Oakhurst Olives, a boutique olive farm in the Tulbagh Valley (South Africa), has officially joined the ranks of the world’s best by scooping Best in Class and Gold awards for their Delicate Extra Virgin Olive Oil at the 2014 New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC).
The announcement was made by Curtis Cord, president of the NYIOOC, in front of a capacity audience at the International Culinary Centre Theatre in New York City.
The competition, now in its second year, attracted 651 oils from 25 countries. Entries were rigorously evaluated by an esteemed international panel of expert olive oil tasters over the course of four days.
Italy garnered the highest number of Best in Class awards (4) followed by Spain and Australia (3 each); USA and Peru (2 each); South Africa, Slovenia, Portugal and Chile (1 each).
Oakhurst Delicate Extra Virgin Olive Oil is blended from selected cultivars including Leccino, Mission, Maurino and Kalamata. The result is a well-balanced, smooth, lightly-fruity oil with buttery notes and a hint of pepper.
Since its maiden harvest in 2012, Oakhurst Extra Virgin Olive Oil has won several awards locally and internationally: Best in Competition and 1st in Category at the Annual Marco Zicchella -Oliomio extra Virgin Olive oils of South Africa (2012); Top Ten in The Armonia A.NZ.SA – Tri-nations Olive Oil Competition between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa held in Sydney (2012); 2 SA Olive Gold Awards (2013); Absa Top 5 nominee (2013).
Pieter du Toit, Oakhurst owner, attributes their success to on-going investment in research, staying abreast of industry trends and excellent teamwork.
Oakhurst Delicate Extra Virgin Olive Oil is available at selected retail outlets and online: 250ml @ R65; 375ml @ R85; 1 litre box @ R180 and 5 litre box @ R825.
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