22 Aug 2013 SA’s top olive oils for 2013
In this year’s SA Olive Awards judges had the challenging task of blind tasting no less than 100 olive oils – a record number of entries for the competition since its inception eight years ago. Last week 43 exceptional olive oils were awarded gold medals, reiterating the quality of local products. [Click pic to enlarge]
The tally for gold medals in the various categories is as follows:
- 13 for intense olive oils
- 24 for medium olive oils
- 6 in the delicate category
In addition, 39 entries received silver medals and 14 bronze medals were awarded.
“We can say unequivocally that the vast majority of locally produced extra virgin olive oils are of a superior standard,” says Nick Wilkinson, SA Olive’s chairperson. “When buying a locally produced bottle of olive oil, especially one displaying the SA Olive CTC seal, the South African consumer can be assured of the highest quality.”
The Commitment to Compliance scheme assures the consumer that the content is 100% South African, that the labelling is honest and transparent in terms of content and freshness and that it is in fact Extra Virgin and not Virgin, or a Refined Olive Oil.
2013 Lifelong Achiever
The SA Olive Board decided to dedicate the 2013 Lifelong Achiever Award to the dedicated tasting panel responsible for evaluating 100 entries.
The joint recipients of this prestigious award, which honours those who continues to make an invaluable contribution to the local olive industry, are Gerrie Duvenage, Leonard Arangies, Robert Claassens, Annemarie Ferreira, Louise Rabie, Benedetta Lami Zichella, Reni Hildenbrand, Kelly White and Annalene du Toit.
Mentorship award
SA Olive is committed to the mentoring of a new generation of olive growers and creators of olive oil and with the newly introduced Mentorship Award they aim to give recognition to individuals who personifies the success of the mentorship programme. This year’s award went to Christie Pieterse.
“He is the epitome of the mentorship programme and a role model to us all,” says John Scrimgeour, vice-chairperson of SA Olive. “Over a period of 15 years Christie has embraced the principles and is now mentoring others.”
Besides serving on the Board of Directors of Cape Olive Products (Buffet Olives), he is the production manager in the factory, and he manages the ABET (Adult Based Education) programme. He is also the chairman of the Unlimited Olive Peoples Trust (UOPT), the empowerment component of Cape Olive. Christie has just completed a Management Development Programme (MDP) presented by the University of Stellenbosch Business School.
For more information on the competition and the full results, visit SA Olive, www.saolive.co.za.
2013’s Absa Top 5
In the meantime, a handful of exceptional locally produced olive oils have been voted as 2013’s Absa Top 5 by a panel of qualified olive oil tasters.
Porterville Olives claimed two places on this prestigious list and is accompanied by De Rustica Olive, Gabrielskloof and Rio Largo Olive Estate. The five are pictured above.