By Lisa Radinovsky from Greek Liquid Gold.

Competing with 816 entries from 27 countries, Greek olive oil producers earned 55 awards at the 2022 edition of Olive Japan—the third largest number of prizes, after Spain and Italy. Capturing an impressive 5 gold awards and 4 silvers, Goutis Estate also won the Best of Greece distinction this year, while several other Greek companies won multiple prizes.

Nicolas Lambropoulos told Greek Liquid Gold that AMACS – Goutis Estate grows the olives for its oil “mainly in the wider area of Ancient Olympia and the hills around the Alfeios valley” in Ilia (Elis), Peloponnese, Greece. The Goutis Estate team is unusual in consisting of political scientists, former bankers, economists, and engineers, as well as agronomists and farmers.

As Lambropoulos explains, they all come from the region of Ilia: “Their childhood memories remained strong for decades, and after successful international careers, they wanted to return to their childhood home” to offer it “a new prospect in the difficult days of the world economic crisis.”

So, working with experienced farmers, the team decided to plant many new olive trees next to old ones. According to Lambropoulos, they combined tradition with modern production methods, including “the finest international scientific methods of cultivation, collection of the olives, and pressing, so that the result is flawless. The final product hides in it the secrets of the rare microclimate of the Olympian land. We follow a rigorous management plan, complying with nutrition rules and aiming for quality and the particular character of the flavour.”  

Resembling Goutis Estate in arising from a desire to honour a childhood homeland (and family tradition), another multi-award-winning company grows its olives in Laconia, Peloponnese. With 3 gold awards and 3 silvers, the Pierrakos family business, Laconiko, received prizes for both flavoured and extra virgin olive oils.

As Diamantis Pierrakos explains, before taking their place among the top Greek award winners in the olive oil sector, the Laconiko team worked persistently for years, aware that “success does not happen overnight,” but correctly confident that “recognition would eventually follow.”

As Pierrakos emphasises, “we are committed to offering olive oils that are the best representation of our values: honesty, quality, and consistency. It is very important to find an honest and reliable producer in a world filled with misleading brands, because the consumer deserves to receive what they are paying for.”

Pierrakos is proud to have their extra virgin, early harvest, and flavoured olive oils lauded in Japan, since his team is “grateful for the customers we have in Japan,” and they value the Japanese market.

Mediterre Eurofood, a second company producing olives in the area of Ancient Olympia, is pleased to take home 2 golds and 6 silvers for their extra virgin olive oils and their flavoured olive oils. As Konstantinos Papadopoulos explains, this “gives us the opportunity to make our products known in the Japanese market.”

He adds that his “team’s passion and devotion to their work and to the olive oil combined with high expertise and constant research lead to such success.”

Papadopoulos points out that “each and every one of us loves what we do at Mediterre Eurofood, and this is reflected in our final products. We strongly believe that through innovation and respect for our staff, producers, and the environment, we can create honest products of the highest quality for our customers.” He considers this especially important now, “considering all the issues that our planet is currently facing,” so that “health should be our first priority. An excellent olive oil is a synonym for ‘good health.’”  

Ol-eve owner Antonios Tirpintiris also emphasises the health benefits and flavour of the best EVOOs, which make “the olive tree a gift of God to humanity.” Hailing from the Aegean island of Lesvos, two of Falcon S.A.’s Ol-eve organic early harvest extra virgin olive oils captured medals—one gold and one silver. Tirpintiris attributes this success to several factors, including a team that shares “the same vision for high quality extra virgin olive oil” and for “a better, more sustainable and biodiverse future for our planet.”

“We have achieved something unique,” Tirpintiris reveals: “we have transformed an area suffering from desertification into a green, sustainable land, taking care of biodiversity with 40,000 olive trees and 20,000 other fruitful and useful trees, plants and flowers. We fertilize our trees with organic and natural compost, using Posidonia seaweed from the seashore of the estate” and pruned branches. In addition, the estate’s “new, technologically advanced olive mill uses modern techniques to keep all the nutrients of olive oil,” as well as minimising the time from harvest to production.

With knowledge, dedication, attention to detail, hard work, and respect, Greek olive oil producers have again earned distinction in a major international olive oil competition far from home. The olive oil of Greece continues to cross continents and oceans to bring the flavor and health benefits of this Mediterranean nation to the people of the world.

Complete Lists of the Greek Winners at Olive Japan 2022:

The Best of Greece at Olive Japan 2022, Plus Gold Award Winner

• AMACS – Goutis Estate – Goutis Estate Miller’s Blend – Koroneiki and Manaki           

Greek Gold Award Winners at Olive Japan 2022

(Company – Olive Oil – Olive Variety or Varieties and Flavoring, Where Applicable)

• AMACS – Goutis Estate – Goutis Estate Bitter Gray – Nemoutiana
• AMACS – Goutis Estate – Goutis Estate Breeze – Koroneiki   
• AMACS – Goutis Estate – Goutis Estate Premium – Koroneiki and Manaki
• AMACS – Goutis Estate – Goutis Estate Sea Breeze – Koroneiki   
• Laconiko – Laconiko Lime – Flavored Koroneiki
• Laconiko – Laconiko Meyer Lemon – Flavored Koroneiki               
• Laconiko – Laconiko Rosemary – Flavored Koroneiki           
• Falcon S.A. – Ol-eve Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Early Harvest – Koroneiki
• Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises – Aeolian Olive Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Kolovi
• Jordan Olivenöl GmbH – Jordan Bio Olivenoel – Nativ Extra – Kolovi and Adramitiani     
• Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Basil – Flavored Koroneiki   
• Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Omphacium Organic – Olympia       
• Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Syllektikon Gourmet Flavored Olive Oil with Lemon, Orange and Thyme – Flavored Koroneiki           
• Terra Creta S.A. – Terra Creta Grand Cru Koroneiki Extra Virgin Olive Oil –Koroneiki

Greek Silver Award Winners at Olive Japan 2022

(Company – Olive Oil – Olive Variety or Varieties and Flavoring, Where Applicable)

• AMACS – Goutis Estate – Goutis Estate Bella Vista – Koroneiki   
• AMACS – Goutis Estate – Goutis Estate Blossom – Koroneiki, Manaki, Makri, and Lianolia   
• AMACS – Goutis Estate – Goutis Estate Fresh – Koroneiki and Nemoutiana   
• AMACS – Goutis Estate – Goutis Estate Sakura – Koreneiki, Manaki, Makri, and Lianolia   
• Laconiko – Laconiko Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Koroneiki           
• Laconiko – Laconiko Garlic – Flavored Koroneiki
• Laconiko – Laconiko Olio Nuovo – Koroneiki
• Paschalas Olive Oil – Entelechia – Halkidiki                 
• Falcon S.A. – Ol-eve Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Early Harvest – Kolovi   
• Garofallos Dimitrios – Marmaro Olive Oil – Halkidiki           
• Greek Nature Estate – Vios by Greek Nature Estate – Koroneiki       
• Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises – Acaia Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Kolovi       
• Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises – Acaia Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Kolovi   
• Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises – Aeolian Olive Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Kolovi           
• Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises – L&Ko Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Kolovi
• Efthimiadou Aristi Sonia – Eliris – Manaki, Chalkidikis, Koroneiki, and Megaritiki   
• Jordan Olivenöl GmbH – Jordan Olivenoel – Bambatsa – Nativ Extra – Kolovi and Adramitiani       
• Jordan Olivenöl GmbH – Jordan Olivenoel – Nativ Extra – Kolovi and Adramitiani
• Kala & Mata AB – Antonis’ Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Kala & Mata – Koroneiki   
• Karpea S.A. – Karpea Extra Virgin Olive Oil Organic – Koroneiki           
• Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Alea – Koroneiki               
• Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Lena – Koroneiki and Manaki   
• Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Olymp Olympia PGI – Koroneiki and Kolireiki
• Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Olymp Olympia PGI Organic – Koroneiki and Kolireiki       
• Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Omphacium – Olympia       
• Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Rosmarino – Flavored Koroneiki   
• Kontoulis Evangelos – Ayolias – Koroneiki           
• Maurice Frances S.A. – Oleajuice (Pink) – Koroneiki and Manaki   
• Maurice Frances S.A. – Oleajuice (Tender) – Manaki and Koroneiki   
• Ellaxia Trade – Ladolea Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Patrinia – Patrinia   
• Pellas Nature P.Co. – Organic Drops Basil Organic Olive Oil – Flavored Koroneiki
• Medbest S.A. – Nefeli Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Koroneiki           
• Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Masterpiece Blend Flavored Olive Oil with Pimento, Cloves, Nutmeg and Cinnamon – Flavored Koroneiki, Athinoelia, and Koutsouroelia     
• Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Treasure Blend Flavored Olive Oil with 4 Peppers (Sichuan, Bourbon, Pink, Grains of Paradise), Lime and Lemongrass – Flavored Koroneiki, Athinoelia, Koutsouroelia, Kalamon, and Mourtoelia
• S.A. Andriotis Co. – Olithea Corfu – Lianolia                 
• Build Bridge A Ltd. – Doleon / Greek Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Koroneiki   
• Sitia Olive Oil S.A. – Lasitia – Sitia 0.3 – Koroneiki           
• Oilove – Oilove® Organic EVOO – Origin Astros, Arcadia, Greece – Koroneiki   
• Tzortzis Olive Oil Company – Olvia Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil – Adramitini and Kolovi           
• Πολυμενακος Αγετεε – Maxouli – Koroneiki and Manaki   

*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.