Champsoleil Overcomes Challenges to Triumph at NYIOOC

French producer Champsoleil has won two Gold Awards at the 2021 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

Since our first presentation at the NYIOOC, our Grand Cru, l'Efemèra, has always won Gold Awards from the team of experts. This year was a "double shot" as our Cuvée Prestige AOP Nice Lou Divin Préludi won the same distinction. By stimulating us in this way, participating in NYIOOC can only be a virtuous circle.

Henri Derepas, owner

In the 2020/21 crop year, the company produced an estimated 30 to 35 tons of organic extra virgin olive oil in Nice from a blend of Cailletier olives using traditional methods. Champsoleil earned the two Gold Awards for its L’Efemera brand, an organic delicate blend, and its Lou Divin Preludi brand, an organic medium Cailletier.

"Since our first presentation at the NYIOOC, our Grand Cru, l'Efemèra, has always won Gold Awards from the team of experts," owner Henri Derepas said. "This year was a "double shot" as our Cuvée Prestige AOP Nice Lou Divin Préludi won the same distinction."

"By stimulating us in this way, participating in NYIOOC can only be a virtuous circle," he added.

For Derepas and many other producers in the south of France, 2020 was a challenging year, marked by intense storms and dry weather at different moments.

"All of us producers know that a successful year is not a long, quiet river. To realize a successful vintage sometimes seems like crossing a sea of obstacles," Derepas said. "Frost, hail, drought, floods and this year’s Storm Alex; in 40 years of hard but fascinating work, we have known the worst conditions, but this has never stopped us from achieving the best quality."

The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition is the world's largest and most prestigious olive oil contest. The 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 Index of the World's Best Olive Oils.