Gaia Oliva Awarded for Early Harvest Monovarietals

Turkish producer Gaia Oliva has won two Silver Awards at the 2021 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

It is an honor to be awarded at the NYIOCC, which we deeply care about as Gaia Oliva. It makes us proud not only that Gaia Oliva Ayvalik and Memecik are awarded by the leading tasting juries of the world, but having an opportunity to compete with high-quality producers from various countries of the world has been a great experience for us.

Tuba Yilmaz, owner

In the 2020/21 crop year, the company produced 15 tons of extra virgin olive oil from Memecik and Ayvalık olives using traditional methods. Gaia Oliva earned the two Silver Awards for an early harvest medium Memcik and an early harvest medium Ayvalık.

"It is an honor to be awarded at the NYIOCC, which we deeply care about as Gaia Oliva," owner Tuba Yilmaz said. "It makes us proud not only that Gaia Oliva Ayvalik and Memecik are awarded by the leading tasting juries of the world, but having an opportunity to compete with high-quality producers from various countries of the world has been a great experience for us."

For the producers behind Gaia Oliva, the recognition is especially gratifying after another tough harvest impacted by the effects of climate change in the region.

"Climate change is a big challenge for all producers," Yilmaz said. "In the Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean regions, where olive groves are predominantly located, the burning and the drying of the flowers due to excessive temperature at the end of April and beginning of May caused a shortage in the production amount."

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 on the Official Index of the World's Best Olive Oils.