La Bandiera Triumphs at World Olive Oil Competition

Italian producer La Bandiera has won a Gold Award at the 2021 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

We do not have a large marketing budget, so to win such a prestigious award, which will promote our brand in new international markets, is massive for us. It makes persevering in this tough and competitive market worthwhile.

Jacqueline Lane, owner

In the 2020/21 crop year, the company produced 4,500 liters of organic extra virgin olive oil in Tuscany from a blend of olives using traditional methods. La Bandiera earned the Gold Award for its organic medium blend, the company's third recognition at the competition.

"As a small producer, our production costs are high," owner Jacqueline Lane said. "We do not have a large marketing budget, so to win such a prestigious award, which will promote our brand in new international markets, is massive for us. It makes persevering in this tough and competitive market worthwhile."

For Lane, this Gold Award caps off a challenging harvest after erratic spring weather significantly reduced the volume of her yield.

"The 2020 harvest produced a very high-quality extra virgin olive oil for La Bandiera, however, the quantity was less than usual," she said. "Earlier in the spring, our olive groves suffered from wet and windy weather conditions and we lost a lot of fruit. Fortunately, the robust and grassy characteristics of La Bandiera extra virgin olive oil were maintained despite the lower quantity."

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 Index of the World's Best Olive Oils.