ESAO AWARDS

Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils

We welcome you to the ESAO Awards, the Official Awards of the Olive Oil School of Spain

Registration open for the 8th Edition of the ESAO Awards – Campaign 2023/24

What are the ESAO Awards?

The ESAO Awards are the internationally recognized Official Awards of the Olive Oil School of Spain, which guarantee the quality of extra virgin olive oils and condiments made from Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

All producers, cooperatives, packers and marketers from any country in the world can participate.

Requirements and Prizes Awarded

NEW: This year there are no categories. It is ESAO who checks if the participants meet the requirements and allocates the prizes as indicated below.

BEST INTERNATIONAL EVOO

The Best International EVOO Award will be granted to producers and cooperatives from any country in the world:

PRODUCER: Any person dedicated to their own oil production, who cultivates their olive grove (regardless of the farmer) to produce their own oil, and has their own brand of oil.
COOPERATIVE: Any company whose legal form is cooperative.

Participating in this category, you can access the following prizes:

Ranking of the Best EVOOs in the world:

* 3 Best International EVOO + 10 Finalists

Ranking of the Best EVOOs by country:

* 3 Best EVOOs by Country + 5 Finalists

And, in addition, in the case of Spain, the Best EVOOs by Autonomous Communities are awarded:

* 3 Best Producer EVOOs + 5 Finalists (*10 Finalists in Andalusia)

* 3 Best Cooperative EVOOs + 5 Finalists (*10 Finalists in Andalusia)

BEST EVOO FROM PACKAGER/TRADER

These are the awards aimed at recognizing the best EVOOs of those companies or individuals who sell an existing or manufactured EVOO, but with their brand as a bottler.

The following prizes will be awarded:

* 3 Best International EVOO for Bottler/ Marketer + 10 Finalists

LOCAL VARIETY AWARD

«Local Variety Award» rewards EVOOs made from varieties located in a single region, of little importance, although well known locally, and that normally do not give rise to regular plantations.

These are unknown varieties and generally of special agronomic difficulty, which sometimes tend to be uprooted or are replaced by other more profitable ones.

In this category we want to reward the special interest and dedication of a company to preserve, conserve and disseminate these local varieties that are of special interest to ESAO. Widespread varieties will also fall into this category, that is, varieties located in several regions, but with few regular plantations.

ESAO will award the Prize:

* Local Variety Award for the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Local Variety, Native or of special interest.

INNOVATION AWARD

In this section, ESAO will reward the conception and implementation of significant changes in virgin olive oil, both in the product and in the process, marketing or organization of an olive oil company, with the aim of improving results and thus collaborating to the development of the olive sector.

The Prize awarded will be:

* Innovation Award to the producer, cooperative or packer, national or international, who presents his innovation.

BEST OLIVE OIL SEASONING

Condiments, flavored or infused oils where the base is virgin or extra olive oil will be valued. The jury will rate the special cleanliness and authenticity of the aroma reproduced by the condiment.

ESAO is committed to the dissemination of olive oil culture in general and extra virgin olive oil in particular. Flavored oils can be a gateway to olive oil culture and olive oil is a gateway to virgin olive oils and these in turn to extra virgin. Distributors, importers and final consumers have accepted flavored oils in their kitchens and this fact should not be overlooked.

The following prizes are considered:

* 3 Best Condiment Made from EVOO + 5 Finalists.

Register your EVOO in the ESAO Awards!

Complete this pre-registration form to guarantee your place.

Once you have completed the registration you will receive an email with complete information to send us the samples correctly.

Reasons why you should participate in the ESAO Awards

REGISTRATION IS VERY EASY

Registration for the ESAO Awards is very simple. We are aware that it is usually carried out during the campaign season, so we will make the process as easy as possible for you. Remember that you can register now and send us the samples later.

INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AWARDS

ESAO is the most prestigious school in the olive sector. That is why the media or experts come to us when they require specific information about the olive sector. The ESAO Awards are included in the EVOO WORLD RANKING

OBTAIN THE ESAO GUARANTEE AND ATTRACT NEW CONSUMERS AND DEALERS

Receiving an award from the ESAO Awards helps boost your EVOO by recognizing and accrediting the quality of your oil.

SPREAD THE QUALITY OF YOUR EVOO

Obtaining one of our awards helps spread the quality of your olive oils and contributes to increasing sales throughout the world.

REWARD YOUR EFFORT

Try it. Trust the quality of your oil. You may be awarded one of the many awards that ESAO gives out. In addition, just by participating, you will enter the ESAO Guide.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN

Register my EVOO

How is the evaluation of Extra Virgin Olive Oils carried out?

THE SENSORY ASSESSMENT WILL BE DEVELOPED AS FOLLOWS:

01
A first selection whose objective is the elimination of eventual organoleptically defective oils.

02

The oils that have passed the sensory evaluation will be selected for each category. These oils must also pass the physical-chemical evaluation. The evaluation will be anonymous at all times.

Subsequently, the jury will identify the finalist samples with their corresponding coding and based on all of the above, will issue a report specifying the result of the evaluation and the positions occupied by the winners. The panel leader will issue a report with the scores. In case of ties, the physicochemical score will be used.

The organoleptic assessment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Spain will be used as the basis for scoring criteria.