The Battle For The Best EVOO Has Begun

Author Kostas Liris

February marked the start of the international and local competitions in the world of extra virgin olive oil. Over the coming months, more than 30 international olive oil competitions will take place, and even more at the local level. Producers and large companies will face one another and stand before the impartial verdict of olive oil experts, who will assess the result of a year’s work and give an ambitious award or, in the worst case, an unpleasant rating.

Over the past 10 years, the industry has invested heavily in competitions, on the one hand as a marketing tool, but not only that - it is a ticket to entering certain markets and perhaps the most practical way to convince the end customer that the oil they are buying is extra virgin olive oil of the highest quality.

Places such as New York, Tokyo, Paris, Jerusalem and many others host some of the most highly regarded competitions, such as NYIOOC, JOOP, OLIO NUOVO DAYS, EVOIOOC, TERRA OLIVO and many more.

As a panel leader in many important competitions for years and a consultant to producers, I always wonder whether, at the end of the day, an award is just a sheet of paper to hang on the wall or the embodiment of the result of a whole year’s work to obtain an outstanding product.

And I realize more and more that an award-winning olive oil is not just good, but superb.

A competition is like a battlefield - for the olive oils and for the judges. It is a place where different people with different cultures and backgrounds must cooperate to deliver a verdict and declare a winner. Indeed, the tension during the evaluation grows with every minute, and sometimes you can see how hard it is to reach the final score. The responsibility of the judge is enormous, which is why we say that international and large competitions are only for true professionals, and why most of the time we see more or less the same names in the most prestigious competitions.

Every competition, of course, has an impact on the final product, consumers and the industry as a whole. Every award serves as a guarantee to the customer that what they are buying is truly good. Believe me, when you buy an award-winning olive oil, you can be sure you have spent your money well and will enjoy something of quality at your table.

Who Is Kostas Liris?

Kostas Liris is one of the greatest olive oil experts in the world, an agronomist and certified taster. For almost a decade he has been a judge and head of a tasting panel at the world’s most prestigious extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) competitions – NYIOOC in New York, JOOP in Tokyo, ATHENA IOOC in the Greek capital and others. He teaches sensory analysis, production and safety of olive oil in New York, London and San Francisco in cooperation with the Olive Oil Times Education Lab, and partners with Olio Nuovo Days in Paris and other prestigious international organizations and companies dedicated to olive oil. He is the founder of IRIS-Agricultural Union of Messenia, a consulting company for agriculture and the food industry. Former Prime Minister George Papandreou personally sent him a letter of thanks for his contribution to developing and promoting quality Greek products around the world. In November, Kostas met the Bulgarian audience for the first time and gave the masterclass “The Unknown Olive Oil” during the largest wine forum in our country - DiVino Taste.