Tropicual Triumphs in New York With Fruits of First Harvest

Spanish producer Tropicual has earned its first recognition at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

We are ecstatic. Tropicual has just been launched this year; my father just retired and I have embraced the responsibility of maintaining our family and cultural heritage, launching our first organic single-estate extra virgin olive oil. The torch has been passed and this award is a wonderful beginning.

Lucía Gámez, owner

Based in Andalusia, Spain's largest olive oil-producing region, the woman-led start-up won a Gold Award for its Reserva Familiar brand, an organic medium Picual.

"We are ecstatic," owner Lucía Gámez said. "Tropicual has just been launched this year; my father just retired and I have embraced the responsibility of maintaining our family and cultural heritage, launching our first organic single-estate extra virgin olive oil. The torch has been passed and this award is a wonderful beginning."

In the 2021/22 crop year, the company produced 4,000 liters of extra virgin olive oil using traditional methods. Despite a successful start, Gámez said the harvest came with plenty of climatic challenges.

"Heat is becoming our main challenge, as it makes it very difficult to keep the temperature of olives low before milling," she said.

"Our olive trees are also centenary and require manual labor for their preservation, which drives up costs of production are a time when we are also facing unprecedented fuel prices and global shortages of enormous impact," Gámez 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.