At Goya Spain we believe that diffusion and promotion are the best tools to make Extra Virgin Olive Oil known. For this reason, we work every year to be present in the most important extra virgin olive oil awards and competitions that allow us to obtain the greatest recognition in international markets.
One of them is the Leone d’Oro International Competition, one of the most selective competitions in the world, which discovers, promotes and honors the EVOOs that are the result of the commitment and passion of producers from all over the world.
Award for GOYA® Unico
At Goya Spain, we received the first news: GOYA® Organics and Unico were part of the Selezione 2024. And after that first piece of news, we received even better news: Unico, our masterpiece, was among the finalists in the Blend category!
With great excitement, we attended the awards ceremony last May in an incomparable setting, an ancient olive grove on the shores of Lake Garda, where Maripa opened the doors of its home to us in a heartfelt tribute to extra virgin olive oil products.
Everything was exciting in this meeting, from the oil tasting, the lunch with dishes cooked with the oils, and finally, the awards ceremony, with the Leone d’Oro for Unico.
Goya España is proud to receive this award for the second time (the first time was in 2018). For this reason, our premium oil will compete in the 2025 edition to become the Perfect EVOO of the TOP of Leone d’Oro Oils.
What characterizes this contest?
• It is an independent award, a contest made by olive growers.
• It has a unique and professional panel, composed of 13 professional olive oil tasters, coordinated by the head of the panel Maria Paola Gabusi (@queenmaripa) and accredited by the Italian governmental agency Mipaaf.
• The panel tastes every week, throughout the year. The panel tastes a maximum of 12 samples at each session, during which each oil is carefully analyzed and discussed by the panel. Each sample is subsequently re-tasted to assess its shelf life.
• Each olive oil is analyzed according to the International Olive Council’s sensory analysis evaluation form, which measures the intensity of aroma perception and taste characteristics, along with the Leone d’Oro evaluation form, which focuses on the quality of the perceived attributes of the olive oil, such as harmony, complexity, persistence and notes on the olive variety.
• Only samples that exceed a score of 85/100 points or more are admitted to competition and become official Selezione Leone. The official selections are narrowed down to 7 finalists in each category, of which only one will be the winner: Leone d’Oro.
Thank you Maripa, and to the entire Leone family for recognizing and appreciating the quality and excellence of our oil.
