Ayvaco Awarded for Delicate Ayvalik at World Competition

Ayvaco USA has won a Silver Award at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

As a small family business, this award is humbling and validating. It has us reflecting on the generations of producers, especially my grandfathers, who paved the way for us.

Umut Birlik, co-owner

The Turkish producers who export their oils to the United States, where they currently live, earned the award for a delicate Ayvalik.

"As a small family business, this award is humbling and validating," co-owner Umut Birlik said. "It has us reflecting on the generations of producers, especially my grandfathers, who paved the way for us."

"We created Ayvaco to help spread the word about Ayvalik's oil beyond Turkey's borders," he added. "We hope this award encourages the other small producers who share in that mission."

Despite winning their first-ever award from the NYIOOC, Birlik said the previous year had presented many challenges.

"Without a doubt, we felt the impact of global supply chain constraints stemming from Covid-19 this year," he said. "Labor costs were certainly higher and we had more difficulty than in previous years assembling our harvest team."

"That said, we anticipated these challenges and moved our timetable up to ensure our harvest and milling were timely and successful," Birlik added.

The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, held each spring in New York, 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 on the Official Guide to the World's Best Olive Oils.