Partner content: Willow Creek Olive Estate wins big in 2020

Willow Creek Olive Estate is proud to announce that the estate has yet again stood its ground as one of the top South African olive oil brands in 2020, both locally and internationally. The numerous international awards and world rankings that the estate has received from some of the best-tasting panels and olive oil judges in the world attests to their commitment to quality.

“I am immensely proud of my team’s passion, commitment and hard work behind the scenes, especially during a year as tough as this one. As we are all aware, the global pandemic has affected thousands of families and businesses, yet the Willow Creek team continued to work harder than ever to ensure that we remain a leader in our industry. We definitely offer world-class extra virgin olive oil, produced by a world-class team,” said Philip Crous, CEO of Willow Creek Olive Estate.

TerraOlivo IOOC (International Olive Oil Competition)

Willow Creek Olive Estate was awarded a Prestige Gold award for their Director’s Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a Gold award for their Estate Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The TerraOlivo IOOC has been awarding excellence since 2010. The competition, held in Israel, is one of the three most important and influential olive oil competitions worldwide. TerraOlivo has earned an excellent reputation from the extra virgin olive oil industry worldwide. The judges are all internationally acclaimed olive oil writers, buyers, producers and influencers.

London IOOC (International Olive Oil Competition)

Willow Creek Olive Estate participated in the London Quality awards of extra virgin olive oil and was awarded a Gold Quality Award for their Estate Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a Silver Quality Award for their Directors’ Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The LondonIOOC is Europe’s largest olive oil competition. The competition aims to promote only extra virgin olive oil of the highest quality, focusing on health and nutritional properties of the Mediterranean diet. The purpose of the competition is to inform olive-growers, oil producers, oil pressers, processors and retailers of excellent olive oil products by promoting high-quality olive oil in every aspect of the spectrum of its use and consumption.

The L’Orciolo d’Oro Awards (International Olive Oil Competition)

Both the Estate’s Directors’ Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Estate Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil obtained distinctions under the medium fruit category.

The L’Orciolo d’Oro awards are hosts of the oldest extra virgin olive oil competition worldwide. The 2020 awards received 5,000 entries and tasted over 14,000 oils.

Only ten distinctions were awarded per category this year – and Willow Creek Olive Estate walked away with two out of the ten awards.

The Aurora International Taste Challenge 2020

Willow Creek Olive Estate stood their ground as one of the top brands at The Aurora International Taste Challenge 2020. The following awards were awarded:

Double Gold: Estate Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Double Gold: Black Olives with Rosemary & Garlic

Gold: Directors’ Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Gold: Nuy Valley Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Gold: Basil Flavoured Olive Oil

Gold: Lemon Flavoured Olive Oil

Gold: Jalapeño Flavoured Olive Oil

Gold: Truffle Flavoured Olive Oil

The Aurora International Taste Challenge was originally created to award and recognise superior food products and to help guide consumers on their path to purchasing only the best products with confidence. Willow Creek Olive Estate participated in the olive and olive oil category, where superior products were granted Double Gold and Gold status as a reward of excellence and quality.

SA Olive Awards

Willow Creek’s Estate Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil took home a silver medal at this year’s SA Olive Awards. The SA Olive Awards were created to honour the hard-working olive oil industry in South Africa and to acknowledge the culmination of hard work and the strive for excellence in the local olive oil community.

Other accolades

Willow Creek Olive Estate is also proud to announce that it was awarded The Investment Group of The Year South Africa 2020 from a well-known UK based company. During 2019, Willow Creek Olive Estate won the Breedevalley Farm of the Year, as well as the Western Cape Prestige Agri Award that was awarded to Francois Cilliers from the Willow Creek estate.

About Willow Creek Olive Estate

Willow Creek Olive Estate is situated in the picturesque Nuy Valley in the Western Cape region of South Africa. The estate is blessed with a terroir and climate perfectly suited for the cultivation of olives. Their groves comprise 150,000 olive trees on 190 hectares of land, and it was here where the first award-winning oil was pressed in 2002.

Since then, Willow Creek Olive Estate has established themselves as a leader in the industry and is a name synonymous with extra virgin olive oil. “Not only do we produce large volumes of awarding winning extra virgin olive oil year after year, but our estate and our people are recognised for their high standards and achievements,” says Crous.

He is also of the opinion that their state-of-the-art oil extractor, stainless steel storage tanks and bottling facility with an international food safety accreditation (FSSC22000), all situated on the estate, contributes to the consistency and trust that consumers have come to know from Willow Creek.

“That is why we are one of the biggest national retail brands in South Africa. Buy local from a trusted South African producer and support the recovery of the South African economy,” Crous encourages.

Willow Creek is so much more than just an extra virgin olive oil producer, they have a wide range of other products, including flavoured oils, various balsamic reductions and their latest addition to the family – a range of delicious de-alcoholised wines, perfect for any occasion.

“Trust, integrity and quality. This is our forever commitment to our customers.”

Visit their website for more information and shop their award-winning products here.