Rancho Azul y Oro Estate Wins Gold

Rancho Azul y Oro Estate, from the United States, has won a Gold Award for a medium blend at the 2021 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

We feel honored. We are a very small farm, surrounded by many large olive farms. We work hard to improve each year and to try to achieve excellence... This win will enable us to continue to improve and expand.

Kathryn A. Keeler, co-owner

In the 2020/21 crop year, the company produced two tons of extra virgin olive oil in California from 200 olive trees using traditional methods.

"We feel honored. We are a very small farm, surrounded by many large olive farms," co-owner Kathryn A. Keeler said. We work hard to improve each year and to try to achieve excellence. That starts with each growing season and the care and nurturing the olives receive during the year, all the way until harvest. This win will enable us to continue to improve and expand."

She added that the award was all the more gratifying after tough Covid-19 restrictions complicated the harvest.

"Our olives are handpicked by crews, but usually, our family and friends help to sort the olives," Keeler said. "This year, while we could have our crews, we couldn't have a group assist in our sorting, only one or two immediate family members."

"My brother had been nearby assisting on the fires," she added. "Once he was done, we chose him to help us out. Our victory was getting all the olives to the mill."

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.