The best olive oil in the world comes from Spain
Did you know that according to the 2024 EVOOLEUM guide, Spain produces the best olive oil in the world? No less than 61 of the top 100 olive oils in this leading ranking come from Spain.
As a seller and lover of Spanish olive oil, I have always said that it is the best in the world. The figures from the EVOOLEUM guide confirm this once again. This prestigious guide, also cited by the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, shows why Spain is not only the largest producer, but also the undisputed leader in quality.
In this blog I will delve deeper into what makes these Spanish olive oils so special and how you can discover them.
EVOOLEUM
The EVOOLEUM 2024 guide has just been published, in which a professional jury gave their verdict on various olive oils submitted worldwide. EVOOLEUM is a guide published by Group Mercacei-Edimarket Editores, who publish various weekly and monthly trade magazines. The EVOOLEUM guide is a benchmark in the olive oil industry.
Of course I am critical of this, because the trade journal is written in Córdoba, Spain, and the competition is in Spain. However, it is one of the internationally recognized trade competitions and is the most authoritative competition in Europe, next to other major international competitions such as: Mario Solinas-Quality Prize (International Olive Oil Council), NYIOOC – International Olive Oil Competition of New York, Flos Olei, Athena International Olive Oil Competition.
The competition has a number of conditions to be allowed to participate; for example, at least 2500 liters of extra virgin olive oil must have been produced and that stock must be accessible during the 30 days of the competition in order to be able to submit possible re-samples. In addition, the olive oil must be chemically tested or comply with ISO 17025. 980 samples were sent in from 12 different countries.
However, a press release from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food made me look at the EVOOLEUM awards. Based on a statement from the Minister who claimed that Spain produces the most high-quality olive oil in the world , something that Spanish farmers and olive oil producers can be proud of.
If you also look at the production of olive oil in recent years, you can also see that Spain is the largest producer in Europe of the highest quality olive oil; extra virgin olive oil that is distinguished by an acidity of maximum 0.8%.
Source: Agridata
Spanish olive oil the best olive oil in the world
I have delved into the figures of the EVOOLEUM guide. The guide lacks an overview of the results. You can easily look per country which olive oil is in the top 100, but an overview is missing, so I simply started counting and this is the result.
Source: EVOOLEUM top 100 guide
Although the very best olive oil according to the professional jury comes from South Africa, this top 100 shows that Spain is still dominant in the world of olive oil. No less than 61 of the 100 olive oils on the list are Spanish, of which 45 from Andalusia. Moreover, several Spanish olive oils are represented in the top 10. This confirms that Spain belongs to the absolute world top.
I am curious how other international competitions will go and whether this trend will continue. I will keep you informed of new developments via this blog!
Curious or not yet completely convinced? Discover Spanish olive oil for cooking or exclusive olive oil yourself and order today in my webshop!
Curious about the best olive oil from the Comunidad Valenciana? Señorios de Relleu, awarded as the best olive oil from this region, achieved no less than 95 points in the prestigious Flos Olei guide and a place in the top 20 of EVOOLEUM. With an exceptionally low acidity of only 0.1%, this extra virgin olive oil guarantees excellent quality.
