A Croatian olive oil scores perfect 100 in world guide for first time
- by croatiaweek
- in Food & Wine
Croatia can now proudly boast that one of their olive oils has achieved an impressive 100 out of 100 points in the world olive oil guide, Flos Olei, for the first time.
It took 20 years to achieve this milestone and the oil in question is Mate, produced by the Agrofin company at the Mate Bianca Bellezza olive mill in Zambratija near Umag in Istriia, owned by Aleksandra Vekić, Dobra hrana reported.
Out of the 500 oils featured in this renowned guide each year, only nine have received the maximum number of points.
This oil is also one of the nine oils inducted into the Hall of Fame, alongside three from Spain and five from Italy.
This truly impressive olive estate, established in the late ’90s and early 2000s by Mate Vekić, and later inherited by his daughter Aleksandra, already earned 99 points last year, leaving everyone eagerly anticipating that coveted “perfect score,” which both the oil mill owner and her dedicated team are rightfully proud of.
They received their first award for the Transparenza Marina oil in the category of medium-fruity oils. Following that, they won an award for the best packaging in the world, and last year, they received recognition as the best olive estate in the world.
Denis Ivošević, the director of the Istria Tourist Board, who began actively promoting Istrian olive oils through various guides some twenty years ago, says that Istria is celebrating 20 years of being featured in this guide this year.
View this post on Instagram
“During this period, Istria has been declared the top and second-best olive oil region in the world eight times each. There has been tremendous progress year after year. The most significant achievement is undoubtedly Aleksandra Vekić’s entry, along with her Agrofin Mate brand, into the prestigious Hall of Fame. This marks the first time that an olive oil producer from Croatia has entered this exclusive category, alongside major players,” emphasizes Ivošević.
View this post on Instagram
He also mentions that the Ipša family from Ipši near Oprtlj has received 99 points for their oil for the first time, and three others received high scores of 98 points – Olea B.B. from Rapac, OPG Chiavalon from Vodnjan, and OPG Enio Zubin from Buščina near Umag.
“Istria, in the so-called premium segment, which ranges from 95 to 100 points, boasts an impressive 17 olive oils this year. This surpasses Tuscany with 16 oils, Puglia with 15, and Andalusia with 12.Based on all these achievements, according to the Flos Olei guide, Istria is now the best olive oil region in the world, with the highest number of oils featured compared to other regions globally. This year, the guide lists a total of 69 Istrian oils, followed by the Italian region of Puglia with 55 oils and Tuscany with 51 oils.”
View this post on Instagram
