OPG Rakovac Owner ‘Ecstatic’ After 3rd Win at NYIOOC

OPG Rakovac from Croatia has won a Gold Award at the 2021 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

We are ecstatic about the win. After a hard 2020 and a very challenging start of 2021, winning at the NYIOOC was just what we needed. To us, winning Gold at the NYIOOC means first and foremost the confirmation of the work we put in daily. Plus, it does not hurt our sales.

Vedrana Rakovac, owner

The company produced 1,200 liters of extra virgin olive oil in the 2020/21 crop year from Frantoio, Leccino, Buza, Bjelica and Pendolino olives using traditional methods.

"We are ecstatic about the win. After a hard 2020 and a very challenging start of 2021, winning at the NYIOOC was just what we needed," owner Vedrana Rakovac said. "To us, winning Gold at the NYIOOC means first and foremost the confirmation of the work we put in daily. Plus, it does not hurt our sales."

OPG Rakovac won its third Gold Award for the Bilini brand, a delicate blend. Rakovac attributed her company's success to a timely harvest and plenty of hard work from her team.

"It was difficult to find timely help for harvesting before the autumn rains started," she said. "Nevertheless, we succeeded in finalizing the entire harvest within a week. Fortunately, the olive mill followed us in every step and we ended up with top quality extra virgin olive oil."

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.