In 2022, 17 Greek extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) were listed in the world’s top 100, and 15 Greek olive oil companies appeared among the top 100 in the annual EVOO World Ranking, demonstrating major advances in quality in recent years. Once again, Greece dominated the lists of the top Koroneiki variety EVOOs and the best flavored olive oils in the world.

In 2022, Greece captured more than six times as many “EVOO of the Year” distinctions in the EVOO World Ranking (WR) as in 2017: there were 84 Greek “EVOOs of the Year” in 2022, and 13 in 2017. These numbers (among others) support various experts’ claims that Greek olive oil companies and producers have shown increasing dedication to the hard work, best practices, and painstaking care required to produce excellent products.

This is especially evident in the case of Terra Creta Grand Cru extra virgin olive oil, which was ranked Best of Greece and one of the world’s top three EVOOs by the EVOOWR for 2022, and Mediterre Eurofood S.A., which was designated the best olive oil company in Greece and ranked 7th in the world.

The EVOOWR ranks extra virgin olive oils, flavored olive oils, and olive oil companies (“societies”) each year based on the number and level of awards they win in selected international olive oil competitions, with the number of points they earn determined by the EVOOWR’s decision about the importance of each competition they choose to include. 

EVOOWR reports that Greek olive oils won 1,265 awards in 29 of the 32 international olive oil competitions held in 2022 that EVOOWR considered, where 8,165 samples were awarded. According to EVOOWR’s rating system, Greece won the third highest number of points. (And the country typically produces the third largest quantity of olive oil in the world.)

At the top of EVOOWR’s list for Greek extra virgin olive oil, we find Melissa-Kikizas S.A.’s Terra Creta Grand Cru extra virgin olive oil, which was ranked one of the world’s top three EVOOs and the world’s most awarded Koroneiki variety EVOO. This was the Grand Cru’s third year in a row as Best of Greece, and its third year among the world’s top ten.

As Emmanouil Karpadakis explained, Terra Creta olive oils come exclusively from the island of Crete. For Terra Creta, “it’s the teamwork that guarantees great results in both quantity and quality, so we are really happy about all the people that are open to following specific guidelines and implementing innovative practices aimed at a better product and more sustainable production.”  

“Even the smallest detail is important,” Karpadakis adds, “so the overall work we do throughout the year and from the olive grove to the bottle is crucial.” All of that work “is expressed in the final aroma and taste of our precious EVOOs. Our goal is always to have a natural, fresh, green and balanced organoleptic profile in all our extra virgin olive oil products.”

The Best Society of Greece for EVOOWR in 2022 is Mediterre Eurofood S.A., which is also the leader for the Olympia olive variety and among the world’s top five companies for flavored olive oils. Mediterre has appeared among the top ten olive oil companies in the world four times in the last five years (sometimes in its earlier incarnation as Papadopoulos Olive Oil Mill).

According to Konstantinos Papadopoulos, all six EVOOs and all four flavored oils that Mediterre entered in competitions ranked among the top EVOOs and top flavored oils of 2022. Most of the olives in them come from the area of Ancient Olympia. As Papadopoulos explained, “our award-winning olive oils are the result of careful study, precise techniques, and strategic evaluations, always aiming for perfection. Through innovation and respect for our staff, producers, and the environment, we can create products of the highest quality for our customers.”

Mediterre was one of several Greek olive oil companies that received awards for both extra virgin and flavored olive oils in 2022. In fact, all but two of the top 25 flavored olive oils in the world come from five Greek companies: Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms, Laconiko, Pellas Nature, Mediterre Eurofood S.A., and Melissa-Kikizas S.A. - Terra Creta.

With its gourmet flavored olive oils from Sparta, Laconia in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places on EVOOWR’s list of the world’s most awarded flavored olive oils, Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms provided “35% of the total points Greece received for flavored oils,” Nick Sakellaropoulos told Greek Liquid Gold, helping Greece rank as the top country for flavored olive oils for 2022. First on the list was their unique Masterpiece gourmet olive oil, with its 11 ingredients including pimento, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Sakellaropoulos points out “that in the last five years our olive oils have been ranked number one in the global ranking four times” in the flavored oil category.  Overall, this family business has won a record-breaking 617 international awards for their olive oil’s taste and quality. This includes all five of their extra virgin olive oils, with two in the world’s top 100 this year.  

Another company from the region of Laconia that has repeatedly earned awards for both extra virgin and flavored olive oils is Laconiko, another of the world’s top five companies for flavored olive oil. Ten flavored olive oils from Laconiko rank among the top 35 in the world, according to the EVOOWR, with one in the top five.

In addition, two Laconiko EVOOs rank among the top 100, with one of them among the top five Greek EVOOs and top five Koroneiki variety EVOOs worldwide. Diamantis Pierrakos told Greek Liquid Gold he believes “quality is in the details that are very often overlooked by other companies. This quality in detail is reflected in all of our products and is the reason for our success.”

Making extra virgin olive oil from olives grown on the island of Lesvos, Jordan Olive Oil also strives “to create the best possible quality each year,” with “the highest quality standards” from the farm to the bottle, according to Bastian Jordan. “We have worked for years and generations with the same philosophy: fair work with nature and all humans.”

Jordan Olive Oil’s Kolovi and Adramitiani variety olive oil has PGI status. Awards from countries such as Portugal, Spain, Israel, and Italy led to three EVOOs being designated EVOOs of the year, two of them in the top 50 worldwide and the top five in Greece.

Nick Sakellaropoulos told Greek Liquid Gold he feels that winning a large number of awards is “a great way to promote our country, our land and the Greek olive sector in general throughout the world.” Bringing well deserved attention to the success of meticulous Greek producers, award-winning Greek olive oil companies inspire consumers around the world to taste a variety of high quality Greek extra virgin and flavored olive oils.

Terra Creta’s Emmanouil Karpadakis believes “international awards are just an external evaluation of all the hard work done by everyone involved in the cultivation, harvesting, extraction, quality assurance, and bottling. And yes, organoleptic profiles have been judged by trained and very experienced judges. However,” suggests Karpadakis, “the real judges are always the consumers. They have the power to evaluate an olive oil according to their preferences.” Today, the consumers of the world can choose from an extensive selection of excellent Greek olive oils.

SOME OF THE TOP RANKED GREEK OLIVE OILS AND COMPANIES, ACCORDING TO EVOOWR

Note: Numbers in the lists below refer to the competitions considered by the EVOOWR, and the EVOOWR’s ranking based on their ratings of each competition.

EVOOs of the Year of Greece that are among the Top 100 in the World in 2022

# – Company – EVOO – Olive Variety – Number of Awards

1 – Melissa-Kikizas S.A. - Terra Creta – Terra Creta Grand Cru – Koroneiki – 30
2 – Laconiko – Laconiko Koroneiki – Koroneiki – 15
3 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Alea Organic Koroneiki – Koroneiki – 11
4 – Jordan Olive Oil – Bambatsa – Blend – 14      
5 – Jordan Olive Oil – Jordan Extra Virgin – Blend – 12  
6 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises P.C. – L & Ko Organic – Kolovi – 11
7 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Omphacium Organic – Olympia - Choraitiki – 12    
8 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Olymp Olympia PGI Organic – Blend – 10
9 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises P.C. – Acaia – Kolovi – 12
10 – Melissa-Kikizas S.A. - Terra Creta – Terra Creta Estate Organic – Koroneiki – 12
11 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises P.C. – Acaia Organic – Kolovi – 11    
12 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Plus Health Green Multivarietal – Blend – 10
13 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Lena – Blend – 9    
14 – Laconiko – Laconiko Olio Nuovo Limited Reserve – Koroneiki – 14    
15 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises P.C. – Aeolian Organic – Kolovi – 9    
16 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Agourelaio Early Harvest Organic Koroneiki – Koroneiki – 10    
17 – G-TEAM – Hypereleon Ultra Gold – Olympia - Choraitiki – 10

Olive Oil Companies of Greece that are among the Top 100 in the World in 2022

# – Company – Number of Contests – Number of Awards

1 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – 11 – 60
2 – Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises P.C. – 15 – 52
3 – Melissa-Kikizas S.A. - Terra Creta – 28 – 60
4 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – 10 – 44
5 – Olix Oil Ltd. – 5 – 34
6 – Jordan Olive Oil GmbH – 16 – 37
7 – G-TEAM – 11 – 31
8 – Laconiko – 16 – 29
9 – Renieris P.C. - El Renieris & Co. – 7 – 22
10 – MB Eleon Single Member P.C. – 5 – 18
11 – Amacs Administration Management Consulting Services P.C. – 2 – 19
12 – A.M.G. Karabelas I.K.E. - The Olive Temple – 7 – 17
13 – AgroVI.M. S.A. – 7 – 15
14 – Hellenic Fields Ltd. – 9 – 13
15 – Androulakis Eftychios Olive Oil Production & Bottling (Pamako) – 7 – 16

Top 25 Flavored Olive Oils in the World for 2022

# – Company – Olive Oil – Country – Number of Awards

1 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Masterpiece Flavored with Pimento - Cloves - Nutmeg - Cinnamon – Greece – 13    
2 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Syllektikon Gourmet Flavored with Orange - Lemon - Thyme – Greece – 13    
3 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Oleoastron Gourmet Flavored with Fennel - Bay Leaves - Rosemary - Oregano – Greece – 13    
4 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Enigma Gourmet Flavored with Apple - Cinnamon - Honey – Greece – 12    
5 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Meyer Lemon – Greece – 11    
6 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Treasure Blend Flavored with 4 Peppers - Lime - Lemongrass – Greece – 12    
7 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Majestic Flavored with Lemongrass & Tarragon – Greece – 12      
8 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Lime – Greece – 10    
9 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Garlic – Greece – 10    
10 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Blood Orange – Greece – 9
11 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Gemstone Flavored with Ginger - Lime - Basil – Greece – 10    
12 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Rosemary – Greece – 9    
13 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Enstagma Gourmet Flavored with Saffron – Greece – 6    
14 – Melissa-Kikizas S.A. - Terra Creta – Terra Creta Bio Infusions with Lemon – Greece – 7    
15 – Pellas Nature – Pellas Nature Organic Drops Flavored with Oregano – Greece – 6    
16 – Pellas Nature – Pellas Nature Organic Drops Flavored with Lemon – Greece – 5
17 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Flavored with Rosmarino – Greece – 6    
18 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Enstagma Gourmet Flavored with Saffron and Sage – Greece – 6    
19 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Flavored with Oregano – Greece – 5    
20 – Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms – Enstagma Gourmet Flavored with Saffron and Rosemary – Greece – 6    
21 – Mediterre Eurofood S.A. – Mediterre Flavored with Limone – Greece – 4    
22 – Pellas Nature – Pellas Nature Organic Drops Flavored with Thyme – Greece – 5
23 – Sustento Global S.L. – Campos de Sanaa Saborizado Al Humo de Roble – Spain – 5      
24 – Laconiko – Laconiko Flavored with Citrus Habanero – Greece – 3
25 – BVS Premium Jerusalem Olive Oil – BVS Premium Jerusalem Flavored with Basil – Israel – 3

Thanks to Terra Creta for the photos that appear with this article.

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