Dalmatian olive oils have entered the world stage through the big doors, into the world elite itself. Triumphantly in the middle of Manhattan, at the World Olive Oil Championship New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC), the largest and most prestigious world competition of its kind, Dalmatian olive oils won as many as 46 medals.
And this is how this world championship of olive oils will be remembered, precisely by Dalmatians.
At all previous championships in New York, Istrian oils have returned with numerous medals, Dalmatian would be only a few, although regularly awarded gold or silver, one year Solta even the best in class.
But there have always been too few Dalmatians, so the story went on that Dalmatia has the most olives, but Dalmatians don’t really know how to do that, and that Dalmatian oils can’t be compared to Istrian, or Tuscan or…
This year’s most prestigious competition of olive oils in the world proved that Dalmatian olive oils are the world’s top in quality .
While Istrian oils have been dominant in previous competitions, this year in New York Dalmatia has become dominant. “NYIOOC 2021 will be remembered for the triumphant appearance of Dalmatian olive growing on the international stage,” writes the Cult of the Blue Oyster.
Dalmatian olive oils won more than half of Croatia’s 67 gold and 20 silver medals this year in New York.
A total of 502 gold and 288 silver prizes were awarded at this world’s most prestigious olive oil competition.
WE ARE NOT BIG, BUT WE ARE SUPERIOR!
It is interesting that Croatia is a true world olive power in terms of the number of medals won – it is in 4th place in terms of the number of medals won from all countries in the world. In front of it are only the olive-growing superpowers Italy, Spain and Greece, countries that cover most of the world’s olive oil production.
Croatia uses the best rated oils follows in the footsteps even though it is a real “ant” compared to them – while these countries cover the majority of world production, Croatian olive oils make up only 0.3 percent of global production.
We’re not big, but we’re top notch! In New York, Croatia is beating the superpowers ahead of them in terms of the percentage of success in relation to the sent samples. Croatia sent 105 samples, and recorded the greatest success. Namely, as many as 83 percent of her samples won both gold and silver medals.
Dalmatia presented itself to the world in Manhattan with all its diversity of varieties and terroir. Gold and silver were given to oils of the form, Skradin blood sausages, Šolta levantines, numerous blends, and oils from the vicinity of Zadar, Šibenik, Hvar, Šolta, Brač, Benkovac were awarded,…
Luka Gerlanc/Cropix
Another Croatian region has imposed itself on the world, in Velika Jabuka these days it has become clear that there is an olive-growing Dalmatia and that Croatia, along with Istria, has another olive-growing pride-region.
And a good part of the “blame” for such an effective exit of Dalmatia to the top of the world is borne by a young olive grower and oilman from Vodice, Tomislav Duvnjak. It was he who gathered the Dalmatian olive growers and encouraged and organized them to go out into the big world.
And it all started because he got angry last year! Here’s how it was.
“After last year’s NYIOOC 2020 event, when we won gold and silver with the Sv. Ivan from Vodice, we were proud and happy, but there was that one dose of sadness, because there were only 12 samples from Dalmatia at the event.
It is the trigger that launched this project and that ended so triumphantly. I told my wife Helena, we have to start something, there are a lot of us in Dalmatia, and there are so few samples, that’s not it…, if necessary I will personally go all over Dalmatia and send samples to NY for the next event “, says Tomislav Duvnjak.
BRAVO FOR THE PEOPLE OF ŠIBENIK!
“The plan and the project rolled when I talked about it to my colleagues in the association of sensory analysts Olea Šibenik, they all supported this idea with the intention of helping.
Luka Gerlanc/Cropix
Through the professional group of oil and olive growers of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce of the Šibenik County Chamber, together with the secretary of the group Davor Antica , we made a plan.
A big, big role was played by people from Šibenik-Knin County, primarily Goran Pauk, the prefect of Šibenik-Knin County. He is the first to promise that Šibenik-Knin County will support the application by co-financing competitors from Šibenik-Knin County in the amount of 50% per application for the tournament, which amounted to 350 USD.
We did not want to stay only in our Šibenik-Knin County, because the goal from the beginning was Dalmatia.
Prefect Pauk called other prefects from other counties of Dalmatia, and suggested that everyone help in the realization of the project, which was accepted by other prefects, and a big thank you to them all.
When we received confirmation that we would receive county assistance in the amount of 50% per application, we provided additional support from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, specifically the branch of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce led by Josip Lac, who contacted other branches of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce in Dalmatia and provided additional 25% sample for all competitors from its counties. ”
SAMPLES FOR NEW YORK WERE SENT TO HIM
He called the oil mills and olive growers in Dalmatia, they sent him samples for New York, he made sure they were sent on time and they waited for it to be. What the best evaluators in the world will say about Dalmatian oils.
Nikolina Vuković Stipaničev/Cropix
And after all, after a real triumph, what does Tomislav say?
“Now our Dalmatia is incredibly full of emotions, I don’t know how to describe it in words. When I just remember the beginning, I never dreamed that such a result was possible, so we won more awards than one great Istria, our Istria, which for years is known as the best region in the world when it comes to the quality of olive oil.
87 awarded oils from Croatia, where 48 awards go to Dalmatia as a region, if we are talking about gold medals then we are talking about the number of 36 golds.
Well, Dalmatia has won more gold than some Mediterranean countries in total awards, I am immensely happy and with a big heart I once again greet and congratulate all the participants from Dalmatia. Once again, thank you very much, bravo Dalmatia, because you are where you belong! ”- Duvnjak pointed out.