The Council of Tenerife has delivered this Saturday, in a ceremony held in the Plaza del Adelantado de La Laguna, the prizes corresponding to the eighth edition of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Contest (EVOO), a contest that promotes the quality of Tenerife productions with the aim of increasing their sales and giving them greater notoriety among consumers.
The event was attended by the Island Councilor for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Javier Parrilla; of the mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutierrez; and the director of the Canarian Institute of Agri-Food Quality, Basilio Pérez, as well as the insular director of Agriculture, Cayetano Silva and other authorities.
On this occasion, the Gran Oliva de Oro fell to the olive grower Antonio Martín, from the Tiro-Liro brand, which obtained the highest rating for its hojiblanca-arbequina blend-coupage. This is a recently created brand within the company that belongs to the Delgado Martín family, located in the municipality of Granadilla. This family company also has another brand, Legado de Abona, which in previous editions of the centermen has already won two golds and one silver.
The Silver Olives from this year’s contest were awarded to the brands Oleoteide (Abona), from the Cumbres de Abona Cooperative Society, for a monovarietal arbequina; and Almarosa, from olive grower Daniela Crestan, for its blend-coupage of 10 percent picual, 45 percent arbequina, and 45 percent arbosana. The producer from Tenerife also won the award for best presentation.
Javier Parrilla, for his part, congratulated the winners and recalled that Olive growing is one of the crops with the greatest drive and quality of agriculture on the island. “More and more producers are dedicated to the cultivation of the olive tree, hence the need to continue defending and supporting this subsector, improving its professionalism and competitiveness, fostering generational renewal and promoting the distribution and commercialization of our oils outside the islands”.
Luis Yeray Gutiérrez congratulated the award-winning brands, underlining “the commitment of the City Hall of La Laguna by the primary sector and local agricultural production. We are committed to the quality of local products and short marketing channels, and in this commitment the oil produced on our island has an important role to play”.
Basilio Pérez, highlighted the “importance and strengthening of the Canarian extra virgin olive oil, which goes through the role of olive cultivation in the midlands of our islands, and specifically in Tenerife, since it is an opportunity to diversify agriculture and the economy; An agro-processing industry is being created with a present and a future, both for oil mills and for olive packaging that generates economy and job“.
The awards ceremony has been carried out within the framework of the IV Extra Virgin Olive Oil Fair of Tenerife that will be held in this same space until 7:00 p.m. and in which attendees will be able to taste, learn about and purchase oils of the island.
This event also includes other activities, including a culinary demonstration by Zebenzuí Acosta, head chef at La Factoría Espacio Gastronómico; a commented tasting by the contest winners; and a talk on the benefits of liquid gold for health, given by two nurses from the Nutrition service of the Hospital Universitario de Canary Islands.
