The Korea International Olive Oil Competition (KIOOC) 2026 has announced its winners, with nine brands receiving platinum honors. The competition, now in its second year, attracted entries from nine countries, including Spain, Italy, Greece, and Japan.

Competition Details

A total of 86 olive oils received Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze awards, following a rigorous blind-tasting process conducted in accordance with International Olive Council (IOC) standards. The Platinum Award was presented to outstanding brands across five distinct categories: Monocultivar, Blend, Organic, PDO/PGI, and Infused.

The competition aims to provide consumers with objective quality benchmarks based on internationally recognized evaluation standards, moving beyond purchasing decisions driven primarily by marketing, packaging, or price. The committee noted that Platinum-winning brands from the inaugural competition recorded average sales growth of more than 300 percent in the Korean market following their recognition.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.