The Sicilian family producer earned its 20th career Gold award at the world’s leading olive oil quality contest.
Olive Oil Times |
Southeastern Sicily, Italy — Frantoi Cutrera has been awarded a Gold at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for the Nocellara Salvatore Cutrera brand.
Nocellara Salvatore Cutrera is an extra virgin olive oil of medium intensity, crafted from Nocellara del Belice olives. Marked by herbaceous aromas, the oil develops with radish notes and a bitter almond edge, a profile that reflects attentive harvesting and careful milling aimed at preserving freshness and varietal character.
Frantoi Cutrera is a family company located in the southeastern part of Sicily. With three oil mills, Frantoi Cutrera processes olives from a large area, producing a wide range of labels with a focus on single-variety extra virgin olive oils, a strategy that has allowed Frantoi Cutrera to emphasize the sensory nuances of Sicily’s best-known cultivars.
The 2026 Gold adds to a long record of success for Frantoi Cutrera at the NYIOOC. Across its full competition history, Frantoi Cutrera has earned 20 Gold Awards, including two Golds in 2025, three in 2024, three in 2023, three in 2022 and three in 2021, alongside two Golds in 2020, two in 2019 and one in 2018.
In the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, Frantoi Cutrera is ranked #8 in Italy, #28 in the Northern Hemisphere and #30 Worldwide.
Over recent seasons, Sicily’s producers have navigated sharp swings in weather and market conditions, including the disruptions that followed the Covid-19 pandemic, while continuing to prioritize quality in the face of uncertainty. As harvests have gotten underway in different years with expectations of lower yields but strong potential for quality, growers across Italy have also pointed to generous blossoming and fruit set in promising seasons, even as climate extremes and pest pressure remained central concerns. Against that backdrop, Frantoi Cutrera’s consistent performance at the NYIOOC has underscored a steady approach to milling and a commitment to producing distinctive, cultivar-driven oils year after year.
The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, widely regarded as the world's leading olive oil quality contest, is a trusted reference for consumers and industry professionals.