Yet another acknowledgment for our baby, IL TRADIZIONALE!
I SERGENTI’s oil won first prize in the category intense fruity – green almond at the Japan Olive Oil Prize (link).The event is dedicated to high quality oil and is held annually in Tokyo. Double victory in fact, as we also won the prize for best organic oil of the whole event!
This is quite a unique victory and it is important for me to explain why. Over recent years, Japan has been developing an oil culture that I call “consumer based”. I say this because, traditionally, the rising sun is a land of a thousand treasures, but production of olive oil is not one of them. In recent years, some completely new production sites have been created, thanks to expertise from Italian companies and technicians. We are still talking about small numbers, in comparison to world olive oil production.
I think that this production is, at least partly, due to a widespread passion for extra-virgin olive oil and not to the traditional vocation for cultivating the olive tree. We work with some agronomists that have helped to create these small cultivations, so I have heard about it first-hand. I know that the Japanese market is extremely interesting, not least because of their continuous strivefor excellence. Anyone that has bought a product branded Made in Japan can confirm that. Our Japanese friends are perfectionists, and their search for perfection has been insatiable for millennia. Their interest in oil is currently extremely high and, though some talk about a “fashion”, I think it is more about people that have understood the huge benefits that olive oil can have. Their manners and innate Japanese courtesy also helps to create a congeniality, which we can hope will be strong and long lasting.
Sayonara
