OPG Markovina Awarded in World Competition Debut

Croatia's OPG Markovina has won a Gold Award at the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

The Dalmatian producer earned its premier award at the 2023 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for a medium-intensity blend.

"I feel very proud and satisfied," owner Božidar Markovina said. "This is a strong wind on my back."

In the 2022/23 crop year, the company produced 3,000 liters of extra virgin olive oil from its grove of 1,000 trees.

"The summer was very hot so we didn't get any pests, but we have irrigation so the dry weather was not a problem," Markovina said.

"Our groves are located on a hill where there is always a little bit of wind," he added. "Because of that, we don't have some typical diseases. The harvest was hand-picked and the processing happens the same day."

Held each spring in New York, the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition is the world's 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.