Greek olive oils sweep top awards at JOOP in Tokyo

By Lisa Radinovsky

Greek extra virgin olive oils earned 66 quality awards at the 9th edition of the Japan Olive Oil Prize in Tokyo: 1 Best of Greece, 12 Best in Class, 32 Golds, and 21 Silvers. In competition with 467 entries from 20 countries, Greece also took home 24 awards for flavored olive oils, including the Best of Flavored prize, plus the Best of Polyphenols award.

After evaluation by nine international judges overseen by panel leaders from Greece, Japan, and Italy, Olix Oil Naté Premium won the Best of Greece prize for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), while Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms captured the Best of Flavored olive oil award, and D. Mourlas and Co L.P. / G-Team was awarded the Best of Polyphenols prize for especially healthy EVOO.  

Best of Greece winner Olix Oil Naté Premium (Koroneiki variety) is an early harvest monovarietal (single variety) EVOO from the Peloponnese peninsula that also captured Gold awards at the Berlin Global Olive Oil Awards and EVO IOOC, plus a Silver at Olive Japan. In addition to a flavor and aroma that impresses professional judges, Olix Oil Naté Premium has a low acidity and a high level of healthy polyphenols and other nutrients. According to the company website, this is due to oil extraction at a low temperature, using little water, just a few hours after the olive harvest. Quantity is sacrificed in order to achieve a high quality, and appropriate packaging maintains this quality throughout the EVOO’s shelf life. This helps explain Olix Oil’s 10 awards at JOOP this year.

With a score of 98% at JOOP, Best Flavored Olive Oil winner Oleoastron from Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms has claimed more than 24 awards in various contests, including Golds at the Berlin Global Olive Oil Awards and the EVO IOOC this year. Produced from olives grown in Sparta, Laconia, this unique oil is flavored with fennel, bay leaves, rosemary and oregano. This was just one of 12 awards Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms won for their 10 entries at JOOP this year. Nick Sakellaropoulos told Greek Liquid Gold his company has an unwavering “commitment to top quality olive oils and table olives,” with a constant focus on “the best practices, keeping our standards very high” and “continuously improving the quality level of our olive products.”

At JOOP, D. Mourlas and Co L.P. / G-Team won the Best of Polyphenols Award for their Hypereleon Ultra Gold extra virgin olive oil, following up on success at the World’s Best Healthy EVOO Contest in Spain. This early harvest organic extra virgin olive oil is made from Olympia variety olives grown in the mountains near ancient Olympia. The trees naturally produce extra polyphenols to help them survive extreme climatic conditions; these plant compounds have also been associated with many benefits for human health. Dimitrios Mourlas told Greek Liquid Gold Hypereleon’s success is due to his team’s painstaking care during all stages of production, storage, and transport. G-Team’s procedures “preserve the maximum concentration of natural, extremely beneficial ingredients” in their EVOO.

Japanese consumers are growing more knowledgeable about extra virgin olive oil’s health benefits. They have been buying more EVOO during the pandemic, and their interest in flavored olive oils is also growing, according to JOOP Panel Leader Miciyo Yamada (as reported in a press release). Japan is the main consumer of extra virgin olive oil in Asia and importer of the eighth largest amount of extra virgin olive oil in the world, with its imports increasing 22% in the last 5 years. Greek companies’ success in Japanese competitions offers one way for them to gain the attention of Japanese consumers.

SELECTED JOOP 2021 WINNERS FROM GREECE
For the complete list, select Greece, Flavored Oil, and High Polyphenols on the JOOP website.

Best of Greece
Olix Oil Naté Koroneiki – Olix Oil Ltd.

Best of Polyphenols
Hypereleon Ultra Gold – D. Mourlas and Co L.P. / G-Team

Best of Flavored
Oleoastron Gourmet Flavored Olive Oil with Fennel, Bay Leaves, Rosemary and Oregano – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms

Best in Class (Greek EVOOs)
PGI
Eclectic Earth – Eclectic Earth

Mediterre Olymp Olympia PGI – Mediterre Eurofood SA

Mediterre Olymp Olympia PGI Organic – Mediterre Eurofood SA 

PDO
Iliada Kalamata PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Agro.Vi.M. SA

Organic
Mediterre Omphacium Organic – Mediterre Eurofood SA

Monogram Premium Organic – Monogram Olive Oil

Monovarietal
Monastic Vatopediou by Olix Oil – Olix Oil Ltd.

Olix Oil Ladelia (Koroneiki) – Olix Oil Ltd.

Olix Oil Naté (Manaki) – Olix Oil Ltd.

Olix Oil Naté (Koroneiki) – Olix Oil Ltd.

Terra Creta Grand Cru EVOO – Terra Creta

Blend
Olix Oil Naté (Manaki/Koroneiki) – Olix Oil Ltd.  

Gold Prize Winners (Greek EVOOs)
PGI
Ena Ena Organic PGI Olympia – Hellenic Fields Ltd.

Ena Ena Ultra Superior PGI Olympia – Hellenic Fields Ltd.  

PDO
Kyklopas Ages PDO Makris – Kyklopas Elaiotriveio Argyri Kelidi SA

PDO Kolymvari – Ellora Fine Foods, LLC

Protoleo – Rafteli Protouli Maria & Co.

Terra Zakros – Nikolaos Ailamakis and SIA OEE

Organic
Acaia Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises

Aeolian Olive Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises

Eleonas Vatopediou Bio by Olix Oil – Olix Oil Ltd.

Iliada Organic Emerald Selection Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Agro.Vi.M. SA

K & D – Korileiko

Lezi Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Theodoropoulos Fotios

Lianelia Variety – Dr. Kavvadia Olive Oil

Mediterre Alea – Mediterre Eurofood SA

Pamako Premium Organic Mountain Blend – Androulakis Eftychios Olive Oil Bottling

Pamako Premium Organic Mountain Monovarietal – Androulakis Eftychios Olive Oil Bottling

Thiako Variety – Dr. Kavvadia Olive Oil

Monovarietal
Aeolian Olive Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises

Begood High Phenolic EVOO – Artion Greek Foods

Elettra – Elettra

Evita – Evita

Laconiko Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Laconiko

Laconiko Olio Nuovo Limited Reserve – Laconiko

Mediterre Omphacium – Mediterre Eurofood SA

Mitera Mastoidis (Gr) – Mitera GMBH

Mitera Throumbolia (Gr) – Mitera GMBH

Monastic Vatopediou by Olix Oil – Olix Oil Ltd.

Olix Oil Koroneiki – Olix Oil Ltd.

Olix Oil Nate (Koroneiki) Premium Quality – Olix Oil Ltd.

Ootopia Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Mb Eleon

Blend
Mediterre Lena – Mediterre Eurofood SA

Red Sparrow – Delicious Crete

Best in Class (Greek Flavored Olive Oils)
Laconiko Garlic – Laconiko

Laconiko Lime – Laconiko

Laconiko Rosemary – Laconiko

Oleoastron Gourmet Evoo – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms

Organic Drops Greek Herbs Organic Olive Oil – Pellas Nature P.Co.

“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.”

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Nat Pikozh