San Antonio Olive Oil has won medals in Tokyo, Milan, New York…
San Antonio extra virgin olive oils have recently received two medals at Olive Japan 2016 International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition that was held in Tokyo. “Karbonaca” oil has won gold, while “Buža Ženska Vodnjanska” has won the silver medal. Both are oils with eco-certificates, reports Glas Istre on May 19, 2016.
Marijan Marjanović, director of San Antonio Olive Oil Factory, said that the event in Tokyo was very important because it involved olive oil producers from around the world. While, according to some criteria, the most prestigious competition is actually the one in New York, which has also yielded awards for San Antonio, Japan is also very highly regarded. “We have chosen two oils that we thought would achieve best results this year”, said Marjanović. And they have chosen wisely.
San Antonio has 7,000 olive trees as part of the eco-friendly production process. “Such producers have to adhere strictly to the norms”, explained Marjanović. The Karbonaca oil is very piquant and, together with Bjelica, belongs to the strongest type of olives. Buža Ženska Vodnjanska is milder, not as “aggressive”, and has a phenomenal taste. It smells like grass, tomatoes, almonds, while the taste depends on the type of land”, explained Marjanović.
Milenko Marjanović, his father, is the owner of the San Antonio Olive Oil Factory. They established their business in 2009 and their plantations are situated south of Vodnjan. “This area is favourable for olives; the sea keeps the temperature stable. Because our plantations are located in the northern part, the oils are intense. We have six types of olives: karbonaca, buža, bjelica, leccino, pendolino, and buža subtypes”, said Marjanović. The oils are marketed around Europe, and they export about 15 to 20 percent of their production.
“People come back, ask us to deliver our product to them. We have just started expansion to the foreign markets, and we mostly market our products in Sweden, Hungary, Austria and Slovenia, and other neighbouring countries”, added Marjanović. He said that the medals they had won would help them on the market. They have three gold and one silver medal from the New York Olive Oil Competition 2013 and three gold medals from Milan which they have won the same year. And he is not even counting all the awards from their native Istria.
