A Greek family of oil producers reached the world record of 100 international awards.
Sakellaropoulos Organic Farming, based in Sparta, is the only Greek business that has managed to win so many prizes in competitions around the world.
The 100th honour was announced at the New York International Olive Oil Competition 2019, where samples of the family’s olive oil managed to shine among 903 olive oil samples from 27 countries around the world when it received a silver award for its green olive oil (agourelaio).
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Though the family are newcomers to the olive oil scene, they have successfully managed to climb the ranks since starting olive oil production in 1992.
Located between the mountains of Taygetos and Parnonas, the family’s grandfather cultivated the olive trees he planted himself using organic methods. The family’s mantra is “Create the best possible olives and olive oil… food that sustains and improves health.” A study is currently underway at Harvard to examine the health benefits of olive oil. The experiment is demonstrating the effect that the Mediterranean diet has on firefighters in the United States by using the Sakellaropoulos family’s healthy high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil. It will examine whether the diet will help reduce the risk of heart attacks among firefighters.