Some stories begin with a business plan.
Ours began with a meeting between families.
Years ago, our families met on the Greek island of Samos — where mountains fall into the sea and olive trees have stood in the same soil for generations. What began as a simple encounter slowly became something lasting.
An oil not made for supermarket shelves.
During our time on Samos, we were introduced to the olive oil of the Markou family, whose groves lie in the village of Koumeika.
It was immediately different.
Bright. Peppery. Alive in a way we had not experienced before.
This was not olive oil blended for consistency or scaled for mass production. It was oil tied to a single place, a single harvest, and a single family.
Over time, it became part of our own kitchen — not as a product, but as something we trusted and returned to.
"From the olive groves of Samos to your table — a story of land, family, and honest olive oil."
Four generations. One grove. One uncompromising standard.
For generations, the Markou family has cultivated olive trees on Samos, working with the rhythms of the land rather than against them.
Each harvest is timed with precision — when flavour, aroma, and polyphenols are at their peak. The olives are pressed within hours, preserving the freshness that defines truly exceptional oil.
Their olive oil is single-origin — coming entirely from their own groves. No blending. No sourcing from elsewhere. No compromise.
What you taste is Samos — its soil, its climate, its season — captured in one harvest.
- 4+
- Generations
on Samos - 1
- Single-origin
grove - 3–6h
- Harvest
to mill
A chef noticed something his guests could not ignore.
Chef Max, founder of Iluka restaurant in Jeonju, has always believed that great cooking begins with great ingredients.
When he began using the Markou family's olive oil in his kitchen, the difference was immediate — not just to him, but to his guests.
They asked about it. Why it tasted so vivid. Why it felt so different.
The answer was simple: it came from one place, one family, and one way of doing things.
That realisation became the foundation of Gaia Iluka — to bring this oil, unchanged and uncompromised, from Samos to tables across South Korea.
Two words. Two forces. One origin.
Our name reflects the two elements that shape every olive — the earth that nourishes the trees, and the sea that gives them their character.
The soil of Samos. The ground that nourishes the trees, season after season.
The Mediterranean climate — sun, wind, and salt air — that gives the olives their character.
"Gaia Iluka exists for those who value knowing where their food comes from — and tasting the difference it makes."
One island · One family · One harvest · Rooted in Samos Discover the oil