Liocharis Awarded for Outstanding Koroneiki

Liocharis Kefalonia Olive Mill from Greece has won a Silver Award at the world's premier olive oil quality contest.

'Exciting' is one word describing the dominant feeling. The traditional olive varieties on the island, some coming from the age of Odysseus, need further exploration and experimentation.

DIonysios Garbis, Owner, Liocharis Kefalonia Olive Mill

The winning brand at NYIOOC World was the company's Liocharis, a delicate blend. The company produces extra virgin olive oil in Kefalonia from Koroneiki olives using traditional methods.

The producer faced some challenges during the 2019/2020 season, owner Dionysios Garbis said today when he heard of the win.

"The most difficult part of the harvest is to have the daily collection and daily processing in our olive mill," Garbis said.

"The challenge is the weather that is not favorable every day, but olives need to be picked on their optimum stage of maturing. Adding to this the lack of labor, and the equation receives 3rd-degree hardness," Garbis added.

Garbis noted that the win set the company's bar higher, and expressed optimism for the future of the brand.

"'Exciting' is one word describing the dominant feeling. Our responsibility is higher now, since we want to have better results next year. The traditional olive varieties on the island, some coming from the age of Odysseus, need further exploring and experimentation. A lot of sectors of farming in Kefalonia Island need improvement"

The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, held each spring in New York, is the world's largest and most prestigious olive oil contest and its annual listing of award winners is considered the authoritative guide to the year’s best extra virgin olive oils.

The complete list of winners can be viewed on the Official Index of the World's Best Olive Oils