2022 Absa Top 10 Olive Oil Award Winners Announced
I had the absolute pleasure to be invited to attend the 2022 ABSA Top 10 Olive Oil Awards which took place on the 7th of October 2022 at Asara Wine Estate. What a grand affair it was. Stunning views, excellent weather, good laughs, superb food and of course the highlight – The announcement of the ABSA Top 10 Olive Oil winners!
As part of an ongoing partnership between ABSA and the SA Olive Industry Association, every year following the annual SA Olive Awards the highest-scoring gold medal winners are entered into an additional round of blind judging. Out of this, the ten top scoring Extra Virgin Olive Oils are then selected for the prestigious ABSA Top 10 Olive Oil Award.
The partnership between SA Olive and ABSA started in 2013 when the ABSA Top 5 Olive Oil Awards were first introduced. Since then, this award has grown into a prestigious annual event at which South African EVOO producers are given the deserved recognition for their pursuit of excellence in producing top-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO).
The event also validates ABSA’s commitment to supporting South African agriculture and promoting the development of South African EVOO and the olive industry.
2022 Absa Top 10 Olive Oil Award Winners Are Announced:
SA Olive’s CEO, Vittoria Jooste says “We are delighted to be celebrating our South African olive oil producers with such a prestigious event. So much hard work, determination and technical expertise are needed to create EVOOs of the highest quality, and South African producers should be duly recognised for producing quality olive oils, year after year, in spite of the many challenges. The annual ABSA Top 10 Olive Oil Awards is an excellent platform to showcase the best South African EVOOs and give producers – finalists and winners – the recognition they deserve.”
We are proud to announce that the 2022 Absa Top 10 Olive Oil Award winners. In alphabetical order they are:
- Altevrede: Altevrede – Favolosa
- De Rustica Olive Estate: De Rustica Collection – Coratina
- Falcon’s Nest Farm: Chaloner – The Peregrine Limited Edition
- Het Vlock Casteel: Favolosa
- Mardouw Olive Estate: Mardouw XXV Intense
- Morgenster Estate: Don Carlo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Oudewerfskloof Olive Farm: OWK Picual
- Porterville Olives: Andante Delicate
- Rio Largo Olive Estate : Rio Largo Gold
- Zoetigheyd Farms: Zoetigheyd Premium Frantoio
Willem Nel, Absa’s Regional Segment Head: High Value Banking and Premium Cape Region says “After nearly a decade of working with SA Olive, we are proud to be part of this annual award ceremony once again. As we have recently celebrated Heritage Day, we truly believe that olive oil is deeply rooted in our heritage, and at Absa we take pride in celebrating the rich history, tradition, diversity, excellence, and quality of South African Extra Virgin Olive Oil. South African producers are creating top quality olive oils every year, and we need to do all we can to continually support and assist them in promoting their products as they play an invaluable role within the local olive industry. We would like to congratulate all entrants and winners on a job well done.”
Congratulations once again to all 2022 Absa Top 10 Olive Oil Award winners, and we look forward to next year.
Some Random Facts About Olive Oil:
Olive Oil has experienced an increase in demand in SA due to COVID and a desire for a healthier lifestyle.
South Africa only produces about a third of the olive oil we consume. According to the Southern Hemisphere’s olive oil producers, we rank about 5th. Spain is without a doubt the biggest exporter of Olive Oil in the world! I mean we are talking huge volumes. The Spanish industry produces about 57 percent of the world’s olive oil, followed by the Portuguese and the Italians.
It takes about 5-8kg of olives to make 1 liter of oil.
About SA Olive
SA Olive is an association representing the common interests of the South African olive industry and is committed to ensuring a healthy future for its members, healthy growth and development for the industry and a healthy lifestyle for all South Africans.
Always look out for the SA Olive CTC seal on a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). This is a seal of confidence and it’s the guarantee that the producer is ‘committed to compliance’ in quality olive oil production. It confirms that the EVOO is 100% locally (South African) produced and is authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Visit the SA Olive Website and follow on social media: SA Olive on Instagram / SA Olive on Facebook