Elementary Schoolers Help OPG Uroda Wins Gold

Croatian producer OPG Uroda has returned to victory at the 2023 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.

We are proud because we won our first Gold Award in 2021, and with this year's Gold, we confirmed the quality of our oil.

Kresimir Uroda, owner

The Dalmatia-based producer earned a Gold Award for its medium blend of Leccino, Oblica, Levantinka and Lastovka olives, which also earned Gold in 2021.

"We are proud because we won our first Gold Award in 2021, and with this year's Gold, we confirmed the quality of our oil," owner Kresimir Uroda said.

"Our happiness is also shared by the students of the Matija Gubec International School who helped us in this harvest," he added. "It's a fantastic feeling to be in the company of the world's best olive growers again."

OPG Uroda produced its award-winning extra virgin olive oil using traditional methods. Despite his renewed success, Uroda said the ongoing drought in the country made the harvest more challenging.

"This year in Pirovac, the Dalmatian region where our olive grove is, there was an unprecedented drought," he said.

"This greatly influenced the total yield, especially during flowering and fruit formation," Uroda added. "Due to the drought, there were no pests or diseases, so the oil is of golden quality."

Held each spring in New York, the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition 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.