Vernèra di Spanò & Co Awarded for Tonda Iblea

Vernèra di Spanò & Co from Italy has won a sixth-consecutive award at the 2023 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.

We couldn't be happier with this result. Six consecutive Gold Awards in six years confirm to us that we are working in the right way and that we are going in the right direction.

Mariagrazia, Tania and Gaetano Spanò, co-owners

The Sicilian producer earned its sixth Gold Award for its Le Case di Lavinia brand, an organic medium Tonda Iblea.

"We couldn't be happier with this result," co-owners Mariagrazia, Tania and Gaetano Spanò said. "Six consecutive Gold Awards in six years confirm to us that we are working in the right way and that we are going in the right direction."

"The award motivates us always to do better to keep the quality of our product very high," they added. "Each award brings great happiness."

Despite their sustained success, the Spanò family acknowledged that olive oil production continues to get tougher in Sicily as the climate becomes hotter and drier.

"It becomes more and more difficult to produce an excellent extra virgin olive oil," they said. "Climate change is seriously causing us to question the traditional harvest times, as well as the production and management methods of the olive groves."

"Maximum attention must be paid to each processing stage to avoid making mistakes and compromising the quality of the oil," the Spanò family 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.