Record participation in the ATHENA International Olive Oil Competition | Chania 8 - 10 May

The declarations for the Athena International Olive Oil Competition 2025 (ATHENA IOOC), the only international olive oil competition held in Greece and which this year will be held in Chania, 8 - 10 May, have been completed with a record number of participants.

The competition is held in co-organization with the Region of Crete, the Regional Union of Municipalities of Crete, the Municipalities of Chania, Platanias, Apokoronas, Kissamos, Kantanos-Selinos and Sfakia, the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Chania, the Regional Development Company of Crete and the Association of Olive-Growing Municipalities of Crete.

In this year’s 10th anniversary event, 630 entries were recorded from every corner of the planet that produces olive oil. It is noteworthy that 52% of the samples come from 24 countries outside Greece, confirming the recognition and prestige of the competition in the international market and the trust shown in it by leading olive producers worldwide. In addition to all the countries of the Mediterranean basin and the Southern Hemisphere, this year olive oils from Malaysia and Uzbekistan have declared their participation for the first time.

The choice of Chania

The historic city of Chania was chosen as the venue for ATHENA IOOC 2025, in order to honor the ten-year course of the competition, as the relationship of the entire Regional Unit of Chania with the olive tree and olive oil is multidimensional and timeless. In Crete, after all, olive oil is the foundation of the economy, society and gastronomic identity, while its production has been linked to history and culture since ancient times.

The arrival of the competition in Chania has sparked the interest of all olive producers in Crete, with 22 olive oil production and standardization companies in the region participating with 40 samples, as it is increasingly understood that the future of Greek olive oil lies in standardization and the creation of added value, goals that are highlighted through processes such as the international ATHENA competition.

As always, the international jury of the competition is made up of experienced and prestigious tasters and testers, with extensive knowledge of the global olive oil market. The 30 judges of the competition come from Brazil, USA, Spain, Israel, Italy, Croatia, Morocco, Great Britain, Portugal, Turkey, Tunisia, Chile and, of course, Greece. ATHENA IOOC maintains the highest ratio of judges per number of samples compared to similar competitions, ensuring impartial and qualitative evaluation, which takes place exclusively in the morning hours under ideal conditions. The evaluation process will be hosted at the Grand Arsenal, in the old port of the city, in the conference rooms of the Mediterranean Architecture Center.

Exhibition of olive oils from Chania

As part of the competition, on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 6, an important exhibition of olive oils from all over the Chania Regional Unit will take place in the foyer of the “Mikis Theodorakis” theater, so that not only the ATHENA judges but also the consumer public will have the opportunity to taste the great olive oils of the region in the presence of their producers.

On the afternoon of Saturday, May 10, at the Center for Mediterranean Architecture, a seminar for olive producers will be held, with the participation of ATHENA judges, on the topic of international markets and the export prospects that open up for premium Greek olive oils. Finally, as has been the case in recent years, distinguished Greek chefs have been invited to participate in the competition as “guest tasters” with the aim of strengthening the presence of the leading Greek olive oils in the country’s haute cuisine restaurants.

The results will be announced on May 23 on the competition website www.athenaoliveoil.gr and the awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 7 at the Peristyle of the Zappeion Megaron.

ATHENA IOOC is organized by the communication and exhibition organization company Vinetum, which has no business relationship with the production and marketing of olive oil.

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