The California producer added two awards in New York, bringing its NYIOOC record to 12 honors: eight Gold and four Silver.
Olive Oil Times |
Bakersfield, United States — Rio Bravo Ranch has been awarded a Silver at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for Rio Bravo Ranch Picual.
Rio Bravo Ranch Picual is an extra virgin olive oil of medium intensity made from Picual olives. The oil is marked by an assertive green character, carrying suggestions of artichoke and tomato leaf alongside herbal tones, with eucalyptus and ripe olive notes rounding out the profile.
Rio Bravo Ranch also earned a Gold Award at the 2026 NYIOOC for Rio Bravo Ranch Coratina, a medium-intensity extra virgin olive oil produced from Coratina olives, underscoring a second straight year in which the producer secured multiple distinctions at the competition.
The Rio Bravo Ranch, consisting of approximately 3,200 hectares and located along the Kern River downstream from the mouth of Kern Canyon, is home to some of Bakersfield’s most breathtaking scenery. Today, the Nickel family continues to own and operate the Rio Bravo Ranch, with James Nickel, a fifth-generation descendant of Henry Miller, as its president.
Alongside olives, Rio Bravo Ranch farms various varieties of citrus, almonds and cherries and grazes cattle on the open land, tying olive oil production to a broader agricultural operation shaped by the landscape and working rhythms of the ranch.
The two 2026 awards add to a consistent record at the NYIOOC for Rio Bravo Ranch. The producer’s full competition history now stands at 12 awards overall, including eight Gold and four Silver. In 2025, Rio Bravo Ranch earned two Gold and one Silver, following the same tally in 2024, after three Gold in 2023 and a Silver in 2019.
In the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, Rio Bravo Ranch’s performance at the 2026 NYIOOC contributes to its standing among award-winning producers tracked by Olive Oil Times.
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.