By Lisa Radinovsky from Greek Liquid Gold.
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.
Laconiko Extra Virgin Olive Oil was also deemed the World’s Best Koroneiki variety olive oil. Koroneiki is the most common type of olive oil in Greece and the third most planted olive tree in the world. Moreover, judges were deeply impressed by Laconiko’s flavored olive oil. They selected Laconiko Citrus Habanero, a very spicy oil flavored with lime and habanero pepper, as the Best Flavored Olive Oil worldwide.
Laconiko co-owner Diamantis Pierrakos says “being the first brand to receive top honors for both our estate olive oil and our flavored oil in this competition is incredibly humbling, and a reflection of the passion in everything we do.” Their awards reflect “the care and attention we give to every step of the process, from the grove to the harvest, from extraction to bottling,” with “dedication at every stage.”
Pierrakos considers their prizes a testament to the Laconiko team’s “unwavering commitment to quality, even when faced with the unpredictability of nature. Every season brings its own challenges, but our ability to adapt while staying true to our standards is something we’re very proud of.” In addition to numerous prizes in the past, Laconiko won five special awards and ten medals at the ATHENA competition this year. Laconiko’s multiple awards “help communicate that the quality isn’t just a one-time thing. It’s something we strive to uphold year after year.”
Greek winners discuss consistent efforts, education, and goals
Another company from Laconia, Peloponnese that demonstrates that consistent, painstaking effort can lead to consistent excellence is Olive Poem. Their olive oil was judged the Best Organic Olive Oil of Greece at the ATHENA contest for the fourth time in the last five ears. (Olive Poem also earned the Best of Greece award at the BIOL competition for organic extra virgin olive oils in the “missing” year.) “So every year we maintain the highest level of our product,” reports owner Theodoros Koutsotheodoris. They do so by combining “ideal conditions for the cultivation of the olive tree” in their area with “ultimate control of everything” involved in making their single-estate olive oil, from cultivation of their groves to operation of their own small-scale production, storage, and bottling unit. This is how they create their superb Olive Poem – “a drop of art.”
With olive oil produced in the southern part of Greece, Melissa – Kikizas won the Best of Crete award and a Double Gold medal for Terra Creta Grand Cru Koroneiki Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), in addition to three more awards for Terra Creta PGI Chania Crete EVOO and Platinum 0.3 EVOO, and for Terra Creta olive oil infused with fresh basil. Emmanouil Karpadakis attributes this success to the Terra Creta team’s “clear goals, deep knowledge about the product and the procedures, well established synergies, and the work done by the Terra Creta Olive Academy,” which educates olive farmers about best practices in cultivation, grove care, and harvesting.
Greek winners emphasise collaboration and close attention to all stages of production
Originating in northeastern Greece, Kyklopas’s Ages Organic extra virgin olive oil from the Makris olive variety was awarded the Best of Thrace prize this year, as well as a Double Gold medal. Valia Kelidou attributes this to a combination of the “excellent natural characteristics” of the olive variety and her vertically integrated family business’s control of “every stage of our olive oil production. This way, we ensure quality by taking the right steps from the grove to bottling” and storage. Their “45 years of experience and advanced equipment guarantee top quality.”
Farther south in Elis, Peloponnese, Eliada created Double Gold medal winning Elixir, a blend of Koroneiki and Olympia EVOOs. Elixir is characterized by “intense fruitiness, a balance between a spicy and bitter taste,” low acidity, and healthy high phenolic content, as Camelia Adam explains. The company entails a collaboration between two Romanian partners passionate about healthy nutrition, and dedicated Greek partners. Eliada is “the most awarded Romanian olive oil brand in international competitions, and our mission is to educate Romanian consumers and to meet their growing expectations.”
Also from Elis, The Master Miller captured a Double Gold Medal for their Mythocia olive oil co-milled with basil, plus three Golds and two Silvers for their organic and conventionally produced extra virgin olive oils. As CEO Konstantinos Papadopoulos reveals, their olive oil “reflects an ecosystem of care: from scientifically monitored cultivation to precision extraction within hours of harvest. The harmony of our terroir in Ancient Olympia and our Master Growers’ dedication makes each drop a symphony of quality and authenticity. With high-polyphenol profiles, co-milled innovations, certified traceability, and sustainability, we are forging new standards. Our team of agronomists, producers, and visionaries collaborates to combine inherited knowledge with modern know-how.”
Greek winners appreciate the Athena competition’s national and international diversity and esteem
For Papadopoulos, “ATHENA is not just a competition. It’s a celebration to show that a new chapter of Greek olive oil is being written — one rooted in respect for nature and driven by innovation. A celebration of quality which fosters international dialogue and highlights the evolving narrative of Greek olive oil on the world’s stage.”
Indeed, the competition is unique in highlighting different olive growing regions in Greece, with a new judging location each year, and events to spotlight each area’s history, tradition, and products. This year in Chania, Crete, a local olive oil exhibition and a roundtable on exporting olive oil offered extra support for the area’s producers. The competition was also one of the events associated with the “Crete European Region of Gastronomy 2026.”
The ATHENA competition’s Greek winners represented a wide range of regions and olive varieties. At the same time, the competition showcased international geographic diversity. In fact, the 25 countries sending olive oil samples from Europe, Asia, America, and Africa included Uzbekistan, Montenegro, and Malaysia for the first time this year.
Kelidou explains that Kyklopas participates in the ATHENA competition “because it has proven its credibility as an international competition over the past ten years.” Laconiko’s Pierrakos adds that “this competition holds deep meaning for us. As Greek producers, it’s an honor to be evaluated among peers in our home country, especially in an event that is so well-respected globally.”
The top Greek winners agree that great care every step of the way, from the olive grove to the bottle, can help earn the international competition awards that can foster consumers’ trust in a brand.
Top Greek Winners at the 2025 Athena International Olive Oil Competition
Medal – Olive Oil – Company – Olive Variety – Region
Best of Greece and Best Koroneiki variety olive oil worldwide
Double Gold – Laconiko – Laconiko – Koroneiki 100% – Peloponnese, Laconia
Best Greek organic extra virgin olive oil
Double Gold – Olive Poem – Olive Poem – Koroneiki 75%, Mirtolia 25% – Peloponnese, Laconia
Best of their olive variety
Gold – Polykarpos Dimitra – Polykarpos Dimitra – Organic Kolovi 100% – Aegean Islands, Lesbos
Gold – Mavroudis Au Premium – Mavroudis Corfu Family Olive Oil – Lianolia of Corfu 100% – Ionian Islands, Corfu
Gold – Liogēnnito Manaki – Liogēnnito – Organic Manaki 100% – Peloponnese, Argolis
Gold – Pamako Premium Mountain Organic Monovarietal Tsounati – Androulakis Eftychios Olive Oil Bottling Pamako – Organic Tsounati 100% – Crete, Chania
Bronze – Maleas Estate Organic Monovarietal Megaritiki – Maleas Estate – Megaritiki 100% – Macedonia, Drama
Silver – Thallon – Thallon – Organic Chondrolia of Chalkidiki 100% – Macedonia, Chalkidiki
Best Greek olive oil per region
Double Gold – Ages Organic – Kyklopas Elaiotriveio Argyri Kelidi – Makris 100% – Thrace, Evros
Gold – Argilos V Fruity – Agriston – Petroelia 50%, Lefkoelia of Serres 50% – Macedonia, Kavala
Silver – Poiema Organic Land of Kassopia – Poiema Organic Olive Oil – Lianolia of Preveza 100% – Epirus, Preveza
Gold – Mavroudis Au Premium – Mavroudis Corfu Family Olive Oil – Lianolia of Corfu 100% – Ionian Islands, Corfu
Bronze – Patistis Organic – Patistis Olive Groves – Amfissis 100% – Thessaly, Magnesia
Gold – Tombazis Olive Grove – Tombazis Olive Grove – Organic Koroneiki 100% – Central Greece, Piraeus Islands
Double Gold – Laconiko – Laconiko – Koroneiki 100% – Peloponnese, Laconia
Gold – Olvia Organic – Tzortzis Michael – Adramitini 80%, Kolovi 20% – Aegean Islands, Lesbos
Double Gold – Terra Creta Grand Cru – Melissa – Kikizas SA – Koroneiki 100% – Crete, Chania
Best flavoured or infused olive oil worldwide
Double Gold – Laconiko Citrus Habanero (flavored) – Laconiko – Koroneiki 100% – Peloponnese, Laconia
Additional Double Gold medal winners from Greece
Double Gold – Eliada Elixir – Eliada – Koroneiki 80%, Olympia 20% – Peloponnese, Elis
Double Gold – Liokareas Cold Fused Leek (flavored) – Liokareas – Koroneiki 100% – Peloponnese, Messenia
Double Gold – Mythocia Basil (flavored) – The Master Miller – Koroneiki 100% – Peloponnese, Elis
Double Gold – Petalas – Petalas – Koroneiki 100% – Crete, Rethymno
*Originally published on Greek Liquid Gold: Authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (greekliquidgold.com). See that site for recipes with olive oil, photos from Greece, agrotourism and food tourism suggestions, and olive oil news and information.
