Gold and Silver Medals Awarded To California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oils

(I-Newswire) March 18, 2010 - March 1, 2010, Oroville Calif.— California Olive Ranch (COR), North America’s largest olive oil producer, received four medals from The California Olive Oil Council (COOC) for their 2009 harvest extra virgin olive oils (EVOO). The single varietal estate Koroneiki received a gold medal while its Miller’s Blend, Arbequina, and Arbosana EVOOs all earned silver medals.

The COOC announced its silver and gold awards at its annual meeting held in Sonoma, CA on February 20. The competition drew over 58 producers and 77 oils. A blind tasting was conducted, using the Mario Solinas Assessment, an internationally preferred method for scoring. Thirteen trained COOC judges from the organization’s certification tasting panel evaluated the oils.

Gregg Kelley, CEO of California Olive Ranch, notes that the uniform international guidelines allow similarly trained panels worldwide to evaluate extra virgin olive oils with the same results. “The recent recognition of COR’s oils is yet another milepost in our efforts to revolutionize the production of the world’s freshest extra virgin olive oil. We view these awards as an indicator that California Olive Ranch will continue to be the preferred choice of chefs and consumers who pride themselves on using only the best ingredients for flavor, freshness and health.”

California Olive Ranch’s leading innovative methods of production ensure that its extra virgin olive oils maintain their just-picked flavor, aroma and freshness while providing the highest nutritional benefits possible. Similar to wine tasting, each EVOO offers different tasting notes for the consumer’s palate. COR’s Arbequina varietal has a high fruitiness profile with balanced pungency and a very pleasing clean taste. COR’s single variety estate Koroneiki has a robust fruity nose with a strong, peppery finish. It is characterized by aromas of fresh grass and artichokes with a wonderful balance and superb character. Miller’s Blend is a blend of all three varietals grown by COR – Arbosana, Arbequina, and Koroneiki. It includes the fruitiness of Arbequina and the slight pungency of Koroneiki and nutty mellow notes of Arbosana.

“Another year has passed. With diligence, hard work, focused attention to excellence and an appreciation for our wonderful products, our oils were again awarded the highest honors by the most sophisticated tasters in the extra virgin olive oil industry. We work hard every day to present the best EVOO to our customers and recognition as a leading industry producer of high quality EVOO is our reward. At California Olive Ranch, we truly produce world class extra virgin olive oil,” said head miller Bob Singletary.

“Producing great olive oil isn’t ever easy. Therefore, recognition for our efforts is always appreciated. We have a talented team of dedicated professionals working relentlessly to ensure that every American has access to the freshest extra virgin olive oil possible,” adds Kelley. “And that is what makes it worth the effort.”

About California Olive Ranch

Founded in 1998, California Olive Ranch® is North America’s largest grower and processor of olive oil — doing with California grown extra virgin olive oil what California wines did in the 1970’s in the wine industry. Privately held and headquartered in Oroville, CA, California Olive Ranch has pioneered a relatively new, innovative farming method from Spain called "Super High Density Planting.” High speed harvesting machines are used to rapidly pick the fruit in minutes what traditionally takes hours or days to do by hand. COR’s state-of-the art milling facilities ensure faster harvesting and processing times to produce an abundant supply of fresh, flavorful, aromatic EVOO. The result is abundant, world-class extra virgin olive oil with a consistently fresh, fruity, aromatic, and award-winning flavor profile. California Olive Ranch’s products are sold to restaurant chefs and retailers throughout the United States and are also available for sale through their website.

About California Olive Ranch:
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Company Contact Information
California Olive Ranch
Claude Weiller
Phone : 916.239.2999