Cultura Viva Wins Gold at World Competition

Italian producer Cultura Viva has won a Gold Award at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

Our vision always has been to produce a premium-quality extra virgin olive oil from our very first harvest. Receiving a Gold Award from the NYIOOC was a solid confirmation that we met our goal and is a reward for our labor.

Laurence Deprez, co-owner

Based in the central Italian region of Umbria, the company earned the award for its Le Clarisse brand, a medium blend of Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo olives.

"Our vision always has been to produce a premium-quality extra virgin olive oil from our very first harvest," co-owner Laurence Deprez said.

"Receiving a Gold Award from the NYIOOC was a solid confirmation that we met our goal and is a reward for our labor," he added. "We look forward to continuing to take care of our land and to stay the course of quality production despite all the challenges."

In the 2021/22 crop year, the company produced 300 liters of extra virgin olive oil. Deprez added that the enduring drought and global supply chain issues provided plenty of challenges for his company last year.

"After a very long summer drought, our trees produced about one-fourth of their potential, which lead to extremely high fixed production costs," he said. "The labor shortage made it very challenging to harvest on time and further increased expenses."

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.