Zadar County Honors Award-Winning Olive Oil Producers After Strong NYIOOC Showing

Zadar County officials honored local producers of olive oil, wine and cheese recognized at major international competitions, including the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, where producers from the region earned 23 awards.

Zadar County Prefect Josip Bilaver said the region should do more to integrate its award-winning local products into the tourism sector, particularly in restaurants and hotels along the Adriatic coast.

“We have quality products and respectable quantities of premium oils, wines and cheeses,” Bilaver said. “Now we need to work on bringing them more strongly into the tourist offering.”

The ceremony was held for the first time in Preko on the island of Ugljan, where olive trees have been cultivated for centuries. Producers from Zadar County again played a significant role in Croatia’s success at the 2026 NYIOOC.

Croatia earned 128 awards, including 103 Gold Awards and 25 Silver Awards, finishing second behind Italy among countries competing in the world’s largest olive oil quality competition.

Of those awards, producers from Zadar County won 23 medals, including 17 Gold Awards and 6 Silver Awards.

Ivica Vlatković added two more Gold Awards for his Fortica Šoltanka and Fortica Coratina-Leccino blends. Since 2017, he has earned 25 awards at the NYIOOC, including 21 Gold Awards.

Producers from Pakoštane again stood out, earning seven awards. Ante Vulin received another Gold Award for his Antino brand, marking his fifth consecutive year winning gold in New York.

Additional Gold Awards went to Tomislav Čudina of OPG Celini, Sebastijan Adžić of Leut Group, Ante Lokin for the Ćaće Moga brand and Vinko Lalin for Dalma Premium.

Slavo Stojanov of Drage earned a Silver Award for an oil made from Oblica and Plavica olives under the Didini Dvori – Agroturizam Plavica label.

Other recognized producers included Nida Group, OPG Denis Plastić, OPG Branimir Šunić, OPG Pedić, OPG Šoša, OPG Ivica Kapitanović, Esencija Olive Oil, OPG Rajner i sinovi, Atelj Zagrad, OPG Nives Morović, OPG Ivan Birkić and OPG Malić.

Past NYIOOC winners from the region were also invited to the event, including OPG Surać, OPG Stjepan Dević, Kraljski Dalmatin, OPG Mate Dušević, OPG Marin Matešić and OPG Deša.

In addition to olive oil producers, awards were presented to wineries recognized at the Decanter World Wine Awards and recipients of Croatia’s “Sunflower of Rural Tourism” honors.

Bilaver said each award reflects not only the success of individual producers, but also the growing reputation of Zadar County as an emerging agritourism and gastronomic destination.

“Guests remember not only the sea, islands and cultural heritage, but also the flavors they experience here,” he said. “Through your wines, olive oils, cheeses and other products, visitors come to understand the character of this region.”

Bilaver added that Zadar County plans to continue promoting locally produced foods and strengthening ties between agriculture, hospitality and tourism.