Nippon Olive Co. Wins Two More NYIOOC Golds

Nippon Olive Co. from Japan has won two Gold Awards at the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

Receiving an award is very encouraging because it proves that we did not do anything wrong. We will not be satisfied with this award and will continue our trial and error process to produce more delicious oil in the future.

Maho Shiraga, researcher

Situated on the south of Japan's main island, the producer earned its eighth and ninth awards at the 2024 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for two medium-intensity blends: Ushimado and Ushimado Superior.

"Receiving an award is very encouraging because it proves that we did not do anything wrong," said researcher Maho Shiraga. "We will not be satisfied with this award and will continue our trial and error process to produce more delicious oil in the future."

In the 2023/24 crop year, Nippon Olive Co. produced 400 liters of extra virgin olive oil from its 1,500-tree grove using traditional methods.

"One of our challenges every year is to harvest healthy fruit in order to obtain tasty oil," Shiraga said. "The second challenge and this is the most important one, is to check the flavor of all the oils we get on a daily basis, not the median. If even one person feels a defect in any way, we will not hesitate not to use that oil."

The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition is the world's preeminent olive oil quality contest. Its annual list of award winners is the authoritative guide to the world's best olive oils and the dedicated producers who craft them.

The complete list of winners can be viewed in the Official Guide to the World's Best Olive Oils.