OPG Lalin Wins Gold Award for Levantinka Monovarietal

Former hobby farm OPG Lalin from Croatia has won a Gold Award at the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

We are extremely proud of such a great success. This is the largest event in the world and we are honored to be on par with all the great olive growers in the world, at least in quality.

Vinko Lalin, owner

Situated on the Dalmatian coast, the producer earned its premier award at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for a medium Levantinka.

"We are extremely proud of such a great success," owner Vinko Lalin said. "This is the largest event in the world, and we are honored to be on par with all the great olive growers in the world, at least in quality."

Founded in 1990, Lalin spent the first 20 years growing olives and producing oil as a hobby. However, 10 years ago, he decided to become a professional producer.

In the 2021/22 crop year, OPG Lalin produced 200 liters of extra virgin olive oil using traditional methods. Lalin said that climatic extremes posed the most significant challenges for his

"The overall situation in the olive-growing regions of the Republic of Croatia, including ours, is marked by spring cold snaps and droughts," he said.

"The first three months of 2021 were extremely warm, and then in April a wave of cold with temperatures below 0 °C prevailed and lasted for days which greatly damaged the olives," Lalin added. "This was followed by a dry period of five months."

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.