The first Extra Virgin Olive Oil Night presented the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils of Catalonia Awards on Friday in the first edition of the awards.

La Fatarella Hosts the Awards

On Friday, La Fatarella hosted the first edition of the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils of Catalonia Awards. The Extra Virgin Olive Oil Night was chaired by Òscar Ordeig, Councillor for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, and was attended by representatives of the olive oil sector in Catalonia, as well as regional and territorial institutions from all over the country. During the gala, 83 awards were given to the best oils selected from 132 participants.

Recognition of Excellence

The jury highlighted the excellence of the participating oils and anticipated a promising future for these awards that recognize the high quality of olive oil produced in Catalonia. The 10 best oils of 2024 were selected, including brands such as Finques, Cal Portalé Picual, Mas Curró Extra, and more. In addition, oils were awarded in categories such as Large Producers, Small Producers, Organic Production, Monovarietals, and Projects for the Recovery of Native Varieties.

Importance of Oil in Gastronomy

Councillor Òscar Ordeig highlighted the importance of extra virgin olive oil in gastronomy and the need to give it the prominence it deserves. He stressed that Catalan olive oil represents quality, prestige, landscape, tradition, culture, health and well-being. In addition, he highlighted the importance of these awards to boost the sector and increase pride and self-esteem towards a high-quality product.

Action Plan 2024-2026

This first edition of the awards is part of the celebration of Catalonia as World Gastronomy Region in 2025 and the Olive Oil Action Plan 2024-2026. This plan aims to promote the production, marketing and consumption of Catalan extra virgin olive oil both nationally and internationally. It includes various activities from the restructuring of the sector to gastronomy, to enhance the value of the product in the market.

The mayor of La Fatarella, Jordi Rius, has highlighted the Terra Alta DOP Oil and the Empeltre Extra Virgin Olive Oil according to the newspaper El Nacional.cat. “Because they deserve it for the great quality of virgin olive oil produced here, not only of the Arbequina variety, but also of a fantastic variety, the Empeltre.” The Empeltre Olive has some very outstanding characteristics and is highly recognized, also with awards.

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