Greece won more than twice as many olive oil awards in 2018 as in the previous year, according to one ranking system. The EVOO World Ranking by the World Association of Journalists and Writers of Wines, Liquors and Others states that Greece won 437 awards in 20 of the contests they considered. Some of the top ranked winners from Greece share their reactions.
According to the EVOO World Ranking (EVOOWR) 2018’s scoring and ranking system for international olive oil competitions, the Best Society from Greece for 2018 was Papadopoulos Olive Oil & Co., with 26 awards from 8 competitions. The company was tied for 12th or 13th place among olive oil companies worldwide. Konstantinos Papadopoulos considers this “a great reward for our efforts!”
Papadopoulos believes “the most striking explanation for our olive oil’s success is our devotion. We have passion for what we are doing, and we always try to promote the superior flavors and aromas of our area, Ancient Olympia,” and of Greece. His team is continuing their winning tradition with the new harvest (2018/19). Although it is a difficult harvest year in Greece, Papadopoulos Olive Oil & Co. has already captured two Extra Gold awards at the Biolnovello competition for 2018.
The Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) from Greece, according to the EVOOWR 2018, is Kyklopas Early Harvest from Kyklopas Elaiotriveio Argyri Kelidi S.A., with 11 awards from 9 competitions. Kyklopas Early Harvest was ranked number 33 in the world for 2018, which is the highest ranking EVOOWR has ever given a Greek olive oil. Valia Kelidou tells Greek Liquid Gold that Kyklopas has now won 80 quality awards for their olive oils, which come from the Makris olives native to the Alexandroupolis area in northern Greece.
Kelidou explains that her family works hard together, continuously learning. She believes their advantage “is that we have full control over every single stage of the production process--from cultivating the olive grove and extracting the oil at our own mill to bottling on our premises.” This enables them “to guarantee the consistent quality of our oil.”
Another of the EVOOWR’s top ranked olive oils, LIÁ Koroneiki EVOO from Messinia, also achieved another “high goal that we set” in 2018, according to Cristina Stribacu: receiving “the best monovarietal olive oil award in the world” at “not one, but two, of the most important” international olive oil contests, the EVO IOOC and Flos Olei. She adds that this was “the first time this title was awarded to a Greek company.”
Stribacu believes her and her brother’s concern for the environment, good health, and flavor is key to their success. She adds that “LIÁ olive oil is not premium in terms of marketing, but in terms of nature, cultivation, production, and the relationship of people” who create it, and because of its “high percentage of polyphenols.” The motto on the bottle summarizes her goal: for LIÁ to provide the "roots of bliss."
An additional striking achievement for Greece this year was the position of Majestic Flavored with Lemongrass & Tarragon from Sakellaropoulos Organic Farming at the very top of the list of Condimento–Flavored Olive Oils. The “magnificent result of years of testing,” according to Nikos Sakellaropoulos, Majestic was the only Greek entry to achieve a first-place ranking worldwide in a category with many international contenders.
Also one of the top ranked Greek companies for 2018, this family business has won 89 international awards for the taste and quality of their single estate organic products, which Sakellaropoulos reports is “a world record for a Greek producer.” He attributes their success to “innovation, know-how, experience, and scientific monitoring” of all their products in Sparta, Peloponnese, as well as a “dedication to quality, continuous research, and an open mind.”
Ellie Tragakes tells Greek Liquid Gold that she and her team “are extremely pleased that we have enormously improved our position in the world ranking, so that Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises is now among the top fifty olive oil producers in the world. Equally important is that our ACAIA Organic and ACAIA olive oils hold the Number One and Number Two positions among olive oils made from the Kolovi olive variety.” This is a less known olive variety from Lesvos with “a delicate flavor, a fruity aroma, and a smooth texture, with a barely bitter aftertaste in spite of very high antioxidant content.”
With two of their extra virgin olive oils ranked among the top ten in Greece, Oliorama & Co. GP was also judged one of the top olive oil companies in the country. The organic and conventional versions of Oliorama Exclusive PGI Olympia EVOO were both ranked among Greece’s best EVOOs. Maria Spiliakopoulou believes their success is due to her team’s “love, persistance, devotion,” lack of compromise, and ongoing efforts to learn and improve. She adds, “the most important thing is to love what you do. And one should not compromise in any of the stages, from cultivation to bottling.”
Dino Pierrakos appears to agree, explaining that the accomplishments of another of EVOOWR’s top ranked Greek companies and olive oils, Laconiko Olive Oil, stem from “being present and aware of every process, from the maintenance of the groves throughout the year up to the time of harvest and even packaging. As producers, we realize that we continuously need to learn and evolve so that we can maintain what has been voted as one of the world’s best EVOOs!”
Pierrakos says this year’s crop of their Koroneiki olives “is looking amazing” once again. Even in a difficult harvest year, the future looks bright for many of the hard-working, conscientious Greek olive oil producers who strive for excellence.
Greek EVOOs of the Year for 2018
Ranking - Company Name - Olive Oil Name - Olive Variety - Number of Awards - EVOO WR Points
1 - Kyklopas Elaiotriveio Argyri Kelidi S.A. - Kyklopas Early Harvest - Makri - 11 - 495.50
2 - Olympus Olive Oil - Olympus Olive Oil - Blend - 7 - 403.00
3 - Olympian Green International S.A. - Ktima Louiza Koroneiki Premium Organic - Koroneiki - 9 - 353.00
4 - Papadopoulos Olive Oil & Co. - Mythocia Olympia PGI Organic - Blend - 7 - 293.25
5 - Papadopoulos Olive Oil & Co. - Mythocia Omphacium Early Harvest PGI Olympia BIO - Koroneiki - 5 - 290.00
6 - Liá Cultivators - Liá Premium - Koroneiki - 8 - 285.00
7 - Oliorama & Co. GP - Oliorama Exclusive PGI Olympia - Koroneiki - 5 - 282.00
8 - Laconiko - Laconiko Olio Nuovo Unfiltered Reserve - Koroneiki - 8 - 274.50
9 - Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises Ltd. - Acaia Organic - Kolovi - 5 - 270.50
10 - Oliorama & Co. GP - Oliorama Exclusive Bio PGI Olympia - Koroneiki - 5 - 260.25
11 - Papadopoulos Olive Oil & Co. - Mythocia Olympia PGI - Blend - 4 - 249.50
12 - Papadopoulos Olive Oil & Co. - Mythocia Omphacium Organic - Nemoutiana - 8 - 249.50
13 - Agro.Vi.M. S.A. - Iliada Gold Kalamata PDO XVOO Koroneiki - Koroneiki - 5 - 239.25
14 - Makaria Terra - Makaria Terra - Koroneiki - 5 - 224.25
15 - Sakellaropoulos Organic Farming - Majestic Flavored With Lemongrass & Tarragon - Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil - 4 - 224.00
16 - Laconiko - Laconiko - Koroneiki - 4 - 214.50
17 - Agro.Vi.M. S.A. - Iliada Organic Emerald Selection - Koroneiki - 4 - 208.00
18 - Sparta Groves SPPCC - Sparta Groves First Green Gold Early Harvest Hand Picked - Tsounati - 4 - 204.00
19 - Greka Icons S.A. - Navarino Icons Koroneiki - Koroneiki - 4 - 200.50
20 - Olympian Green International S.A. - Olympian Green EVOO Oly Oil Traditional - Koroneiki - 4 - 199.50
21 - Androulakis Eftychios Olive Oil Bottling - Pamako Mountain Monovarietal Tsounati Bio - Tsounati - 4 - 185.50
22 - Olivelawon I X Kampouris E.E. - E-La-Won Premium EVOO - Koroneiki - 4 - 180.75
23 - Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises Ltd. - Acaia Kolovi - Kolovi - 4 - 180.00
24 - Friedrich Bläuel & Co. Ltd. - Bläuel Greek Organic Products - Mani Bläuel Greek Organic - Koroneiki - 4 - 179.75
25 - Yanni´s Olive Grove - Yanni´s Finest Wild Chalkidiki Early Harvest - Chalkidiki - 4 - 173.63
26 - Greka Icons S.A. - Trea Extra Virgin Olive Oil Koroneiki & Athinoelia - Blend - 4 - 171.00
27 - MFSA/Oleagroves - Olea Juice Red - Blend - 4 - 169.63
28 - Sparta Groves SPPCC - Sparta Groves Organic Early Harvest Hand Picked - Tsounati - 4 - 168.00
29 - Jordan Olivenöl GMBH - Jordan Olivenöl Natives Bio - Blend - 4 - 164.50
30 - Oli Tina - Oli Tina - Koroneiki - 3 - 163.00
31 - Nikoloulia Panagiota - Elegia - Koroneiki - 3 - 163.00
32 - Androulakis Eftychios Olive Oil Bottling - Pamako Mountain Bio Blend - Blend - 4 - 162.25
33 - Terra Creta S.A. - Terra Creta 42 Premium Blend - Blend - 3 - 162.00
For the EVOO WR’s ranking of 169 Greek olive oil companies and of olive oils from various varieties, see their website.
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Thanks to Papadopoulos Olive Oil for the introductory photo of their Mythocia EVOO and to Kyklopas for the Kelidis family photo from their olive grove at the top of this article.
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