An Edmonton-area resident is producing the world's top quality olive oil
A St. Albert man is producing premium extra virgin olive oil in Greece and distributing it exclusively within Alberta.
George Pananos grew up in Thessaloniki, Greece. He moved to Canada in 1978 and it was not until a few years ago that he realized there was something missing from Alberta’s food market – a “pure and natural extra virgin olive oil.”
After inheriting a family farm in Greece, Pananos decided to develop the land to produce olives. What started as a hobby for the Edmonton-area resident is now a prized product in Alberta. Harvesting and exporting the bottles of wine in Greece, he then exports the olive oil back to Canada.
“As it happens with every small producer of olive oil who is proud of what he makes, we entered the very prestigious New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC) just to see how good our product was,” said Pananos.
“We didn’t know how good it was in comparison to others. To our surprise, we won gold in New York in 2019,” he added.
Entering the prestigious competition again in 2020, Pananos took home gold two years in a row. With a total of two gold medals and one silver medal, Pananos says it shows that he has a good product.
Priding himself on producing a natural product with the best practices, the St. Albert resident says his olive oil is distinguished by a “grass flavour.” Using green olives, Pananos says the olives will not produce the same amount of oil as brown olives but the quality is much better.
“We sacrifice quantity for quality,” he said.
A bold flavour, fruitful, and grass-like flavour and high amount of antioxidants is what makes Pananos’ olive oil a sought-after product.
Serving primarily in Edmonton and Calgary, the Pillar Grove Estate bottles are sold in St. Albert’s Italian Bakery's Mercato and Edmonton’s Italian Centre.
“We are very proud to say that we distribute only in Alberta,” he said.
Pillar Grove Estate produced 4,000 bottles in 2019. In 2020, the farm produced 5,500 bottles of extra virgin olive oil.
With files from Darcy Seaton
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.