Greek olive oil near top of world’s best olive oil lists

By Lisa Radinovsky

For the first time, a Greek extra virgin olive oil was ranked in the Top Ten worldwide by the EVOO World Ranking (WR). Terra Creta’s Grand Cru earned the first of Greece’s 24 spots on the 2020 list of the Top 100 EVOOs of the World. Excelling with Koroneiki and flavored olive oils, Greece more than doubled its awards and EVOOs of the Year compared to 2019.

In the list of the Top 100 Societies of the World, eight of the first 25 were Greek, with Laconiko ranked second worldwide. According to the EVOOWR for 2020, Greece captured 921 awards at 23 international olive oil competitions, earning 74 designations as EVOOs of the Year. Greece ranked third after Italy and Spain in olive oil awards (as in the average amount of olive oil produced).

Greek extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) dominated the EVOOWR’s Ranking of the Best Koroneiki 2020, claiming all but five of the top 30 listings and most of the other spots on the list of awarded oils made from the Koroneiki olive variety. Greece also claimed the top 16 spots for flavored olive oils and all but four of the first 30 places on that list.

EVOOWR’s 2020 list of the world’s Top Ten olive oils include Terra Creta Grand Cru, which was also ranked the Best EVOO from Greece in 2020, thanks to its 24 awards from 16 competitions. Since this is the first time a Greek EVOO was ranked higher than 18th globally, Terra Creta’s Emmanouil Karpadakis emphasized the honor for his country and one of its most important products: “Greek olive oil is at the top of the world for the first time!” Terra Creta’s team will produce more than 30,000 kg of EVOO under the Grand Cru project this year to meet the great demand.

Karpadakis told Greek Liquid Gold that Terra Creta’s Grand Cru “is a project; it’s not just a product. A lot of people are involved: teams of farmers and our agronomists” who work together throughout the year in Crete. “We set the goals from day one, and all people involved know where we want to go. All the knowledge and technology invested in this are implemented for other products, too; this is the most important positive aspect of the Grand Cru project.”

In fact, Terra Creta’s Organic EVOO was another of the top 30 EVOOs in the world, with the fourth-highest score for organic olive oil globally. Producing both the first and second-ranked EVOOs from Greece, Terra Creta also claimed the first two spots on the list of the best Koroneiki monovarietal extra virgin olive oils in the world, starting with their Grand Cru, with a third EVOO in the top ten on that list.  

Based farther north in Laconia, Peloponnese, Laconiko was ranked the second most successful olive oil company in the world for 2020 by EVOOWR, as well as the Best Society from Greece, with 85 awards from 12 competitions in just one year. With two of its EVOOs listed among the top ten Koroneiki monovarietal extra virgin olive oils globally, Laconiko also held the first seven spots in the Ranking of the Best Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil.

As Diamantis Pierrakos explained to Greek Liquid Gold, “our flavored olive oils are in fact made from our high-end extra virgin olive oil, so all the honors are a reflection of the quality of our two Laconiko estate extra virgin olive oils.” Improving every year, they were both among the top 60 EVOOs in the world in the EVOOWR for 2020. Thrilled by the rankings, Pierrakos said he considers them a “reflection of the hard work and exhausting determination to be better” at Laconiko. He believes Laconiko is unusual in being less a company than an extended “family unit; we work like one, and we are all committed and share the same goal, quality!”

Another family business in Laconia, Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms, ranked fifth on EVOOWR’s list of the Top Ten olive oil producing companies in the world for 2020, with ten of their organic and gourmet olive oils ranked EVOOs of the Year. Two of their EVOOs were listed among the top 30 Koroneiki monovarietal extra virgin olive oils globally, while their flavored olive oils claimed eight of the top 30 spots in the Ranking of the Best Condimento-Flavored Olive Oils, including two of the top ten. Nikos Sakellaropoulos told Greek Liquid Gold these results “reward our continuous efforts to achieve excellence” and confirm his family’s “choice to base our production on quality rather than quantity, using organic farming and specialized expertise” for 30 years, and counting.

On Lesvos, Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises used the island’s indigenous Kolovi olives to make three of the top ten extra virgin olive oils from Greece. Ellie Tragakes informed Greek Liquid Gold that her team is “very proud that our efforts are receiving increasing worldwide recognition. In 2017 our company was ranked as the first and only Greek company in the top 100 companies in the world in the EVOO World Ranking. In 2018 and 2019 we were among the top 50 in the world. In 2020 we were ranked in the Top Ten in the world.” Their unique olive oil flavored with all-natural essential oils of grapefruit and bergamot was also one of 2020’s top ten flavored oils worldwide.   

Near ancient Olympia in the western Peloponnese, Hellenic Fields produced two PGI Olympia EVOOs that were ranked among the top ten Koroneiki monovarietal extra virgin olive oils globally: they captured fourth place for their early harvest and eighth for their organic EVOO. For their award-winning flavored olive oils, Nikolas Philippidis explained, they use “natural herbs (oregano and lemon thyme) that we co-cultivated alongside our olive trees.” He credits “the terroir of our groves” for his company’s “top quality produce--the microclimate, soil, and altitude, alongside our advanced harvesting and milling experience.”

In the rugged Mani Peninsula in the southern Peloponnese, Liokareas produced early harvest and organic EVOOs that are among the top 40 Koroneiki extra virgin olive oils worldwide, as well as making six of the top 25 flavored olive oils. Their flavored oils include “lemons and oranges grown right beside our olive trees,” as well as fresh wild herbs “from the historic Taygetus mountains right above our farms. Our cold fusion process with real, fresh herbs, as opposed to flavorings, really sets us apart.” As Peter Liokareas pointed out, “this year we are one of six Greek companies in the top 15 olive oil societies in the world. This is a great improvement for us and for all of Greece.”

EVOOs of the Year of Greece 2020
EVOOWR Rank – Company Name – Olive Oil Name – Olive Variety
1 – Terra Creta S.A. – Terra Creta Grand Cru – Koroneiki
2 – Terra Creta S.A. – Terra Creta Estate Organic – Koroneiki
3 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises Ltd. – Acaia Organic Kolovi – Kolovi
4 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Alea Organic Koroneiki – Koroneiki   
5 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises Ltd. – Acaia Kolovi – Kolovi   
6 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mythocia Olympia Organic Early Harvest PGI – Blend
7 – Hellenic Fields Ltd. – Ena Ena Ultra Superior PGI Olympia – Koroneiki
8 – Laconiko – Laconiko Koroneiki – Koroneiki   
9 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises Ltd. – Aeolian Kolovi – Kolovi   
10 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Lena Blend – Blend   
11 – Laconiko – Laconiko Olio Nuovo – Koroneiki   
12 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored Lemon – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil   
13 – Terra Creta S.A. – Terra Creta Estate PDO Kolymvari – Koroneiki   
14 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored Dillemon – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
15 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored Blood Orange – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
16 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored Garlic – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil   
17 – Kyklopas Elaiotriveio Argypi Kelidi S.A. – Kyklopas Early Harvest – Makri
18 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Omphacium Organic – Olympia   
19 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored Basil – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil   
20 – Hellenic Fields Ltd. – Ena Ena Organic PGI Olympia – Koroneiki   
21 – Olix Oil Ltd. – Ladelia Premium Koroneiki – Koroneiki
22 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored Tuscan Herb – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
23 – Nikolaos Ailamakis & Co. - Terra Zakros – Terra Zakros – Koroneiki   
24 – Olix Oil Ltd. – Aphea – Manaki   
25 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored Rosemary – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
26 – Olix Oil Ltd. – Olix Koroneiki Premium – Koroneiki
27 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Enigma Gourmet Flavored with Apple - Cinnamon - Honey – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
28 – Agro VI.M. S.A. – Iliada PDO Kalamata – Koroneiki
29 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises Ltd. – Acaia Flavored with Grapefruit & Bergamot – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
30 – Staliá Bougatsos Konstantinos – Staliá Greek – Koroneiki
31 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Gemstone Flavored Ginger - Lime - Basil – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
32 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Majestic Flavored with Lemongrass & Tarragon – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
33 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Fyllikon First Harvest Organic Koroneiki – Koroneiki
34 – Olympian Green International S.A. – Olympian Green Oly Oil Traditional – Koroneiki
35 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises Ltd. – Aeolian Organic Kolovi – Kolovi
36 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Syllektikon Gourmet Flavored Orange - Lemon - Thyme – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
37 – Tzortzis Michael – Olvia Organic – Blend
38 – Androulakis Eftychios Olive Oil Bottling LLC – Pamako Premium Mountain Tsunati Bio – Tsunati
39 – Tsouderos Ltd. – Ladi – Koroneiki
40 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored Herb de Provence – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
41 – Agro VI.M. S.A. – Iliada Organic Emerald Selection – Koroneiki
42 – Olive Poem - A Drop of Art – Olive Poem - A Drop of Art – Blend
43 – Olympian Green International S.A. – Olympian Green Oly Oil Organic – Koroneiki
44 – Enkardia – Enkardia Ultra Premium – Koroneiki
45 – Olympian Green International S.A. – Ktima Louiza Greek Organic – Koroneiki
46 – Ellora Fine Foods LLC. – Ellora Farms PDO Kolymvari Crete – Koroneiki
47 – Olive Fabrica – The Governor – Lianolia Kerkyras
48 – Liokareas Olive Oil - Oilio LLC – Liokareas Cold Fused Sage – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
49 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Armonia Organic Koroneiki – Koroneiki
50 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Oleoastron Gourmet Flavored Fennel - Bay Leaves - Rosemary - Oregano – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
51 – Androulakis Eftychios Olive Oil Bottling LLC – Pamako Premium Mountain Bio Blend – Blend
52 – Liokareas Olive Oil - Oilio LLC – Liokareas Early Harvest Koroneiki – Koroneiki
53 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises Ltd. – Acaia Flavored with Lemon & Oregano – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
54 – Olive Mill Alexandros Voukoureslis Nikolaos S.A. – Alexandros Special Edition – Makri
55 – Friedrich Bläuel & Co. Ltd. - Bläuel Greek Organic Products – Mani Bläuel Greek Organic – Koroneiki
56 – Liokareas Olive Oil - Oilio LLC – Liokareas Late Harvest Lemon – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
57 – Liokareas Olive Oil - Oilio LLC – Liokareas Estate Grown Greek Orange – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
58 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored Greek Seasoning – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
59 – Makaria Terra – Makaria Terra Koroneiki – Koroneiki
60 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Agourelaio Early Harvest Organic Koroneiki – Koroneiki
61 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Enstagma Gourmet Flavored Saffron & Rosemary – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
62 – Ellora Fine Foods LLC. – Ellora Farms PDO Messara Cold Extraction – Koroneiki
63 – Gaea Products S.A. – Gaea Fresh EVOO – Olympia
64 – Liokareas Olive Oil - Oilio LLC – Liokareas Cold Fused Basil – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
65 – Liokareas Olive Oil - Oilio LLC – Liokareas Cold Fused Oregano – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
66 – Anagnostopoulos A. & Co. – One & Olive Premium Greek EVOO – Koroneiki
67 – Olive Mill Alexandros Voukoureslis Nikolaos S.A. – Alexandros Black Edition – Makri
68 – Tzamouranis & Schmidt Internationale Handelsg – Oel Koroneiki – Koroneiki
69 – Dr. Kavvadia Olive Oil – Dr. Kavvadia Olive Oil – Lianolia Kerkyras
70 – Liokareas Olive Oil - Oilio LLC – Liokareas Organic – Koroneiki
71 – MFSA - Oleagroves – Olea Juice Pink – Blend
72 – Neolea Ltd. – Neolea Born in Greece Koroneiki – Koroneiki
73 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Enstagma Gourmet Flavored Saffron – Condimento-Flavored Olive Oil
74 – Liocharis Kefalonia Olive Oil Marina Galiatsatou – Liocharis – Blend

The EVOO World Ranking is a classification by the World Association of Journalists and Writers of Wines, Liquors and others (WAWWJ), which ranks prize-winning olive oils according to the awards they win at international olive oil competitions. The WAWWJ rates competitions according to their assessment of the contests’ “importance in the world and area, number of samples, number of countries and impact in major consuming areas of the world.” This evaluation determines the weight assigned to each award, affecting the number of points and the ranking given to each olive oil and company. The WAWWJ considered 27 of the major international olive oil competitions held in 2020, which received 13,342 olive oil samples.

Thanks to Terra Creta for the photos used in this article.

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“Originally published on Greek Liquid Gold: Authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (greekliquidgold.com). See that site for recipes with olive oil, photos from Greece, and olive oil news and information.”