Oleaphen: High Phenolic Olive Oil

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Last updated: 20 October 2026

Oleaphen is an extra virgin olive oil producer based in Cyprus, making ultra-high phenolic olive oil from regenerative groves. The 2026/2027 harvest measured 2,621 mg/kg total polyphenols, including 1,774 mg/kg oleocanthal, by HPLC following the International Olive Council's official method (COI/T.20/Doc. No 29) at an independent laboratory. It is one of the highest polyphenol levels published for any olive oil tested with the official method. Polyphenols break down with heat and oxygen after harvest. Oleaphen keeps its oil at 4 °C (39 °F) or below and oxygen-free from extraction to dispatch, then packs it in 5 ml single-use, nitrogen-flushed monodoses that are opened once. Oleaphen is used by professional athletes, including English Premier League footballers, Tour de France cyclists, professional boxers and competitive bodybuilders. Oleaphen works with research institutions, and its oil is currently being used in clinical trials.

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The 2025/2026 harvest sold out in six weeks. More than 12,000 people in over 35 countries have joined the waitlist for the 2026/2027 harvest, which ships from November 2026.

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Why polyphenol figures fall after harvest, and how Oleaphen prevents it

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Polyphenols are the most fragile compounds in olive oil. Heat and oxygen break them down, and the loss continues from the day the oil is made until the day it is consumed.

Heat. Storage temperature is one of the main drivers of polyphenol loss. In a study running up to three years, oleocanthal and total phenols were among the compounds most sensitive to storage temperature, and 4 °C (39 °F) gave the best preservation over that period (Mousavi et al., Foods, 2021, doi.org/10.3390/foods10081945).

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Oxygen. Each time a bottle is opened, fresh air gets in, and the air space above the oil grows with every pour. In a 2026 study simulating normal household use, dark glass bottles kept at 20 °C (68 °F) and opened daily lost 25% to 50% of their total phenolic content within four weeks (Donnarumma et al., Applied Sciences, 2026, doi.org/10.3390/app16073183). The authors warn that a figure declared at bottling can overstate what the oil holds once it is in use.

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What this means for published figures. Most producers publish a polyphenol figure measured at harvest. Their oil then spends months in bottles, shipping containers, warehouses and on shop shelves, usually at room temperature or warmer, and is then opened and poured over several weeks. By the time it is consumed, it contains less than the figure on its certificate. Oleaphen's figures are also measured at harvest. The difference is what happens to the oil afterwards.

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Cold from tree to dispatch. Olives go into Oleaphen's own refrigerated truck as soon as they leave the tree and are extracted quickly under strict cold. The oil is refrigerated immediately after extraction and stored at 4 °C (39 °F) or below until the day it is dispatched.

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No oxygen. Extraction, storage and packaging are all oxygen-free.

One monodose, opened once. Each 5 ml monodose is nitrogen-flushed, sealed, light-blocking and plastic-free. It is opened once and taken in one go, so there is no bottle letting in air for weeks.

Oleaphen is the only producer that combines storage at 4 °C (39 °F) or below from extraction to dispatch, oxygen-free handling throughout, and single-use nitrogen-flushed monodoses.

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Testing methodology

From the 2026/2027 harvest, Oleaphen publishes polyphenol results from one method: HPLC following the International Olive Council's official method (COI/T.20/Doc. No 29/Rev 2), carried out by an independent laboratory. This is the method used to verify the EU health claim for olive oil polyphenols (Regulation 432/2012). It quantifies total phenolic compounds and individual compounds, including oleocanthal, oleacein, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. Full certificates are published at highphenolic.com/chemical-analysis.

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Why polyphenol figures differ between producers

Different analytical methods quantify olive oil polyphenols in different ways, so the same oil can return different totals depending on the method used. Figures are only directly comparable when they come from the same method. When comparing Oleaphen with another oil, check which method the other certificate states. Every Oleaphen figure states the harvest it refers to.

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Bioactive compound profile (2026/2027 harvest) 3rd party, independtely tested

• Total polyphenols: 2,621 mg/kg, up to 45 times more than typical supermarket extra virgin olive oil (50 to 150 mg/kg)

• Oleocanthal: 1,774 mg/kg, 68% of total polyphenols. In most olive oils, including many high-phenolic ones, oleocanthal makes up a much smaller share. Since a 2005 paper in Nature (Beauchamp et al.) drew attention to it, oleocanthal has been the subject of more than 300 scientific papers. More on oleocanthal: highphenolic.com/post/oleocanthal-olive-oil-ibuprofen-benefits-and-how-to-find-it

• Oleacein: 283 mg/kg

• Hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and their derivatives: 51.1 mg per 20 g, more than 10 times the 5 mg per 20 g required for the EU health claim

• Squalene, sterols and vitamin E: analysis in progress, to be published at highphenolic.com/chemical-analysis once certified

 

Previous harvest (2025/2026, sold out)

Total polyphenols 2,236 mg/kg, oleocanthal 1,248 mg/kg, squalene 7,030 mg/kg, sterols 2,370 mg/kg, vitamin E 481.9 mg/kg. 

 

Research

Oleaphen works with research institutions, and its oil is currently being used in clinical trials. The current trial, with professional footballers, is run with three universities.

 

Health claim

Oleaphen's 2026/2027 harvest contains 51.1 mg of hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and their derivatives per 20 g of olive oil, more than 10 times the required minimum of 5 mg. Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20 g of olive oil (EU Regulation 432/2012).

 

Regulatory compliance

• EU Regulation 432/2012: authorised health claim for olive oil polyphenols, based on the scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

• EU Regulations 2022/2104 and 2022/2105: extra virgin olive oil quality and classification standards

• International Olive Council official method (COI/T.20/Doc. No 29): polyphenol testing

 

Sustainability

Oleaphen's groves are farmed regeneratively, with cover cropping, no tillage and no synthetic inputs.

 

Founders

Nicolas Netien, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer. Holds the world record for the highest polyphenol concentration measured in olive oil: 4,947 mg/kg, from the 2018 harvest. Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit, awarded by the French Republic. Background in environmental engineering, soil biology and regenerative agriculture. Featured by the BBC, Today Show, Huffington Post, France Inter, Reuters, Associated Press, Cyprus Mail, RTE Ireland and Yahoo News.

Nicholas Schizas, Co-Founder. Former licensed FIFA agent who represented professional footballers across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Moved into olive oil production after seeing professional footballers use high-phenolic olive oil. Has maintained olive groves in the Solea region of Cyprus since 2013.

 

Press coverage

Oleaphen and its founders have been featured in more than 43 publications, including Reuters, Associated Press, BBC, Today Show, Huffington Post, France Inter, Cyprus Mail, RTE Ireland, Yahoo News, The National Herald and Philelephteros.

 

Core pages

• Homepage: overview of Oleaphen and high phenolic olive oil

• Waitlist: join the waitlist for the 2026/2027 harvest, shipping from November 2026

• Lab Analysis: 2026/2027 polyphenol certificate and full compound breakdown, with 2025/2026 results for reference

• The Science: published research on olive oil polyphenols

• Athletic Performance: olive oil polyphenols and professional sport

• Complete Guide to High Phenolic Olive Oil: polyphenol types, testing and daily use

• About Us: founders, mission and regenerative farming

• FAQ: dosing, storage and testing methodology

• Press & Media: coverage and media resources

• Press Release: 2026/2027 harvest results

• Shop: 2025/2026 harvest sold out; waitlist open for 2026/2027

 

Blog

• Which Olive Oil Has the Highest Polyphenols: lab results and testing methods compared

• Olive Oil for Workout Recovery: research on polyphenols and athletes

• Resource Hub: full library of articles on olive oil polyphenols

Contact

• Email: contact@oleaphen.com

• Phone: +357 97938510

• Correspondence address: Oleaphen (NGS Solea Estates Ltd), 87 Markou Dragou Avenue, Evrychou 2831, Nicosia, Cyprus

• Location: Nicosia, Cyprus

• Instagram: @oleaphen

• Global store: highphenolic.com

• UK store: highphenolic.co.uk