RULES EVOOLEUM TOP 100
EVOOLEUM WORLD’S TOP 100 EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OILS / INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR THE QUALITY OF EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
The organoleptic evaluation is the most important determination when differentiating the best extra virgin olive oils in the world.
Classifying the 100 best oils in the world of each harvest, according to objective tasting criteria, will be a useful tool for consumers, marketers, distributors and restauranteurs in order to learn about, and therefore freely choose, the most exclusive olive juices.
Mercacei and AEMO are partners in this project that aims to objectively evaluate the best extra virgin olive oil in a competition of maximum rigor, as well as publishing and publicizing the results of each campaign via an exclusive EVOOLEUM World’s TOP100 Extra Virgin Olive Oils Guide.
The following rules ensure that the process of assessment and classification of the samples accepted is the most objective, rigorous and independent as is possible.
COMPETITION RULES
- Requirements
The extra virgin olive oils (hereinafter EVOOs) submitted may be presented solely by individual producers, producer associations and producing companies provided such oils are registered for sale under a brand name. The EVOOs must belong to the 2023/2024 harvest campaign and each candidate may submit a single sample per type of oil; i.e., different samples from the same company may be eligible, so long as they they correspond to different types of oils in terms of their commercial presentation (monovarietals, blends, organic, etc…). Each of them must be registered separately.
The samples must be accompanied by a physiochemical analysis report carried out by a laboratory recognized by the International Olive Council (hereinafter IOC) or, alternatively, certified with the ISO 17025 standard, in which the following parameters should be specified: Acidity, peroxide value, K270 and K232.
The EVOOs submitted should come from a batch of at least 2,500 liters, stored at the oil-mill that sent them, with the volume of that batch properly specified in the inscription form.
The candidate must keep the EVOO in their facilities until at least 30 days after the closing of the competition’s application period, as the organization may require a new sample within this period, in-person, so as to guarantee the origin of the oils submitted and verify the declared volume. The organizers will verify the accuracy of the submitted sample in competition by a guaranteed comparative analysis between the sample sent and the one taken from the oil mill. At least 10% of the samples selected for the TOP100 will be checked, chosen randomly before a licensed notary.
In case the producer plans to sell the batch submitted to the competition before 30 days after the closing of the call for the contest, he will have to certify the taking of the sample at origin in the presence of a registered notary, or a public official, to record it, indicating the batch, the volume of oil and that the sealed and labeled bottles sent to the contest come from that warehouse. In this case, the samples sent in this way are exempt from inspection if they are chosen.
In the event of being unable to verify the origin of the sample by means of the authorized comparative system, the organizers reserve the right to remove the sample from the competition, informing the company that submitted it.
- How To Apply
2.1. The online registration form must completed in its entirety via the REGISTRATION section in the website and the participation fee for the competition. If you are going to register several samples, you must fill out a registration for each one of them.
2.2. Once the registration form has been completed, the website will redirect you to pay the participation fee in the contest, which is set at 195 euros (taxes included) per sample submitted.
2.3. The following materials must be sent by courier delivery to the address indicated below:
- Signed report from the accredited laboratory with the results of the physical-chemical analysis referred to above in section 1
- Four 500 ml. (16.9 fl. oz.) samples. packaged in opaque glass (or can) of the same capacity, duly packed, of each participating olive oil. On the label of each sample, the reference that you have received when you complete the inscription has to be noted, that is, the same generated string of characters that will be shown at the time of online registration.
- Two bottles or packages -as sold in retail- of each sample submitted, so that the organization can use it in a promotional way if it is selected, as well as for this packaging to be assesed in the Best Packaging Awards section of the competition, and lastly, in order to take the necessary pictures for the Guide.
Therefore, the package sent must contain the bulletin and 6 containers per sample.
All of the above must be sent to:
EVOOLEUM AWARDS
EVOOLEUM Awards
REF.No: (Include the reference number assigned during the online registration).
Avda. Menéndez Pidal, s/n. Alameda del Obispo. Edificio 3. Despacho 213-AEMO
14004 Córdoba
Tel.: (+34) 957 040 774
Móv.: (+34) 654 118 418
E-mail: difusion@evooleum.com
Contact: Pilar Marín
Sample reception hours: 09:00-14:30h (Monday to Friday)
FOR SHIPMENTS OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN UNION:
- The sender (participant / exporter) must indicate to his transport agency, before each shipment, that he is responsible for all expenses, indicating “shipping with DDP”, or “Delivery Duty Paid”, it means that the sender assumes all the associated expenses, including the unloading of the goods and the customs procedures and costs that may be applied.
- The packaging must have the following documents on the highly visible surface:
1. Destination label:
Concurso Evooleum
Avda. Menéndez Pidal, s/n. Alameda del Obispo. Edif 3 -AEMO.
14004. Córdoba (España)
Telephones +34 957040774 / +34 654118418
2.- An invoice, like this model, also pasted on the surface of each box that is sent, very visible for customs control.Evooleum will not be responsible for any customs charges or expenses generated in international shipments.
Shipments outside of Europe are subject to border security controls and certain import procedures, necessary to clear shipments from Customs.
The person who makes the shipment (participant / sender) is responsible for finding out about the export conditions, as well as providing the documents required for entry into the destination country.
- Process of Selection and Assessment of the Samples.
Once the deadline for receiving samples is completed, the competition’s organizers will proceed to deliver two bottles of each oil with its reference number to a licensed notary. The other two samples will remain in the care of the organizers; one will be used for the comparative test, if selected, and the other to determine the Global Quality Index in case of a tie.
The notary will remove the label with the assigned reference number and identify each bottle with a secret code, which will then be returned to the organization. The connection between the samples and the secret codes will be kept by the licensed notary and will not be known by any member of the organizing committee.
After the organoleptic assessment by the jury has been completed, the organizers will deliver the list of secret codes with the corresponding scores to the notary, and the notary will in turn give back a list of the original reference numbers alongside the assigned score for each sample, in a sealed envelope.
A prestigious international jury, following the International Olive Council’s modified assessment sheet, will organoleptically evaluate the participating oils. The arithmetic mean of the total scores of all members of the jury shall be considered by removing the highest and lowest values, thus resulting in a final score of 0 to 100 points. This average shall be deemed with two decimal places.
Additionally, the 100 oils obtaining the highest score will be selected to be included in the Guide, presented in alphabetical order featuring the score obtained. Thus, out of each harvest there will be an EVOO TOP100 list or, in other words, the ranking of the 100 best extra virgin olive oils of the world.
In the event of there being two or more oils obtaining the same total score, with two decimal places obtained by the arithmetic mean indicated above, they will be sorted according to the Global Quality Index determined by the analytics.
- Awards
Depending on the jury’s assessment sheet and the oil’s origin (country and variety) the following awards will be established, in their different categories:
- Absolute Best EVOOLEUM, the oil with the highest total score.
- EVOOLEUM TOP10, the best ten EVOOs in regards to their total score.
- Best Green Fruity, Best Blend Green and Mature Fruity and Best Mature Fruity, Best Medium Fruitiness and Best Light Fruitiness (as the intensity of fruitiness).
- Best of each country, considering only those countries presenting four or more samples.
- Best Monovarietal, considering only those olive varieties that have four or more samples.
- Best Blend.
- Best Southern and North Hemisphere.
- TOP3 Organic Farming Production.
- Best PDO (of each country).
- Best of each variety.
- TOP10 Healthiest EVOOs.
- Best Female EVOO Producer.
- Best Master Miller from AEMODA.
- EVOOLEUM Best Packaging Design with the following sub-categories: Best Design EVOO Premium (gourmet section), Best Innovative Design and Best Design in Retail (oils intended for retail sale). In each of the three categories Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded.
- Jury
The organizers will select those who, in their opinion, are the finest experts for the organoleptic assessment of the samples, forming a top-level, internationally renowned jury.
Thus, if mobility between countries is allowed and there are no restrictions due to major force, prestigious experts of at least six countries other than Spain.
The oils will always be tasted by a sufficient number of jurors.
The prizes will be determined in a final tasting with the participation of all the members of the jury, where at least the best four EVOOs of each assessment table will compete.
The Award for Best Packaging will include a special jury formed by renowned professionals of the marketing and design industries, who will be in charge of evaluating the uniqueness and quality of the presentations.
- Registration Period
For producers inside the UE: The deadline for applying to EVOOLEUM will close on March 20, 2024 (FINAL DEADLINE). The deadline to receive the samples will close on March 27, 2024.
For producers outside the UE: The deadline for applying EVOOLEUM and to receive the samples will close on March 27, 2024 (FINAL DEADLINE). The contestants who send their samples from countries that must be submitted to Customs, must especially consider the deadlines of these procedures so that the samples arrive at their destination on the indicated date.
The contestants who send their samples from countries that must be submitted to Customs, must especially consider the deadlines of these procedures so that the samples arrive at their destination on the indicated date.
The organization is not responsible for delays caused in transport, or customs inspections, nor will it be responsible for any customs expenses, or derived from transport. Consequently, the participation fee will not be reimbursed in case the samples do not arrive on the indicated date. Furthermore, EVOOLEUM is not responsible for loss of merchandise during transit or for breakages that must be replaced by the participant.
- Awards Ceremony
The Awards ceremony will be held at the place indicated by the organization that, in any case, will be a European capital and in the context of a prestigious gastronomic event.
- Trophies and Diplomas
The first ten classified, EVOO TOP100, will receive a commemorative trophy of the award with the logo of the competition.
Furthermore, the best oils from each of the categories will receive a commemorative trophy of the corresponding award, with the name of the brand, the season and the category engraved, as defined in Section 4. All trophies will be delivered at the EVOOLEUM Gala. If the producer is unable to attend, the trophy will be at their disposal at the EVOOLEUM offices from the day of the Gala.
Moreover, the top 100 winners will receive a diploma with the achieved score, and two copies of the EVOOLEUM Guide on paper.
The winners will only be able to include the Award on the label of the packaging containing the batch to which the winning sample belongs, under the rules of graphic representation of the Award set by the organization. If this requirement is not met, the organization will prevent the participation of the offending company in successive editions, in addition to indicating the offence on the competiotion’s website.
9. Acceptance
The participation in the International Competition for the Quality of Extra Virgin Olive Oils, which is granted by the EVOOLEUM AWARDS, implies the acceptance of these conditions. The jury’s decision is final and non-appealable, and participation in this competition implies the acceptance of said decision.
The acceptance of these rules also implies that the selected EVOOs will appear in the EVOOLEUM World’s TOP100 Extra Virgin Olive Oils Guide which will be published including the first 100 classified.
These regulations will be delivered to the liscenced notary in charge of assigning the codes, who shall certify that the contest was held as indicated therein.
10. EVOOLEM WORLD’S TOP 100 EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OILS GUIDE
The outcome of International Competition for the Quality of Extra Virgin Olive Oils EVOOLEUM ¨WORLD’S TOP 100 EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OILS will be published in the form of a Guide that will contain the 100 best EVOOs in the world, alongside their scores obtained in the contest. The EVOOLEUM Guide, published in English, both digitally and in print, will include a complete fact sheet of each one of the 100 best oils of the competition, containing a photograph of the product, its organoleptic characteristics, the variety o varieties from which it is produced, the olive grove’s geographic location, its marketable volume, its packaging and the producer’s contact details (the company’s website, headquarters, email and telephone). In addition, every sheet will include further information shown as icons regarding its certifications of quality or organic character, among others.
With the aim of having the EVOOLEUM Guide reach all those end consumers interested in the quality of extra virgin olive oil, it will be available at bookstores, department stores and specialized outlets, as well as in the Horeca channel.
Moreover, Mercacei and AEMO will distribute and promote the Guide at all the forums, competitions and national and international fairs in which both entities participate, especially those gastronomic and commercial events where the olive oil sector has a special impact. In the digital realm, the Guide will be available on the competition’s website as well as on Mercacei and AEMO’s webpages, without forgetting promotion through different social media, where both organizations have a massive presence.