are cultivated almost exclusively for oil, and the pressing process is where their value is truly revealed.

That’s important.

Pressure doesn’t ruin the Koroneiki olive.

Pressure reveals what was already inside.

The harder the press, the richer the yield.

A Quiet Legacy

For centuries, olive oil from olives like Koroneiki was used for food, medicine, light, and anointing. It fueled lamps, healed wounds, and marked moments of purpose and consecration. This oil wasn’t ornamental—it was essential.

And because Koroneiki oil is stable, pure, and long-lasting, it became one of the most trusted sources.

Small fruit.

Long impact.

 

Why This Still Matters

In a world obsessed with scale, visibility, and size, the Koroneiki olive reminds us that value isn’t always obvious. Some things are designed not to be "displayed"—until they’re needed. The charcuterie board is only a place where things get devoured. It's best to be pressed by the King of Glory that to be displayed by kings of men.

Some things are built for endurance.

Some for pressure.

Some for purpose.

The Koroneiki olive doesn’t grow fast.

It grows faithful.

And when the moment comes to be pressed, it gives everything it has and that "everything" is almost always the best EVOO.

I pray that we would be like the koroneiki olive.