Mercacei-Edimarket Editores is a publishing group specialising in professional publications aimed at the olive oil, olive grove and table olive sector, as well as Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oils. The undisputed leader in the sector, it is made up of a team of professionals with extensive experience in the agri-food universe, and also has the backing of prominent experts and collaborators worldwide.
Since they began in 1994, several publications have seen the light of day: Mercacei Newsletter (weekly), Mercacei Magazine (quarterly), Olivatessen by Mercacei (annual and in English), Mercacei Guide to Olive Oil Manufacturers and Packers (biennial), Industrial Guide to the Olive and Olive Oil Sector (biennial) and EVOOLEUM World’s TOP100 Extra Virgin Olive Oils Guide (annual and in a bilingual Spanish-English edition).
The latter compiles the TOP 100 of the best oils in the world, recognising the twenty best small EVOO producers and the ten healthiest extra virgin olive oils according to their polyphenol content. The latest edition, presented a few months ago, also has a section dedicated to gastronomy. The foreword is written by Elena Arzak, chef at the three-Michelin-starred Arzak restaurant; renowned chefs such as Paco Roncero, Mario Sandoval, Begoña Rodríguez and Toño Pérez offer us an appealing collection of olive-based appetisers; while in “12 months, 12 dishes with EVOO” they present us with a delicious selection of international dishes, one for each month of the year. The guide is completed with interesting articles such as “All the curiosities hidden in virgin olive oil”, “EVOO sneaks into TV series” or “EVOO & meat, the perfect pairing”.
The 2024 edition also includes the EVOOLEUM Packaging Awards 2024, which recognise the most beautiful designs, both national and international. In addition to those presented exclusively for these awards, there are also those participating in the EVOOLEUM International Awards for Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, organised by the Mercacei Publishing Group and the Spanish Association of Municipalities of the Olive Tree (AEMO).
Divided into four categories – Best Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil Design, Best Innovative Design, Best Retail Range Design and Best Sustainable Design – the winners of the latest edition are as follows.
Best Design Premium EVOO
COLONNA MOLENSIS XXV, from Marina Colonna Soc. Agr. SRL of Italy won the Gold Medal for its elegance. A limited edition 100% Italian EVOO blend of Peranzana, Ascolana and Nocellara with PDO Molise that refers to the history of the Colonna family, one of the oldest and noblest in Italy. It has a herbaceous aroma, a good load of green fruitiness and clear notes of vegetables: green tomato and artichoke.
The Silver Medal went to INVICTO AOVE, a range of early-harvest single-variety olive oils from the northern countryside of Jaén. Arbosana EVOO comes in a noble and imposing bottle, with a spectacular design representing the goddess Victoria with her characteristic wings, standing out for its elegant typography and a triangular case. The Arbosana variety has a greenish-golden colour and on the palate it is sublime and extraordinary due to its mixture of sweet, bitter and spicy flavours with subtle aromatic and fruity notes such as green apple, tomato or almond that leave their mark due to their intensity.
The Bronze Medal went to VIZCONDE DE ALMANSA, from Oleícola Jaén, an early-harvest single-variety Coratina olive from groves located in the fertile lands of the Guadalquivir floodplain. Quality, luxury and nobility in a container that stands out for its creativity and which, in the words of the jury, reminds us of a “refined English tale and an aristocratic painting, with the bottle bearing an elegant coat of arms”. The graphic is a romantic interpretation of the work “The rescue of the dog” – Norbert Schrödl, 1873-, transformed into a charming scene where nature and its wildlife take centre stage.
Best Innovative Design
AU (Aceites Únicos) by the Magoase Business Group was recognised with the Gold in innovation for its presentation in a can in the shape of a gold ingot which, in the opinion of the jury, “perfectly represents the concept of liquid gold in a harmonious and obvious, but at the same time original design”. This company, which has been dedicated to the traditional cultivation of olive trees for more than two hundred years, listening to nature and respecting its times, presents a premium quality extra virgin olive oil extracted only from olives of the picual variety harvested at their optimum point, coming from the first pressing of the olive and capturing the purest essence of the fruit. Highly stable and with a fruity green colour, it has fresh aromas with hints of apple and wood.
The Silver Medal was awarded to NAI 3.3, by OPG Nives Morović, an organic extra virgin olive oil produced at Villa Nai 3.3, an exclusive boutique resort located on the Croatian island of Dugi Otok, in the heart of Dalmatia (Croatia). The packaging, which captivated the jury, combines elegance, an attractive format and simplicity, being a clear example of the concept “less is more”. Made with a combination of several types of olives: Karbunčela, Obleca, Pendolino and Leccino, it is characterised by a pronounced fruity aroma, a sweet-spicy flavour and a high polyphenol content.
TROPICUAL by Mangrove Studios, a project born on the Costa Tropical of Granada, won the Bronze Medal for its original presentation, a packaging that is “purely traditional yet innovative” and of which the jury highlighted the play on words of its name and the cloth that wraps the two tins, reminiscent of the ones that grandmothers used for lunch. Ecológico De Sierra and Ecológico De Vega are two 100% organic Picual olive juices made with the utmost care, from early harvest olives picked as they fall from the tree and cold extraction for a premium quality product.
Best Retail Range Design
The Gold Medal in the retail category went to HACIENDA EL PALO PREMIUM, by Aceites Hacienda El Palo, a picual monovarietal presented in a cylindrical transparent glass container with a non-refillable dosing cap. Harmony, the transparency of the oil, the green and silver of the olive leaf and abundant information, but very well ordered and designed, were the elements highlighted by the jury. Hacienda El Palo Premium is an oil with a medium-high green fruitiness that presents aromas of grass, apple and almond, with important notes of olive leaf, tomato and, to a lesser extent, artichoke. On the palate it is an oil with a medium bitterness and a slightly more intense and pleasant spiciness.
The Greek extra virgin olive oil ILIADA KALAMATA PDO EVOO Platium Line, from the company AGRO. VI.M, based in Kalamata (Messinia) and present in more than 50 countries, won Silver for the ergonomics and practicality of its tin packaging, which is easy to use and pour from, while aesthetically the jury highlighted the image of the falling drop, the graphics, the contrast of silver and white and a longer shelf life. This EVOO has a colour ranging from emerald green to golden green, a medium fruity aroma with aromas of green fruit, light to medium bitterness and pungency and hints of green banana, vanilla, exotic fruits, ripe tomato, peach and flowers and a smooth, fresh and full-bodied flavour, medium fruitiness, light to medium bitterness and pungency with a peppery aftertaste.
Finally, the Bronze Medal was awarded to MOLINO LAS TINAJAS, a company of the same name that is the result of the union of several farming families from the Alto Guadalquivir region. With a packaging design that the jury described as balanced, elegant, convenient and compact, it is an early harvest picual monovarietal olive oil of an intense green/yellowish green colour with its own characteristic aromas, without showing any signs of rancidity, alteration or contamination.
Best Sustainable Design
In this category, which is new to this edition, the limited production blend CASTELL DE LA COSTURERA “ORÍGENES”, by SAT Agrofruit, won the Gold Medal. With packaging in which clay and esparto grass are the protagonists, as well as a copper ring that embraces both elements, it stood out to the jury for its noble materials, textures and originality, and it is clear to see that it is sustainable and refers to the past, to the old way of preserving oils. Obtained from ancient and millenary olive trees of native and recovered varieties.
A subtle design that connects with nature, which stands out for the delicacy of the die-cutting of the label and its freshness and for the window of the case that allows the product to be seen were the reasons why SUSTINERI, from the Cooperativa Agrícola Ntra. Sra. de los Ángeles SCA, won the Silver Medal. This is a blend produced in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, without phytosanitary residues.
The podium is completed by APALOSECO 750, from Adler Gestión, a complex and balanced single-varietal organic early-harvest Cornicabra in a limited edition presented in an exclusive collection of 4,000 750 ml bottles. Imperfect, numbered and eco-designed containers made of 100% recycled glass that the jury valued and applauded for the organic texture of the glass and the case, as well as the workmanship of the bottle. These characteristics earned it the Bronze Medal.
