AGRICULTURE NEWS - South African Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOOs) continue to match up to the international industry giants and to score highly in international competitions.
SA Olive has reported that one of its members, De Rustica in the Klein Karoo near De Rust, has again been awarded top honours by the premier global industry international competition, EVOOLEUM 2025.
Out of approximately 1 000 entries from 26 countries, De Rustica Estate Collection CORATINA was placed second, with an overall score of 96 points, and was again the only olive oil outside of Spain and Italy in the Top 10.
What makes this award even more extraordinary is that De Rustica won the overall top global olive oil in the EVOOLEUM 2023 international competition making this the second time that De Rustica has earned top awards, rarely achieved in the industry.
Significantly, only four estates globally - De Rustica, two Spanish and one Italian - have managed to reach the top 10 ranking more than once in the last three years, which further attests to the quality and consistency of De Rustica.
For over a decade De Rustica has been recognised for its high premium extra virgin olive oil winning no less than 29 gold awards at the annual SA Olive competition - including 10 gold from 10 entries over the last two years - as well as multiple international awards.
This second award from the industry-standard EVOOLEUM international competition puts South Africa’s De Rustica into the world’s top premier league of EVOOs.
SA Olive CEO, Wendy Petersen is thrilled. “To have a South Africa olive oil again in the global Top 10 ranking says volumes about our industry and its future.
"What this award signals is that South African EVOO producers are again being recognised internationally for their quality and, critically, their consistency of quality. De Rustica is indeed a standard bearer and awards like this not only help to reflect the work of SA Olive in promoting our local EVOOs - both locally and internationally - but they are also testament to the high professional standards upheld by our members.
"South Africa may be a small producer in global terms, but it punches way above its weight in the quality of its extra virgin olive oils.”
Nearly 20 years ago, owner Rob Still set out on a journey to create a farm that could be an inspiration, and beacon of hope for the local community.
About De Rustica
De Rustica was founded in 2006 by Rob Still, a mining entrepreneur, who, on turning 50, felt a calling to give back to the country of his birth. Inspired by his landscape-gardening mother and his interest in olive oil, Still set out on a journey to create a farm that could be an inspiration, and beacon of hope for the local community.
Drawn back to the Swartberg mountains from connections made in his youth, Still investigated the topography and climatic conditions of the area for suitability to olive trees before settling on the Oudemuragie valley near De Rust. The demise of the Ostrich industry at the time put many of the farmers in the valley out of business. Still bought his first farm at the bottom of the valley and was soon able to expand the lands of De Rustica 11 kms up the valley.
Today De Rustica covers 3 300 hectares, with 550 hectares under permanent irrigation, of which 135 ha are olive groves producing award-winning world class extra virgin olive oil.
Nestled in the foothills of the Swartberg mountains, the name “De Rustica” pays homage to the nearby town of De Rust and the ancient agricultural text “De Re Rustica” or “On Agriculture” published by Roman Senator Columella (Lucius Iunius Moderatus) in CE4.
The manuscript served as the bible of agricultural best practice for over 1 000 years and a ‘How-To” of growing olives and making Olive Oil.
Rob Still chose a feather as the logo for De Rustica, as a tribute to the community who worked the valley during the Ostrich farm era.
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