Italian Olive Oil Earns Top Nod In Northern Hemisphere La International Evoo Competition

Judges From Around The World Gather at Fairplex in Pomona, CA, For International Event. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) April 05, 2016 - In a showdown featuring products from more than a dozen nations, 15 judges from around the world sampled 571 extra virgin olive oils and selected Italy's Coratina Olio di Dievole as the finest in the Northern Hemisphere. Held at Fairplex, home of the LA County Fair, the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) Competition is rated the premiere event in the nation and #5 in the world. In addition to serving as the venue, Fairplex conceived the competition and has organized the events for 17 years.

According to Fairplex Executive Chef David Teig, who served as a judge, the event was held on the heels of controversy surrounding the popular derivative that is produced by pressing whole olives and is commonly used in cooking.

"While knock-offs of designer handbags, watches and clothing are a common occurrence, a recent '60 Minutes' expose revealed that one of the fastest growing counterfeits is olive oil," said Teig. "Made in North Africa, these phony products are deodorized with chemicals and often exported into the United States (quality olive is a relatively expensive commodity). This competition shone the spotlight on quality products, many of which will be available to sample during the LA County Fair in September."

In addition to the top prize, the following earned "best of show" status:
BEST OF SHOW - DOMESTIC
· Delicate -- The Olive Press, Arbosana, Yuba City, California
· Medium -- Moon Shadow Grove, Ascolano, Sacramento Valley, California
· Robust -- Pacific Sun, Riverview Ranch Tuscan Blend, Yolo County, California
BEST OF SHOW - INTERNATIONAL
· Delicate -- Trappeto di Caprafico, Abruzzo, Italy
· Medium -- Cetrone, Itrana, De, Delicato, Lazio, Italy
· Robust -- Olio di Dievole, Coratina, Gaiole in Chianti, Italy
BEST OF SHOW -FLAVORED
· The Olive Press, Lime, Oroville, California
In addition to these top honors, 26 Best of Class awards, 125 Gold Medal awards, 168 Silver Medal awards, and 73 Bronze Medal awards were presented to EVOO representatives from China, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States.

Southern Hemisphere EVOOs will be judged in July. For a list of all the winners, visit www.laoliveoilcomp.com.

About Fairplex:
Fairplex is a private, non-profit 501(c)5, self-funding organization that is not governed by the county or state, and receives no government subsidies for daily business operations. Under the direction of the Los Angeles County Fair Association, Fairplex exists to build stronger communities and, through its businesses and The Learning Centers, provide education, entertainment and fun to Southern California.

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