The brilliant performance of Greek olive oil producers and bottlers in the tenth edition of the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition – an impressive tally of 79 awards (45 Gold and 34 Silver) – was felt across the country’s olive oil sector.
Yiorgos Economou, the general director of the Greek Association of Olive Oil Bottlers (SEVITEL), attributed the country’s strong showing in the competition to the producers’ diligence and technological advancements.
The temperatures have so far remained within normal levels, and the flowering of the olive trees is continuing unobstructed. However, we have a long way until the next harvest.- Maria Sgourou, olive oil producer, Skoutari
“The decorations of Greek olive oils in the NYIOOC and other international competitions applaud the effort of the country’s producers and bottlers to select the best raw materials and adhere to the strict regulatory frame of [olive oil] production,” Economou told Olive Oil Times. “They are also proof of the improving technological approaches towards the quality of extra virgin olive oil.”
Economou revised the country’s overall olive oil yield down to around 200,000 tons from the expected 225,000 tons, placing the quality of the produced olive oil under the spotlight.
See Also:The Best Olive Oils from Greece“Apart from some problems with the organoleptic characteristics of the olive oils in a few producing territories, we can talk of olive oil of top-notch quality,” he said.
“The effort of all involved bodies and agencies to better inform and advise olive growers and producers is continuing to reaffirm the reputation of Greek olive oil at an international level; an olive oil with an intense fruity flavor, natural aromas and no defects,” Economou added.
A consensus on a challenging season and the need to accelerate the harvesting and processing of the olives is evident among Greek producers who excelled at the competition this year.
Maria Spiliakopoulos, a third-generation producer and the owner of Gold Award winner Oliorama from Ancient Olympia, stressed the importance of a quick and well-coordinated harvesting operation throughout the season.
“This year’s challenge was the timing,” Spiliakopoulos told Olive Oil Times. “Harvesting had to be done quickly. The transportation and milling [of the olives] had to be done on the same day, within a few hours of harvest.”
Alexis Karabelas of AMG Karabelas, a first-time entrant from Ancient Olympia who earned two Gold Awards, said that the dry weather and the wildfires that broke out in the area last August were the biggest obstacles to repeating a rich olive oil yield. In addition, the season turned out to be more laborious and fast-moving than usual.
“This season, the big bet was to keep to the high production standards of the previous 2021/22 crop year,” Karabelas said. “Our harvesting method and the small distance from our olive groves to the family mill, where we were pressing olives every three hours, were the key to a successful production.”
A change of plans was also necessary for My Olive Tree, the proud holder of a 2022 NYIOOC Gold Award, to withstand the impact of the prevailing weather conditions at the time.
“The severe heatwave the country experienced last summer warned us of a low olive oil crop,” co-owner Georgios Karelas said. “Nevertheless, we changed our routine and started harvesting in late October, being able to produce an aromatic olive oil of high flavor complexity.”
Karelas added that the weather variations in recent years pose a significant threat to olive oil production, particularly impacting small-scale producers.
“A lot has changed since 2014 when we were first awarded at the NYIOOC,” he said. “The weather has become unpredictable, and our job has become harder. There are a lot of challenges and external factors small olive farm growers have to deal with.”
After a harvesting season riddled with torrid weather, producers from Greece embarked with their precious olive oils on their annual journey to the NYIOOC, where they compete against other world-class extra virgin olive oils from around the world.
This year, a record 1,267 olive oils from 28 countries entered the contest, the largest and most diverse collection of extra virgin olive oils in the competition’s chronicles.
“The importance of the competition is evident by the sheer number of competitors regardless of whether they were awarded or not,” Karabelas said. “We were very anxious about the results, but everything went fine, and we won two Gold Awards from two entries in our first participation in the contest.”
AMG Karabelas was awarded for its Laurel & Flame Olympia PGI blend from Koroneiki and Kolireiki olives, and the Laurel and Flame Fresh, made from olives of a widely unknown variety, the Tsabidolia of Olympia.
“Tsabidolia is not even listed on the national list of plant varieties,” Karabelas said. “It is our commitment to confirm the extra virgin from the Tsabidolia variety as equivalent to established monovarietals made from cultivars such as the Koroneiki and Arbequina.”
For returning competitor Oliorama, excitement for being crowned at the competition never ceased to exist despite the numerous awards the company has received over the years.
“It is a great honor and accomplishment to be among the awarded oils for several years now, since 2016,” Maria Spiliakopoulos said. “It feels fulfilling and rewarding, and It takes great effort and persistence to get such results.”
The company won a Gold Award at the 2022 NYIOOC for its namesake Exclusive PGI Olympia monovarietal olive oil from Koroneiki.
“A Gold Award at the NYIOOC makes us happy and greatly boosts our self-confidence,” Karelas of My Olive Tree told Olive Oil Times. “Everybody in the olive oil business knows that these awards should be among their primary goals year after year, but sometimes they are out of reach for small producers.”
The company received a Gold Award at the 2022 NYIOOC for its namesake delicate monovarietal extra virgin olive oil from Koroneiki.
AMG Karabelas, Oliorama and My Olive Tree all agreed that, although a bit early for projections, the next 2022/23 crop year is expected better to suit their desire for improved olive oil production.
“Until now, the weather is our ally, and we are optimistic for an even better harvesting season than before,” Karelas said.
Other producers, including Skoutari and Androulakis Olive Oil Bottling from the island of Crete, both awarded at the 2022 NYIOOC, also concurred with their counterparts from continental Greece for a more robust harvest in the 2022/23 crop year.
“The temperatures have so far remained within normal levels, and the flowering of the olive trees is continuing unobstructed,” Maria Sgourou of Skoutari said. “However, we have a long way until the next harvest, and we must do everything required to secure the health of our olive fruits.”
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