The Croatian producer’s medium-intensity extra virgin olive oil earned its fifth career Gold at the world’s leading olive oil quality contest.
Olive Oil Times |
Nadin, Croatia — OPG Plastić Denis has been awarded a Gold at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for the 2Storije brand.
2Storije is an extra virgin olive oil of medium intensity, distinguished by artichoke and arugula notes and a slightly piquant character. Produced in the heart of Dalmatia at 155 meters above sea level, 2Storije reflects OPG Plastić Denis’s focus on organic growing and traditional production, with hand-picked olives milled within a few hours of harvest using modern techniques. The result is a well-balanced “green gold” with a rich texture and fresh aromatics.
Founded as a family farm project in 2012, OPG Plastić Denis grew out of Denis Plastić’s collaboration with local producers Dolina Maslina and Bovan, owned by his two brothers-in-law, Mirko Krtalić and Neven Klinac. Together, they set about reclaiming and planting a large expanse of karst landscape near Nadin that had been neglected for years, clearing old groves and macchia, extracting roots, removing large stones and preparing the land before establishing new olive plantings on a carefully planned layout.
OPG Plastić Denis is located in an area shaped by a mix of sea and mountain influences, where warm days and cold nights contribute to the character of the fruit. Local conditions can also reduce pressure from pests and disease, helping support organic management practices that rely on inputs permitted in organic agriculture when treatments are needed. After harvest, OPG Plastić Denis stores fresh oil in stainless steel and prioritizes careful handling to preserve quality.
Alongside its work in the grove and mill, Denis Plastić has drawn attention in Croatia for experimenting with aging extra virgin olive oil under the Adriatic Sea, adapting a technique more commonly associated with underwater wine cellars. In that project, bottles were lowered to a depth of 30 meters in cages on the seabed and left for six months, where darkness and stable temperatures were expected to support freshness over time. The submerged bottles, shaped by currents and marine growth, returned with distinctive natural “scars,” and the experiment attracted interest from researchers at the Institute of Public Health in Zadar, who expressed readiness to participate in comparative analysis of oils aged at sea and stored on land.
The 2026 Gold continues a strong record for OPG Plastić Denis at the NYIOOC, bringing the producer’s overall competition history to five Gold Awards. Previous Gold Awards were earned in 2025, 2023, 2022 and 2021, reflecting sustained performance across multiple harvests.
In the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, OPG Plastić Denis is ranked #27 in Croatia, #83 in the Northern Hemisphere and #85 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.