While Slovenia's production fell 20 percent below average, two producers overcame inclement weather and pests to produce award-winning extra virgin olive oil.
Two Slovenian producers have reason to celebrate after a slightly below-average harvest in the 2023/24 crop year.
In the first three weeks of the 2024 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the producers behind Morgan earned a Gold Award, while Villa Eva took home a Silver Award.
We have no problems with sales. The awards at the NYIOOC increase our recognition at the local and global level and help promote our region.- Franc Morgan, award-winning producer
Overall, the NYIOOC, which will continue to announce winners through May, received six entries from the European Union’s smallest olive oil producer.
European Commission data show that Slovenia produced 500 tons of olive oil in 2023/24, 20 percent below the five-year average.
See Also:2024 NYIOOC Updates“It is a great honor for our family,” said Franc Morgan, one the country’s most successful producers at the World Competition.
The company’s Cuvvee brand, a medium-intensity blend of organic Istrska Belica, Leccino, Maurino, Moraiolo and Rosciola olives, won its seventh Gold Award at the competition since 2017.
“Our oils are harmonious. They are characterized by their freshness, fruitiness and intense taste,” Morgan said.
The almost ideal fruit-growing location also contributes to the quality. The Morgan family’s olive grove comprises 1,200 trees located 230 meters above sea level in the pristine natural environment surrounding Grintovec, in the southwestern corner of Slovenia, near the Adriatic Sea.
The whole family is involved in all the work, with Morgan’s wife, Silvana, his daughters, Jenny and Ariana, and their husbands and children all participating in the harvest.
“Olives are harvested by hand at optimal ripeness and immediately processed at the Santomas oil mill in Šmarje,” Jenny Morgan said.
Immediately after milling, the oil is stored in stainless steel tanks under inert gas to “maintain the maximum quality of the oil throughout the year,” Morgan said.
The Gold Award has given the Morgan family a chance to breathe a sigh of relief after overcoming a demanding year marked by bad weather, including rain, wind and hail, followed by extreme summer heat and the emergence of pests, including the olive fruit fly.
While the family maintained quality, they said that quantity had suffered, producing about 30 percent less than in previous years.
“On average, we produce between 4,000 and 4,500 liters,” Franc Morgan said. “We have no problems with sales. The awards at the NYIOOC increase our recognition at the local and global level and help promote our region.”
Recently, they started exporting their oils to Austria, Germany, Japan and the United States. They are convinced that their business can only go forward because, as Jenny Morgan said, “they do what they love, and they love what they do.”
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