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Every year, the annual Absa Top 10 Olive Oil Awards celebrates the best of South Africa's extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs). This gives producers an award to cherish and flaunt with pride, while also giving new entrants to the SA olive industry reasons to believe in, aspire to and achieve excellence.
Watch the short video for more on the competition:
This is all made possible by Absa and the SA Olive Association. For the past 10 years, the synergy between Absa and SA Olive has been both perfect and deliberate – because Absa is committed to supporting and empowering SA agriculture.
The 2023 Absa Top 10 Olive Oil awards ceremony recently took place at the beautiful Olijvenkraal Estate near Paarl – an event which is a highlight on the SA Olive calendar.
The winners are:
- De Rustica: De Rustica Estate Collection Arbequino
- Kleinbergskloof: Kleinbergskloof Family Reserve EVOO
- Prince Albert Olives: Prince Albert Olives
- Lions Creek: Lions Creek Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Babylonstoren: Babylonstoren Coratina EVOO 2023
- Mardouw: XXV Medium
- Morgenster: Don Carlo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Rockhaven: Rockhaven Farm EVOO
- Terre Paisible: Terre Paisible Extra Virgin Olive Oil Aromatique
- Het Vlock Casteel: Het Vlock Casteel Coratina
There’s even more reason to celebrate this year because SA Olive has a new CEO, Wendy Petersen. Her vision for the SA olive industry is clear: a strong focus on driving awareness of SA produced olives and EVOO, inclusivity, growth, driving competitiveness, developing skills, and alignment of the olive industry with the country’s broader Agriculture and Agro-Processing Master Plan (AAMP). She’s determined to make a difference and is already shaping great things to come.
Not only has Wendy hit the ground running, she’s also already immersed in making SA Olive a hub for emerging farmers by offering them mentorship and succession, and creating a place where new entrants can find both support and guidance. SA Olive’s focus will extend to creating employment opportunities, and nurturing sustainable business development within the industry. Absa, of course, is right behind her and SA Olive in this plan and is working alongside Wendy to help realise this ambition.
“Without a major sponsor such as Absa understanding the journey, we’d take much longer to bring about the change that’s needed in our industry,” Wendy says. “We’re very excited about the future and about making our plans a reality.”
Yolisa Mlungwana, Absa regional segment head who attended the annual awards this year, said, “We’re proud to have sponsored the awards again this year, as this prestigious ceremony gives South African EVOO producers the deserved recognition for their achievement in producing top-quality olive oil. We’re also happy with the new approach SA Olive is taking in establishing a space for the mentorship of new farmers, as this aligns with our ongoing strategy of ‘empowering Africa’ through various development opportunities.”
Absa believes that SA olive producers play a pivotal and invaluable role within the agricultural industry as a whole.
Why not spread a little more joy, health and wellness by giving your friends and family an award-winning bottle of liquid gold this Christmas? It’s a perfect stocking filler. If you’re looking for some EVOO recipe inspiration, click here. And for those who want to know about the health-giving benefits of EVOO, click here.
This post and content is sponsored, written and produced by Absa and SA Olive.
