Canary Oil arbequina-hojiblanca, produced by the company Aloe Vera Internacional in Fuerteventura, has been chosen as the “Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of the Canary Islands” in the Official Agrocanarias Competition, whose jury's decision was announced today at an event held in Tenerife. In total, ten awards have been granted (three special distinctions and seven medals) distributed among some of the 21 participating elaborations in this ninth edition of the competition, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands through the Canarian Institute of Agri-food Quality (ICCA), and which took place last March 18 and 19 at the Jardín Tecina Hotel, in La Gomera.
Additionally, Vereda de Conil picual, produced by Finca Vereda de Conil, in Lanzarote, achieved the distinction “Best image and presentation 2026”, a title for which the labeling and design of the packaging are exclusively evaluated.
Aloe Vera Internacional, dedicated for thirty years to the cultivation of aloe vera, began olive oil production a decade ago, which they extract from arbequina, hojiblanca, and picual olive varieties from their own farms after a cold-pressing process to preserve the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the fruit.
During the event, the area's counselor, Narvay Quintero, accompanied by the general director of the ICCA, Luis Arráez Guadalupe, highlighted that “it is of utmost importance to have recovered the Official Agrocanarias EVOO Contest after a year of hiatus due to very unproductive campaigns in this crop due to different meteorological factors”. “Through this contest, the aim is not only to highlight the exceptional quality of this production in the Canary Islands, but also to help consolidate a product that, despite not having a great tradition in our Islands, has experienced a great boom in recent years, standing out and becoming a benchmark for our agri-food sector and our capacity to diversify,” he added.
In this edition, a total of 21 samples have participated from 12 oil mills in Fuerteventura, La Palma, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote and El Hierro. Among all of them, the tasting panel, made up of ten experts in the analysis of Canarian agri-food products, awarded (with their evaluations based on a blind tasting system) a total of ten prizes, divided into three special distinctions and seven medals, after a process that includes an olfactory phase (to assess the intensity of the aromas and fruitiness) and a gustatory phase, in which the product is presented at a temperature of between 28 and 30 degrees to evaluate the harmony of flavors.
Mi Olivar Refugio del Mar, from La Palma, in its arbequina variety and produced by Manuel Álvarez von Zerboni di Aposetti, achieved the special distinction “Best Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil of the Canary Islands 2026”, a category aimed solely at products registered in the organic production operators' registry (with two participants in this edition), in addition to a Grand Gold Medal.
Burro Safari Las Tirajanas arbequina/picual, produced by Mateo Juan Martín Vega, in Gran Canaria, achieved a Grand Gold Medal, while this brand's production of the picual and verdial varieties obtained a Gold. Olipalma multivarietal, from the Association of Olive Growers of La Palma, and Teguerey arbequina/hojiblanca/picual, from Mohamed Galdi El Aouni (Fuerteventura), also achieved a Gold Medal. Finally, Oleoteide arbequina/picual, production of the Cumbres de Abona Cooperative Society (Tenerife), won a Silver.
The products recognized within the framework of the competition will be able to use the official distinction awarded in marketing for one year, and will participate in different promotional actions organized by the ICCA throughout the year, in addition to being exhibited in the facilities of this autonomous body until the next edition of the contest.
