KUKUZI owes its name to the Greek word ‘κουκούτσι’, which is the core of olives, and plays an important role in the shaping of the fruit from which the olive oil is produced.

Since ancient times, the olive tree was a sacred symbol of peace and prosperity. Archaeologists have discovered olive cores whose age reaches 8000 years. The trees allegedly transferred to the European Mediterranean area by Phoenician merchants and through Greece, traveled to other countries of southern Europe where they also are cultivated. Greeks are considered the first to have cultivated olive trees in the European Mediterranean area.

According to another theory, the main role in the development of the olive tree in the greek land was played by migratory birds during their migration each summer from very hot North and East African countries to more temperate and mild climates. Travelling through Greece, the birds left through their faeces the first olive pits, which apparently found fertile soil and suitable climate conditions in Greece to develop.