By Lisa Radinovsky from Greek Liquid Gold.
In 2023, Greece claimed over 5 times as many “EVOO of the Year” distinctions in the EVOO World Ranking as in 2017: 66 in 2023, up from 13. This increase supports experts’ claims that growing numbers of Greek olive oil producers and companies are engaging in the hard work, best practices, and painstaking care required to produce excellent olive oil.
The 2023 EVOO World Ranking (WR) listed 12 Greek extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) among the world’s top 100, 12 Greek olive oil companies in the top 100, and 24 Greek flavored olive oils in the top 37. As in the past, Greece dominated the lists of Koroneiki variety EVOOs and flavored olive oils, with 15 of the top 20 Koroneikis and 16 of the top 20 flavored oils.
At the very top of the EVOOWR’s list for Greek extra virgin olive oils, Terra Creta Grand Cru from Melissa-Kikizas S.A. – Terra Creta was ranked both Best of Greece and among the world’s top 10 for the 4th year in a row. On the list of best “societies,” Mediterre Eurofood S.A. was designated the best olive oil company in Greece and ranked among the world’s top 10 for the 5th time in the last 6 years.
The EVOOWR has published rankings of extra virgin olive oils, flavored olive oils, and olive oil companies (called “societies”) each year since 2017. Olive oils and companies are ranked according to the number and type of awards they win in selected international olive oil competitions, with the number of points they earn determined by the EVOOWR’s decision about the importance of each competition they decide to include. EVOOWR reports that Greek olive oils won 1095 awards in 33 of the 35 international olive oil competitions held in 2023 that EVOOWR considered. (According to the EVOOWR site, a total of 49 national and international olive oil competitions were held in 2023.)
With 43 awards from 30 contests, Terra Creta Grand Cru Koroneiki was ranked #1 in the EVOOWR’s lists of Greek EVOOs and Koroneiki variety EVOOs, coming very close to the highest number of awards listed for any EVOO worldwide. Terra Creta Organic EVOO and Terra Creta PDO Kolymvari EVOO were also recognized as “EVOOs of the Year” based on their numerous awards in 2023. Reflecting on their many prizes for several EVOOs over the years, Emmanouil Karpadakis points out that Melissa Kikizas S.A. is dedicated to consistency and committed to “producing high-quality extra virgin olive oil in a significant volume so more and more consumers can enjoy and appreciate flavorful Terra Creta EVOO.”
Even in this time of great challenges, Karpadakis believes, “a significant number of consumers still prefer and look for quality in their everyday food,” and international awards are a sign of high quality. The company’s wide-ranging recognition is “the reward for 12 months’ work by the experienced Terra Creta team, since every single practice applied (or not applied), from the field to the final product, affects the sensory profile of our EVOO.”
Additional substantial evidence of the high quality of Greek olive oil comes from the 65 awards captured in 11 international contests by the top-ranked olive oil company in Greece, Mediterre Eurofood S.A. In 2023, according to the EVOOWR, Mediterre had 3 EVOOs ranked among the world’s top 100 (and the top 11 in Greece): their Omphacium Organic, Alea Organic Koroneiki, and Omphacium EVOOs. In addition, like Terra Creta and other top-ranked Greek companies, Mediterre produced flavored olive oils that ranked among the world’s top 40.
In the EVOOWR, in fact, the top 3 companies for flavored olive oil were all Greek: Sakellaropoulos, Laconiko, and Liokareas. The #1 ranked company for flavored olive oil in Greece and worldwide in 2023 was Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms. This year, they captured 114 awards in 15 of the contests considered by EVOOWR and produced the Best Flavored oil for EVOOWR 2023 of Greece, the unique Masterpiece Flavored with Pimento, Cloves, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon.
As Nick Sakellaropoulos told Greek Liquid Gold, his family business contributed 43% of the points for Greek flavored olive oils that appear on the EVOOWR list, helping their country to retain its first-place position in that category with 7 top-10 showings. In addition, 5 of the company’s organic extra virgin olive oils were distinguished with the title “EVOO of the Year” in recognition of their various awards in international competitions, with their Fyllikon First Harvest among the top 10 Koroneiki variety EVOOs in the world and 2 other EVOOs among the top 20 Koroneikis.
Another family business that was recognized for both its extra virgin and flavored olive oils is Laconiko, which EVOOWR ranked among the top 5 Greek olive oil companies and one of the world’s 3 best companies for flavored olive oil. Moreover, Laconiko was credited with 3 of the top 10 EVOOs in Greece and listed as the producer of the best Chondrolia – Kalamon variety EVOO internationally, maker of 2 of the 5 best Koroneiki variety EVOOs globally, and creator of 6 of the world’s top 15 flavored olive oils. Diamantis Pierrakos believes all of these distinctions show “we are consistently producing great olive oils” with “real honest consistent quality”—olive oil that is readily available in the USA, where the Laconiko headquarters is located.
Also ranked among the top 5 Greek olive oil companies, G-Team has been awarded for healthy EVOO composition and/or superior quality many times for several consecutive years. They are proud to have 2023 “EVOO of the Year” listings by EVOOWR for their 4 Hypereleon extra virgin olive oils: Hypereleon Gold, Green, Nutri – Arcadian Mountains, and Ultra Gold. Dimitrios Mourlas told Greek Liquid Gold his company’s many distinctions “highly motivate us to maximize our efforts on our constant trip toward perfection.” He considers “information from international panels of experts” regarding awards helpful to consumers “so they can distinguish the truly top quality olive oils from the rest.”
Olive Temple co-owner Alexis Karabelas similarly believes “it is important to have professionals in the field objectively judge our products–even more so in this time when the price of olive oil has skyrocketed, as it helps consumers feel comfortable with the money they will pay.” His company in the area of Ancient Olympia, which works with a very old, little-known local olive variety called Tsabidolia, produced 2 of the top 12 EVOOs of Greece, landing it among the top 6 olive oil companies in Greece and 40th worldwide in the 2023 EVOOWR. Karabelas sees competitions “as a testimony of our quality” and continuous high standards.
Even in the face of the great difficulties of recent years, numerous awards testify that Greek olive oil producers continue to overcome challenges in order to provide consumers worldwide with excellent, flavorful, healthy olive oil.
SOME OF THE TOP RANKED GREEK OLIVE OILS AND COMPANIES, ACCORDING TO EVOOWR
Note: Numbers in the lists below refer to the competitions considered by the EVOOWR, and the EVOOWR’s ranking based on their ratings of each competition.
# – Company – EVOO – Olive Variety – Number of Awards
1 – Melissa-Kikizas S.A. – Terra Creta – Terra Creta Grand Cru – Koroneiki – 43
2 – Kavalaria Estate – Saridakis Georgios – Pathos Koroneiki – Koroneiki – 22
3 – Laconiko – Laconiko Olio Nuovo Limited Reserve – Koroneiki – 10
4 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Omphacium Organic – Olympia – Choraitiki – 11
5 – Laconiko – Laconiko Koroneiki – Koroneiki – 10
6 – Melissa-Kikizas S.A. – Terra Creta – Terra Creta Organic – Koroneiki – 14
7 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Alea Organic Koroneiki – Koroneiki – 12
8 – A.M.G. Karabelas I.K.E. – The Olive Temple – Laurel & Flame Fresh Early Harvest – Tsabidolia – 11
9 – Laconiko – Laconiko Zoi – Chondrolia – Kalamon – 12
10 – Hellenic Fields Ltd. – Ena Ena Organic PGI Olympia – Koroneiki – 11
11– Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Omphacium – Olympia – Choraitiki – 11
12 – A.M.G. Karabelas I.K.E. – The Olive Temple – Laurel & Flame Premium Olympia PGI – Blend – 10
# – Company – Number of Contests – Number of Awards
1 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – 11 – 65
2 – Melissa-Kikizas S.A. – Terra Creta – 31 – 65
3 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – 11 – 37
4 – Laconiko – 11 – 32
5 – G-Team – 10 – 51
6 – A.M.G. Karabelas I.K.E. – The Olive Temple – 10 – 24
7 – MB Eleon Single Memper P.C. – 6 – 21
8 – Hellenic Fields Ltd. – 12 – 22
9 – Renieris P.C. – El Renieris & Co. – 7 – 21
10 – Amacs Administration Management Consulting Services P.C. – 2 – 21
11 – Agro VI.M. S.A. – 6 – 15
12 – Kavalaria Estate – Saridakis Georgios – 15 – 22
# – Company – Flavored Olive Oil – Number of Awards
1 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Masterpiece Flavored with Pimento – Cloves – Nutmeg – Cinnamon – 18
2 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Oleoastron Gourmet Flavored with Fennel – Bay Leaves – Rosemary – Oregano – 17
3 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Syllektikon Gourmet Flavored with Orange – Lemon – Thyme – 15
4 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Enigma Gourmet Flavored with Apple – Cinnamon – Honey – 16
5 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Majestic Flavored with Lemongrass & Tarragon – 14
6 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Treasure Blend Flavored with 4 Peppers – Lime – Lemongrass – 15
7 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Gemstone Flavored with Ginger – Lime – Basil – 13
8 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Garlic – 11
9 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Lime – 9
10 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Clementine – 9
11 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Citrus Habanero – 10
12 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Lemon – 8
13 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Blood Orange – 10
14 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Flavored with Limone – 6
15 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Flavored with Oregano – 5
16 – Melissa-Kikizas S.A. – Terra Creta – Terra Creta Infusions with Garlic – 6
17 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Flavored with Rosmarino – 5
18 – Liokareas Olive Oil – Oilio LLC – Liokareas Cold Fused Flavored with Oregano – 4
19 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Flavored with Basilico – 4
20 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Enstagma Gourmet Flavored with Saffron – 4
21 – Liokareas Olive Oil – Oilio LLC – Liokareas Cold Fused Flavored with Rosemary – 3
22 – Liokareas Olive Oil – Oilio LLC – Liokareas Cold Fused Flavored with Chili Pepper – 3
23 – Liokareas Olive Oil – Oilio LLC – Liokareas Cold Fused Flavored with Leek – 3
24 – Liokareas Olive Oil – Oilio LLC – Liokareas Cold Fused Flavored with Sage – 3
*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.
