In a hotly contested competition held in Spain (the largest producer of olive oil in the world), our very own De Rustica Olive Estate held its own! Proving that South African Extra Virgin Olive Oil is not only of the highest quality but also able to compete at the most prestigious international level, De Rustica Olive Estate Coratina won both the ‘Best in Class’ and the ‘Absolute Best Olive Oil’ medals at the EVOOLEUM Awards in Spain.
The EVOOLEUM competition, one of the largest and strictest global olive oil competitions worldwide, assesses and judges Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOOs) from all over the world. This year, a panel of 26 judges from 10 countries blind-tasted nearly 1 000 samples from scores of global producers – and South Africa’s De Rustica came out on top, winning a stunning 97 points.
“This award is testament to the passion and dedication to quality of the entire De Rustica team,” Rob Stil of De Rustica said on his website. “In an international market that is dominated by the Mediterranean, this achievement yet again showcases the quality of South African Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Not only is this an incredible achievement for De Rustica, but a significant achievement for South Africa and the South African olive industry.”
De Rustica Estates were established in 2006 in the Swartberg Mountains, close to De Rust, and farms Merino sheep and olives. The olives are planted over 140 hectares and the estate has consistently won accolades for the quality of its olive oils.
Vittoria Jooste, CEO of SA Olive, says: “We wish to formally congratulate De Rustica on this proud triumph. This accolade proves once again that that South African olive producers can compete internationally and win major awards around the world. De Rustica’s achievement is further testament to the fact that South African EVOO, as verified by SA Olive’s Commitment to Compliance (CTC) scheme, is truly world-class.”