California’s Central Coast producer earned three Gold and two Silver Awards for the Tuscan Gold line, reinforcing a long-running record of quality at the world’s leading competition.
Olive Oil Times |
San Miguel, United States — San Miguel Olive Farm has been awarded five distinctions at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, led by a Gold Award for Tuscan Gold Paradiso.
Produced on California’s Central Coast in the West Hills of San Miguel, Tuscan Gold Paradiso is a medium-intensity extra virgin olive oil distinguished by artichoke notes and a bitter almond edge. The profile reflects careful attention to timing and handling, with the Meislers emphasizing close oversight from orchard decisions through processing.
San Miguel Olive Farm, owned and operated by Myrna and Richard Meisler, also earned two additional Gold Awards in 2026: Tuscan Gold Eleganza Elite, a medium-intensity blend, and Tuscan Gold Magnifico, a robust Leccino monovarietal. Two more entries from the Tuscan Gold range received Silver Awards: Tuscan Gold Eleganza, a medium-intensity extra virgin olive oil, and Tuscan Gold Fantastico, a medium-intensity Frantoio monovarietal.
Richard and Myrna Meisler have built San Miguel Olive Farm into a small-scale operation shaped by hands-on decision-making. Working from a ten-acre grove planted with 1,200 Tuscan olive trees, the Meislers have pursued quality by controlling the process in detail, including manual harvesting and careful coordination with a local mill. The approach grew out of a long personal project that began decades after the couple first purchased property in Central California, then expanded from an initial planting of a handful of trees into a diversified Tuscan orchard.
In previous seasons, the Meislers have described selecting specific rows and trees at harvest and managing limited quantities, including early bottlings, as part of their quality-focused routine. The farm’s experience has also been shaped by the realities facing many California producers, including variable yields and rising costs, which have underscored the importance of planning and reliable labor during harvest.
“A huge thank you to NYIOOC World. Lean year #2, hard work and passion keep us on track,” said Richard and Myrna, Owner's at San Miguel Olive Farm. “Five awards are amazing. We did a pre-buy. Although people had to wait for the oil, we delivered. Success. Thank you to our help. Without good help we would not have a business. We are working on the next competition.”
The five 2026 awards add to San Miguel Olive Farm’s established record at the competition. Overall, San Miguel Olive Farm has earned 35 awards at the NYIOOC, including 27 Gold and eight Silver distinctions, with results spanning multiple editions: four Gold Awards in 2025; five Gold Awards in 2024; three Gold Awards in 2023; two Gold and three Silver Awards in 2022; two Gold Awards in 2021; three Gold Awards in 2020; two Gold Awards in 2019; two Gold and two Silver Awards in 2018; and one Gold and one Silver Award in 2017.
In the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, San Miguel Olive Farm is ranked #2 in the United States, #6 in the Northern Hemisphere and #7 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.