- by croatiaweek
- February 21, 2026
-
in
Food & Wine
Croatia has once again confirmed its position among the world’s elite olive oil producers, with 21 Croatian extra virgin olive oils awarded gold medals at the 2026 edition of the New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC).
As reported by Plava Kamenica, the early results for 2026 reveal a strong performance from Croatian producers across all major olive-growing regions of the country.
World’s Largest and Most Influential Competition
The NYIOOC is widely regarded, alongside Flos Olei, as one of the most influential olive oil assessments in the world.
It is the largest competition of its kind in terms of the number of samples and participants, with thousands of entries submitted annually from more than 40 countries.
Oils are judged through rigorous blind tastings under strict evaluation criteria.
A medal from New York brings significant international visibility to producers, often opening doors to importers and distributors in the American, Asian and European markets.
The official list of winners functions as a global catalogue of premium olive oils, closely followed by buyers and industry professionals.
One distinctive feature of the New York competition is its staggered publication of results. Rather than announcing all winners at once, gold and silver medals are revealed progressively as individual oils are evaluated.
The first results for 2026 were published on 2 February, a month earlier than last year. Organisers adjusted the schedule to give award-winning producers more time to leverage their accolades commercially. Final results are expected in May.
At present, the Croatian gold medal tally is led by the Avistria brand, which, as in previous years, has secured the highest number of gold awards among Croatian producers.
Croatian Gold Medal Winners – NYIOOC 2026
The following Croatian extra virgin olive oils have won gold medals so far:
• Rizman Organic
• Birkić
• Olio D’Oro Galjin Dvor
• Velaga Blend
• Provaža Blend
• Štefanić Bianchera
• Olea Viola
• Ćaće Moga
• Avistria Istrian Blend
• Avistria Istrian Essence
• Avistria Buža
• Avistria Stari Buža
• Avistria Istarska Bjelica
• Avistria Leccino
• Antino
• Mediterano
• Dalmatian Robust
• Leut
• Dalma Premium
• Olea Magica
• Canolle
With final results still to come in May, the current achievements already signal another outstanding year for Croatian olive oil on the global stage.
