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Croatia's Leading Region for World-Class Olive Oil

Istrian olive oil


For the eighth year running, Istria has clinched the title of the best olive oil region globally, according to the prestigious Flos Olei guide. This guide is like the ultimate handbook for top-notch extra virgin olive oils. In its latest edition, Istria has once again taken the crown, boasting the highest number of featured olive oil producers. Known for its fantastic olive oils, Istria has a whopping 69 entries out of the total 71 oils from Croatia, which is 13 more than last time. And get this, the guide covers oils from all over the world! Istria is second only to Puglia, Italy, with 55 oils, and Tuscany comes in third with 51 oils.

 

The folks behind Istria's olive groves are among the top 500 globally, making up an impressive 13% of the lot. What's cool is that many of them have outdone themselves compared to last year, showing how much they're improving quality and keeping up with the latest olive-growing tech.

 

Flos Olei is put together by Marco Oreggia, a big-name journalist and food critic, and Laura Marinelli, who's all about food and drink writing. This guide is a big deal internationally and comes in three versions: English-Italian, Chinese-Italian, and Spanish-Italian.

 

Hall of Fame: Shining Stars of Croatia's olive oil

Flos Olei has two main sections. The Hall of Fame is for companies that are so amazing they get a special shoutout for their career achievements, with a perfect score of 100/100. In 2024, nine producers got this honor, including, for the first time ever, one from Croatia: Uljara Mate Aleksandre Vekić from Savudrija!

 

The Best: Celebrating the Cream of the Crop

Then there's "The Best" category, which celebrates estates that stand out for their quality in different ways. They're not just looking at how good the olive oil tastes, but also at how consistent the producers have been over the years and how much they've helped out their local area. Since olive oil's flavor starts to fade after a while, the idea here is to give props to producers rather than just the oils themselves. They hand out all kinds of awards, like "Estate of the Year," "Green Company," "Organic Production," and more. In the 2024 Flos Olei guide, they gave out awards to 17 estates, and in the 2023 edition, Uljara MATE Aleksandre Vekić was named "Estate of the Year."

Glasses of olive oil

Istrian Olive Oil Excellence: Flos Olei 2024 Rankings

Check out these rankings for Istrian olive oil producers in the Flos Olei 2024 guide:

  • Mate 100

  • Ipša 99

  • Olea B. B. 98

  • OPG Zubin 98

  • OPG Chiavalon 98

  • Negri Olive 97

  • OPG Matteo Belci 97

  • OPG Buršić 96

  • OPG Oliveri 96

  • Cervar 96

  • Monte Rosso 96

  • Tonin 96

  • Uljara Vodnjan 96

  • OPG Damir Vanđelić 95

  • Primizia - San Rocco 95

  • Uljara Al Torcio 95

  • Oleum Maris 95

  • Grubić 94

  • Meneghetti 94

  • Zigante 94

  • Wine & Olive Oil Cuj 94

  • OPG Giuseppe Lupieri - Cadenela 94

  • OPG Marko Geržinić 93

  • Capo 92

  • OPG Kristjan Brajko 92

  • OPG Ante Babić 92

  • Ulja Komarija 91

  • Vergal 91

  • OPG Filip Ceko 91

  • OPG Rheos 90

  • OPG Anton Stojnić 90

  • OPG Vošten 90

  • Olea Prima 90

  • Zajednički obrt Vina Cattunar 89

  • OPG Petar Palčić 89

  • OPG Francesco Bellani 89

  • OPG Bodiš 89

  • Valencano 88

  • OPG Mario Crnobori 88

  • Agrolaguna 88

  • Stancija Collis 88

  • Dobravac 88

  • OPG Turinela 88

  • OPG Sergio Cergna 87

  • Clai 87

  • OPG Dean Fabijančić 87

  • Maslinici Mlun 87

  • E Pluribus Unum 87

  • Uljara Baioco 87

  • Kalčić 87

  • OPG Igor Kocijančić 86

  • OPG Nadišić - Olea Magica 86

  • Agroturizam Fatorić 86

  • Olea Kalden - OPG Katica Kaldenhoff 86

  • Ursaria 86

  • PZ Maslinari Istre 85

  • OPG Sakač 85

  • OPG Dani Lubiana 85

  • Grozić 84

  • OPG Diego Jurišević 84

  • OPG Car 84

  • Kalavojna 84

  • OPG Antonio Cecco 83

  • OPG Roberto Rota 83

  • Latini 83

  • InIstria 82

  • OPG Andelo Anić 82

  • OPG Grebac 81

  • Torač 81

 

These rankings show how Istrian olive oil producers are all about quality, innovation, and sustainability, cementing their place as global leaders in the olive oil game. Istria's liquid gold continues to make waves on the world stage of olive oil production, one drop at a time.

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