Swiss association
Registered association based in Thun
Secure payment
Credit card or TWINT, in CHF
Local pickup
In Biel or Thun
Straight from the farm
Harvested and pressed by the Kladas family
Who we are
The Folia Olive Oil Association is based in Thun. We have been friends for years with Alex Kladas, whose family produces olive oil on Corfu under the name Folia.
Our purpose: to support small-scale, sustainable olive oil farming in Greece through direct, fair and transparent trade. We are non-profit and run by volunteers. Whatever is left after covering costs goes to the producers.
Folia Switzerland (association)
Takes pre-orders, handles payment in CHF and organises transport and pickup in Biel and Thun.
Folia Greece (producer)
The Kladas family tends the olive groves in Xanthates in northern Corfu, and harvests and presses the oil.
Film
A flight over our village and the olive groves of northern Corfu.
The family behind the oil
Alexandros Kladas and his family founded Folia to share the oil from their ancestors' groves.
His late father, Spyros Kladas, worked for over 35 years at the Olive Institute of Corfu, specialising in organic cultivation. His mother, Katerina Klada, grew up in a farming family and learned traditional olive care from a young age.
Today Alex and his mother Katerina carry this knowledge forward, combining it with modern, sustainable farming – so the groves are preserved for generations to come.
Our oil
Cold-pressed in small batches, right on Corfu. The result: a certified extra virgin olive oil with low acidity, rich in polyphenols, with a full, aromatic taste.
Variety
Lianolia
Native to Corfu
Origin
Xanthates, Corfu
A village in the north of the island
Processing
Cold-pressed
Locally, in small batches
Farming
Sustainable
Organic methods for care and harvest
How it works
Pre-order
Choose bottles or canisters in our webshop.
Pay right away
When you order, by credit card or TWINT.
Harvest on Corfu
The oil is freshly pressed, bottled and brought to Switzerland.
Collect
In Biel or Thun, probably around Christmas. We'll email you the exact date.
Pre-order
Order and pay easily in our webshop – by credit card or TWINT. Pickup probably around Christmas in Biel or Thun.
Health
The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest in the world. What all its variations share: extra virgin olive oil. Here is what research shows – and what the common myths get wrong.
−30%fewer major cardiovascular events
In Spain, more than 7,000 people at higher risk were followed for about five years. Those who ate a Mediterranean diet with plenty of extra virgin olive oil had markedly fewer heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths than the group on a low-fat diet.
Source: Estruch et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2018 (PREDIMED)
Read the study
−19%lower risk of death
Over 90,000 adults in the US, followed for 28 years: those who ate more than half a tablespoon of olive oil a day had a lower risk of death than those who rarely ate any. An observational study – it shows a link, not proof.
Source: Guasch-Ferré et al., Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2022
Read the study
Pepperyfinish is a good sign
The slight sting in the throat from fresh oil comes from oleocanthal. In the lab, this compound inhibits the same inflammatory enzymes as ibuprofen – in a much smaller amount, of course.
Source: Beauchamp et al., Nature, 2005
Read the study
A few stubborn misconceptions about olive oil.
Natural compounds the olive tree produces to protect itself from heat and oxygen. More than 30 different ones have been found in extra virgin olive oil. They give good oil its slightly bitter, peppery finish. An early harvest yields especially high levels. Refined olive oil loses most of them.
You can. In a 2018 study, ten common cooking oils were heated for hours. Extra virgin olive oil stayed the most stable and produced the fewest harmful breakdown products – canola, grapeseed and sunflower oil did worse. The reasons are its antioxidants and its high share of monounsaturated fats.
Source: De Alzaa, Guillaume & Ravetti, Acta Scientific Nutritional Health, 2018 – Read the study (PDF)
Extra virgin olive oil only starts to smoke at around 190–210 °C. Pan-frying usually happens at 160–180 °C. And as the study above shows, smoke point says little about how stable an oil really is when heated.
Colour says almost nothing about quality – it depends on the variety and ripeness of the olives. That is why professional tasters use dark blue glasses, so colour can’t sway their judgement.
Quite the opposite. Bitterness and pungency come from polyphenols and count as positive traits in official tasting. An oil is bad when it smells rancid, musty or vinegary.
Olive oil is a fresh product and is best within 12 to 18 months of harvest. Keep it dark, cool and tightly closed. It doesn’t need the fridge – it turns cloudy there, which is harmless.
This is general information about extra virgin olive oil, not specifically about our oil. It does not replace medical advice.
FAQ
The Folia Olive Oil Association, based in Thun – founded on 12 October 2026 as an association under Swiss law (Art. 60 ff. Swiss Civil Code). Ordering, payment and pickup are all handled by us in Switzerland.
Folia in Greece is the Kladas family business that produces the oil. We are an independent Swiss association of friends that collects orders in Switzerland and organises delivery.
In Biel or Thun. The delivery date isn't fixed yet – probably around Christmas. We'll email you the place and times in good time.
No, and that's on purpose. Our oil is only available at our pickup points in Biel and Thun. That saves packaging and shipping costs – and you get to meet the people behind Folia in person.
No. The association is non-profit and its board works on a voluntary basis. Whatever remains after covering transport and webshop costs goes entirely to the producers in Greece.
Contact
The quickest way to reach us is by email. We usually reply within a few days.
Write an emailinfo@foliaoliveoil.ch
