The delicate Koroneiki extra virgin olive oil earned top honors for its ripe fruit character and careful single-estate production.
Olive Oil Times |
Mani Peninsula, Greece — Le Maniot has been awarded a Gold at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for the Le Maniot brand.
Le Maniot is an extra virgin olive oil of delicate intensity. Made exclusively from Koroneiki olives, Le Maniot is distinguished by ripe fruit character, with gentle apple and banana notes that align with its soft, approachable style. Early harvesting and rapid cold extraction are central to preserving freshness, while careful handling helps maintain clarity and balance from grove to bottle.
Le Maniot is produced on a single family estate in the Mani Peninsula in Southern Greece, where a family of agronomists has cultivated Koroneiki olives for generations. The current generation combines formal agronomy and food science training, holding a masters degree from the Agricultural University of Athens and completing graduate training in food science at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The family’s approach emphasizes continuity and control, with practices centered on early harvest, cold extraction and a strict commitment to zero blending.
With the principle of one estate, one cultivar and one harvest, Le Maniot focuses on expressing a consistent origin and varietal identity. The single-estate model allows the family to manage each stage of production closely, from orchard decisions through milling, aligning technical expertise with long-standing local knowledge in the Mani Peninsula.
The NYIOOC Gold places Le Maniot among the world’s elite extra virgin olive oils. In the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, Le Maniot is ranked #61 in the United States, #124 in the Northern Hemisphere and #127 Worldwide.
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.