By Lisa Radinovsky from Greek Liquid Gold.
The ATHENA International Olive Oil Competition (ATHENA IOOC) is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2025. The only major international olive oil competition organised 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.
ATHENA Supports Olive Oil Producers by Including Chefs and Expert Judges
Organisers will invite distinguished chefs to participate as guest judges in order to create more “ambassadors” of olive oil. The chefs’ evaluation will not count toward award determination. Rather, their participation could help open a path to the Greek premium olive oil market. In addition, both on the day of the competition’s awards ceremony and throughout the year, tastings of awarded olive oils will target chefs and other HORECA professionals. Moreover, the ATHENA IOOC will award restaurants with an olive oil list with the ATHENA Olive Oil Award.
The ATHENA IOOC is the competition with the largest number of judges per number of olive oils, enabling more attention for each sample. Olive oil evaluation takes place under impeccable conditions and exclusively in the morning hours, which is ideal. The competition’s international jury always consists of knowledgeable, experienced tasters of international scope and prestige. Judges come from across the globe, especially from olive-producing countries and nations with significant olive oil purchasing activity. The ratio of foreigners to Greeks is 3:2 in favor of foreigners.
ATHENA Competition Highlights Olive Growing Areas in Greece
Since 2016, the ATHENA IOOC has been held in nine Greek cities that are especially significant for olive oil: Athens, Pylos, Delphi, Nafplio, Spata, Mytilene, Sitia, Kavala and Sparta. The competition changes its venue annually to highlight the country’s many different olive-growing regions and indigenous olive varieties. In some cases, the distinction of olive oils of little-known varieties at the ATHENA IOOC is followed by new plantings of those varieties. In all cases, actions and events take place to promote each competition venue. In this way, the ATHENA IOOC contributes to the cultural heritage of Greece, where the olive tree and its products have been central for millennia.
With its productive actions and events, the ATHENA IOOC has been constantly improving the prominent position it has enjoyed for some time among the most respected international olive oil competitions, both in and outside Greece. There has been an upward trend overall in the number of participating samples. Olive oil samples are arriving from more countries and from increasingly important olive oil producers throughout the world.
The ATHENA IOOC will celebrate its tenth edition from May 8 to 10, 2025, in the historic, emblematic olive oil producing region of Crete. The city of Chania, capital of the Regional Unit of the same name, was chosen because, like the entire island, it has been directly and inextricably linked to the history and cultivation of the olive tree for more than 5,000 years. Olive oil has been produced and consumed there throughout this time. The Regional Unit of Chania contains the second most olive trees in Crete—8.2 million. It produces an average of 26,000-30,000 metric tons of olive oil each year. In 2025, the ATHENA IOOC judging will take place in a historic building in Chania, the Great Arsenal.
ATHENA Competition Dates and Details
Results will be announced May 23, and the awards ceremony will take place June 7 at the Zappeion Megaron in Athens. The ATHENA IOOC is organized by the communication and exhibition organization company Vinetum, which has no other relationship with olive oil or its producers. More information is available at (+30) 210 766 0560 and info@vinetum.gr.
An award from the ATHENA IOOC can contribute to the growth of sales by upgrading the image and the negotiating value of olive oil in international markets. Registration for the competition has begun and will continue until April 7, 2025 at the competition’s official website, www.athenaoliveoil.gr. However, time is running out for olive oil companies to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration offer, which ends February 10.
*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.
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