Safitad Private Reserve Awarded Gold in New York

Turkish producer Bata Tarim ve Gida Urunleri has won a Gold Award at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

Winning is an indescribable joy for all of us; owners, employees and the community... The best reward for all the hard work of the challenging year. It's a great motivation to do better next year.

Mehmet Taki, co-owner

The company, which overlooks the ruins of the legendary city of Troy in western Anatolia, earned the award for its Safitad Private Reserve brand, a medium Ayvalik.

"Winning is an indescribable joy for all of us; owners, employees and the community," co-owner Mehmet Taki said. "Demand for our winning olive oil has exploded."

"This award is very valuable for the recognition of our brand and company," he added. "The best reward for all the hard work of the challenging year. It's a great motivation to do better next year."

In the 2021/22 crop year, the company produced 25 tons of extra virgin olive oil using traditional methods. Despite the bountiful and high-quality harvest, Taki said the crop year presented various unique challenges.

"The aging of our labor force finally caught up with us this year," he said. "Many of our longtime employees retired this year. It has been very difficult to find replacements for them. The adaptation of the new workers has been a challenge on top of that, rendering this harvest season a very tough one."

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 in the Official Guide to the World's Best Olive Oils.