Starbucks Partner Oleificio Asaro dal 1916 Wins 6 Awards
Italian producer and United States importer Oleificio Asaro dal 1916 has earned six awards at the 2023 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.
Olives are our passion and to receive this kind of recognition we feel that we are doing something good for our customers, our employees, our community and all the generations of our family who have dedicated their lives to this family business.
Tommaso Asaro, owner
The Sicily-based producer from the Protected Designation of Origin-certified Partanna region earned a Gold Award for its Paesanol brand, an organic medium blend, and five Silver Awards.
The producer earned one Silver Award for its Partanna brand, a medium Nocellara del Belice, which is used exclusively by Starbucks in the international coffee chain's olive oil-infused beverages.
The producer received the other four Silver Awards for its Asaro Organic Farm and Frankies 457 brands, organic medium Nocellara del Belice oils, and its Il Rustico di Casa Asaro and Oro di Sicilia Green Gold brands, both medium blends.
"We feel very proud of this recognition," owner Tommaso Asaro said. "Our family has been growing olives for more than 300 years."
"Olives are our passion, and to receive this kind of recognition, we feel that we are doing something good for our customers, our employees, our community and all the generations of our family who have dedicated their lives to this family business," he added.
Despite its unprecedented success at the NYIOOC, where Oleificio Asaro dal 1916 has earned 22 awards since 2015, Asaro said the 2022/23 crop year was among the most difficult.
"The 2022 harvest was one of the most challenging seasons in more than a decade," he said. "From the outset, temperature extremes reduced flowering, and a drier-than-usual summer contributed to significant yield reductions."
"Further, limited labor availability made the harvest especially challenging given our 'fresh to press' commitment," he added.
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 in the Official Guide to the World's Best Olive Oils.
