At the largest olive oil contest in Asia and Oceania, the Olive Japan International Olive Oil Competition, Greek olive oils earned 12 Gold Medals and 36 Silvers. This year, 19 judges from 11 countries evaluated 803 olive oil samples from 29 nations. Prizes honored the excellence of olive oils made from several olive varieties in different regions in Greece.
At the 10th anniversary edition of the ATHENA International Olive Oil Competition in Chania, Crete, Greece in May, 175 Greek olive oils earned awards. This year, a record-breaking 640 olive oil samples from 25 countries on four continents were evaluated by 30 judges from 14 countries. Those judges honored Laconiko as the competition’s Best Greek Olive Oil.
In the USA for two months, Greek Liquid Gold has been introducing olive oil to North Americans in various settings. While most Americans know little about Greek olive oil, many are interested in tasting it, and in learning more about this key component of the healthy Mediterranean diet. From the olive oil sector to universities, collaboration flourishes.
Olive oil’s health benefits have been studied so much that they are now widely recognized. In fact, it is hard to keep up with all the articles about scientific evidence for extra virgin olive oil’s ability to help prevent and cure diseases. Followed by links to some of the clearest, most useful recent articles, this summary of the main benefits can help.
Greek olive oil is consumed in large quantities in Greece today. Still, the small population leaves plenty of oil for export. Much of it goes to Italy in bulk, but growing numbers of Greek producers are striving for excellent quality, bottling their olive oil under their own brands, and winning awards at international olive oil competitions each year.
One of the current U.S. administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s goals is to promote healthy eating to help combat obesity and chronic disease. For that reason, Joseph R. Profaci, executive director of the North American Olive Oil Association, suggests that “a bottle of olive oil should be the poster child for the MAHA movement.”
“Since ancient times, we have had olive oil in our blood,” according to producer Eftychis Androulakis (Pamako). He is referring to Greece’s long and continuing tradition of making and eating olive oil. Even now, he adds, “we are the country that uses the most olive oil per capita.” Giannis Christodoulopoulos (Arkas) adds, “Greek olive oil is our culture.”
Sustainable olive oil production is a priority for growing numbers of farmers in Greece as they confront the challenges of global warming. For consumers who prefer to support sustainable food production, olive oil is a wise choice. Climate change makes olive farming more difficult with more heat and less water, but olives can help solve the problem.
Greek olive oil professionals at the Food Expo highlighted the unique attributes, quality, and varied origins of their products. From March 8 to 10, 1300 exhibitors showcased foods and drinks for 35,000 visitors from 80 nations. Even in the midst of such abundance, extra virgin olive oil stood out as one of the most important Greek national products.
At the 3rd Cretan Lifestyle Conference, Greek-American chef and author Diane Kochilas discussed Ikaria, “the island where people forget to die,” as the New York Times put it. She prefers to think of it as “the island where people remember how to live.” This famous Blue Zone is the home of her ancestors, her cooking school, and a way of living long and well.
What will it take for the olive to have a global impact on public health? Dr. Harris Pastides considered this question in his keynote address at the 6th International Yale Symposium on Olive Oil & Health. Part of his answer: share information on olive oil’s benefits with consumers worldwide. And make olive oil generally affordable and widely available.
At the 6th International Yale Symposium on Olive Oil & Health, Dr. Abderraouf Laajimi, deputy executive director of the International Olive Council, gave a presentation on olive cultivation as a strategy to combat climate change. In an interview with Greek Liquid Gold, Laajimi also discussed ways to communicate with consumers about olive oil’s benefits.
This is the revised edition of a list that should grow very long but still has a great deal of room to grow—and additions are welcome. It focuses on where to buy bottled and branded 100% Greek extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs), since these are high quality, healthy olive oils that have their flavor sealed into bottles where oxygen cannot harm its quality.
The ATHENA International Olive Oil Competition (ATHENA IOOC) is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2025. The only major international olive oil competition organized in Greece will take place in historic Chania, Crete in May. Its unique efforts to spotlight olive oil in Greece involve chefs, restaurants, judges, olive growing areas, and special events.
A Greek olive oil tasting will be held in English at the B&E Goulandris Foundation Museum’s Café-Restaurant on February 20. Titled “The olive tree is like Delacroix” and featuring chef Aristotelis Megoulas, this has become a popular Greek-language event. Now the Foundation is giving English speakers the opportunity to enjoy this olive oil exploration.
Greek Koroneiki and flavored olive oils ranked high in the EVOO World Ranking (WR) for 2024. According to its website, which recognized 498 awards for Greece, “the Best Society for EVOOWR 2024 of Greece is Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms.” Moreover, “the Best EVOO for EVOOWR 2024 of Greece is Terra Creta Grand Cru from Melissa-Kikizas S.A. – Terra Creta.”
Young scientists who work with the Mediterranean diet will inherit global challenges involving health, nutrition, and sustainability. For this reason, young students, researchers, and innovators were invited to join world-class scientists at the third Cretan Lifestyle Conference. Several generations came to Crete to discuss recent findings and innovations.
An agrifood startup company contest affiliated with the third Cretan Lifestyle Conference helped promote young agrifood entrepreneurs in Greece. At an Innovation Symposium that preceded the larger conference, five young finalists gave brief “shark-tank pitches.” Experts from business and industry served as judges at the conference venue near Heraklion.
Why does olive oil help combat climate change? How can soil affect human well-being? What does marketing have to do with public health? These were just a few of the many questions considered by almost 100 participants from 15 countries at the 6th International Yale Symposium on Olive Oil and Health in Heraklion, Crete, Greece at the beginning of December.
The final day of the 3rd Cretan Lifestyle Conference began with an impromptu address by Mr. George J. Tsunis, U.S. Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic (Greece), who suggested that the traditional version of the Mediterranean diet that Greek grandmothers have prepared for generations using real, unprocessed food from the earth can help improve our health.
