Ecologica La Olivilla Triumph in New York with Organic Picual

Ecologica La Olivilla from Spain earned its fourth-straight award at the 2023 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.

Our first Gold Award was nine years ago in this competition. This year has been so difficult, and hard that we have that same feeling: the happiness and fulfillment of a job well done are priceless. And this award is that recognition.

Juan Ignacio Valdés Alcocer, CEO

The Andalusian producer earned a Gold Award for its Dehesa de la Sabina brand, an organic medium Picual, which also earned Gold in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

"Our first Gold Award was nine years ago in this competition," chief executive Juan Ignacio Valdés Alcocer said. "This year has been so difficult hard that we have that same feeling: the happiness and fulfillment of a job well done are priceless. And this award is that recognition."

In the 2022/23 crop year, Ecologica La Olivilla produced 50,000 liters of organic extra virgin olive oil using traditional methods.

"The drought we are suffering in the south of Spain makes our work more difficult each year," Valdés said. "Everything from working in the olive grove to choosing the best time to harvest the olives, to preserving biodiversity in the olive grove has become a headache."

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.