Last week Kangaroo Island Olives were awarded ‘Best In Show’ from the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia for their Smoked Kalamata Table Olives. After winning the award General Manager Michael Esposito explained he couldn’t be happier and it was an honour to receive such a prestigious award.

He went on to say: “Our smoked olives truly are a unique Kangaroo Island delicacy. Not only were they grown and on the island, but they were developed in collaboration with a range of local KangarooIsland chefs and growers to get them to where they are today. Our team have put a tremendous amount of effort into these olives, and we’re so happy all the hard work has finally paid off. To not only win Best In Show, but to see them garner an almost cult-like following was absolutely amazing and leaves all of us here extremely proud of our efforts!”

The olives were described by judges as having “an attractive smoked aroma followed by great flavour, balance and strength”, with a “persistent long finish and overall good texture, shape and size.” Kangaroo Island Olives also picked up a swag of medals which included Silver for their MixedMediterranean Olives and Bronze for their Traditional Kalamata Olives. The Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Novello Olive Oil also won Bronze awards in their respective classes.

“I’d like to thank the dedicated and hard-working team that includes our farming staff, processors & packaging partners. The 2020-2021 growing season was a challenging year, however, we’re grateful for the ongoing support of our distributors and customers who make this all possible. We look forward to developing more unique products and flavours in the future.”