It is not just once in a while, but very often, that one of Qualifirst's selections are recognized as world class.
Once again Castillo de Canena has been recognized as the best in the world, most recently for their perfectly delicious Early Harvest Picual Olive Oil and Early Harvest Arbequina Olive Oil.
Pictured here, the proud Vano family with artist Raphael (center) debuting this fall’s harvest at the Royal Theatre in Madrid. To quite a lot of fanfare I might add. Explore the event, with pictures, by visiting the Castillo de Canena blog here.
Before I get into the meat of this blog post (plant for all you great vegetarians) I have to mention that you should order your Castillo de Canena Early Harvest Olive Oil ASAP. The best in the world gets snapped up quickly.
Order a few bottles of an olive oil so healthy that I simply call it “extra years in a bottle”.
Best in the World…Quite a Pinnacle to Reach
The olive oil that Qualifirst searched for, and discovered strictly by taste, is recognized as the world’s best.
The journey to uncover this amazing olive oil is detailed in my post from last December, Hunting Quality Foods: The Story of Our Olive Oil, and is certainly worth a read.
This year’s harvest from Castillo de Canena scored a perfect 98/98 . It is hard to beat that, especially considering that it is the 4th perfect score in a row!
The bible of olive oil, Flos Olei, documents the rankings of master olive oil taster Marco Oreggia and an international crew of professional tasters. Published annually, it details this rigorous olive oil testing.
Testing is done “double blind”, meaning the olive oil stands on its own merits without the influence of the brand, label, or package. It is all about the taste.
For the true olive oil geeks out there you can review the Olive Oil Council’s criteria for testing here. It is a ton of dry reading but truly fascinating. And yes, I have read it all.
What Does Being the Best Really Mean?
So what does being best in the world really mean for the consumer and for the restaurant? For the consumer – a better life, and quite possibly a longer life. For the restaurant – more customers.
For the Consumer…
Everyone wants to live a long healthy life. Study after study shows that a balanced diet supports this goal and that olive oil offers significant health benefits. But, will adding the best olive oil in the world to your diet make you live longer?
I look at it this way. It will absolutely improve the quality of your life. And logically, if the quality of your life improves, you are happier, your stress is reduced, and theoretically you live longer.
For the Restaurant…
Great olive oil leaves an impression. You notice it. Consumers know right away that it is special.
The restaurant owner that understands the relationship between great food and repeat business may occasionally test their olive oil. They serve the world class product and wait for the customer’s reaction. Immediately the customer notices the excellent quality, and links the pleasant reaction directly to the restaurant, making a mental note to return
This process may be subconscious but the bottom line is the customer returns.
When I was on the road selling quality olive oil I ran into two common objections: the quality olive oil was too expensive and people really could not tell the difference.
Let me share with you how I used my dynamite quality experiences to blow up these objections.
Too expensive – World class olive oils are finishing oils, intended to be a primary ingredient.
Let’s assume a 500 ml bottle cost $60 (it does not, but please let’s assume).
The objective of the premium olive oil is to make the customer sit up and take notice.
The 500 ml bottle is about 34 tablespoons. Typically a serving of a finishing olive oil will be half a tablespoon. So, the ingredient cost is $0.88 ($60/68) per serving.
Using a cheap olive oil, with little taste and limited health benefits, to save less than a dollar per customer, is missing the point.
Ask yourself, “Would you pay a customer $1 to return to your restaurant?”. Obviously, the answer is YES. Likely much more. Even $5?
People cannot tell the difference – Consumers are smart and getting smarter every day. They do know and appreciate the quality difference.
Restaurant chains have been forced to add qualitative criteria to their olive oil purchasing decision because today, if they buy on price, their customers complain.
Customers can tell the difference. Buying better quality will pay off in repeat customers.
Olive Oils Under Fire
Consumers are fully aware that the profit hungry food industry is cutting corners, particularly with olive oils.
For years the news has been full of investigations of major olive oil brands claiming to be “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” only to have them turn out to be a much lower grade. Take a look at the latest scandal reported in the UK Telegraph just this month.
Castillo de Canena is the real deal so improve your life with the best olive oil in the world.
When one of Qualifirst’s products joins the best in the world club by tasting and objective judging I am always pleased but never surprised because all of our products are chosen with that qualitative objective in mind.
