SA Olive and Absa instituted the Top 5 competition in 2013 as an extension to the annual SA Olive Awards. The 10 top performers from the SA Olive Awards are eligible to make the Top 5 cut. Ten finalists are selected from this pool and narrowed down to the Top 5. The Absa Top 5 olive oils were selected from the ranks of the SA Olive Award’s top achievers by a revered panel of olive oil experts.
The competition provides a platform for the South African olive oil industry to showcase its very finest. South African oils are regularly recognised around the world for their quality and distinctiveness, and competitions like the Absa Top 5 play a pivotal role in educating local consumers about the industry and its diverse spectrum of products. According to Willie Zastron, Absa Provincial Head for Business Banking in the Western Cape, the Absa Top 5 aims to shine the spotlight on the superlative quality of these oils, thus increasing awareness and helping consumers to appreciate SA olive oil for the national treasure it has become.
In a show of confidence in the olive industry, Absa has now indicated that it will extend this honour to 10 exceptional olive oils. The very best gold award recipients of the SA Olive Awards will be chosen as finalists in the run for the Absa Top 10 to be announced on 27 September.
Several encouraging factors influenced our decision to double the number of winners. The continued growth seen in the quality of locally produced olive oils, the rise in the number of SA Olive Award entries, as well as the consumer’s increased demand for quality olive oils and loyalty to local suppliers, have convinced us to expand the platform for recognition to the top 10 olive oils. In this way we are not only pledging our support to individual producers, we are simultaneously creating opportunities for increased commercialisation in a fast-growing industry, access to markets and sustained job creation in rural communities. – Willie Zastron.
For more information on the Absa Top 5 awards, as well as last year’s winners, click here.
Sources: http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/641/165041.html
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