OPG Rakovac Wins 2026 NYIOOC Gold for Bilini

Pula, Croatia — OPG Rakovac has been awarded a Gold at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for the Bilini brand.

Bilini is a delicate extra virgin olive oil crafted from Frantoio, Leccino, Buza, Bjelica and Pendolino olives. Marked by green almond aromas, it opens with a fresh, leafy character reminiscent of lettuce before finishing with a refined black-pepper lift that underscores its balance and approachability.

Bilini extra virgin olive oil is the fruit of the 25-year labor of the Rakovac family, shaped by a focus on timely picking and careful grove work. Over the past decade, Saša Petković and Vedrana Rakovac have moved from hobby growers to professional producers, building on groves inherited from Rakovac’s grandfather and expanding their work by restoring the farm and planting new trees.

The family’s olive trees grow in the village of Rakovci on Croatia’s Istrian peninsula, in an area that Petković has described as a meeting point between coastal Istria and the interior, where summer days can be extremely hot and nights cool. Petković and Rakovac have said the location benefits plant health and fruit quality, and they have developed their approach to orchard management around local conditions and close observation in the field.

In the groves, Petković and Rakovac have relied on practical, low-intervention measures, including traditional traps for the olive fruit fly made from pierced plastic bottles filled with water, vinegar and sugar, a method they learned from Rakovac’s grandfather. “This method, which we learned from grandfather Ninia, has proven to be very successful,” spouses Vedrana Rakovac and Saša Petković told Olive Oil Times.

OPG Rakovac has also explained that producing a multi-varietal extra virgin olive oil reflects the reality of how the orchard is planted and harvested, with different varieties growing close together rather than in separate blocks. The producers have said the blend is intended to retain the best characteristics of the varieties used while appealing to a broad range of palates, an approach that has been reinforced by consistent recognition in international competitions.

Since first earning recognition at the NYIOOC in 2018, Bilini has amassed eight Gold Awards, including one each in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The latest Gold continues a record of unbroken NYIOOC success in the years OPG Rakovac entered the competition.

The NYIOOC Gold places Bilini among the world’s elite extra virgin olive oils. In the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, OPG Rakovac is ranked #12 in Croatia, #61 in the Northern Hemisphere and #65 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.