1,500 Farmers Celebrate Gold Award at Lucena Cooperative

Cooperativa Olivarera de Lucena from Spain earned its debut award at the 2023 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.

We are proud of having produced one of the best oils. This is a great recognition of the effort and dedication used in the selection and production of this extra virgin olive oil.

Antonio Pozo Nevado, agronomist

The Andalusian cooperative, comprising 1,500 farmers, earned a Gold Award for its Lucetina brand, a medium Hojiblanca.

"We are proud of having produced one of the best oils," said Antonio Pozo Nevado, the cooperative's agronomist. "This is a great recognition of the effort and dedication used in the selection and production of this extra virgin olive oil."

In the 2022/23 crop year, the cooperative harvested eight million tons of olives from its 14,000 hectares of groves and 1.2 million trees. Pozo said Spain's hot and dry summer caused the most significant problems for the cooperative.

"We had a big problem when it came to receiving optimal olives for premium oil, but the big challenge was temperature control since these have been high during the harvest."

Held each spring in New York, the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition is the world's largest and most prestigious olive oil contest. Its annual listing of award winners is considered the authoritative guide to the year’s best extra virgin olive oils.

The complete list of winners can be viewed in the Official Guide to the World's Best Olive Oils.