Ulje Franka Oblica Wins Gold at World Competition

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

After a hard 20 years of extensive work, my family and I are very happy and proud to win this award. This is proof that we are doing a great job and it gives us the confidence to continue doing what we love most.

Joško Veža, CEO

Situated in the southern Croatian village of Brist, the family producer earned its premier NYIOOC award for a medium Oblica monovarietal.

"After a hard 20 years of extensive work, my family and I are very happy and proud to win this award," said Joško Veža, the company's chief executive. "This is proof that we are doing a great job and it gives us the confidence to continue doing what we love most."

In the 2021/22 crop year, Ulje Franka produced three tons of extra virgin olive oil using traditional methods.

"The hardest part of the harvest is the fact that we can't use machines and all work is done by hand," Veža said. "The olives trees are located in various locations in mountainous areas. This makes our job harder."

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.