An extra virgin olive oil produced by Jasa Olje, a niche Slovenian producer, has been named Best of Show at a major competition in Paris that featured olive oils from across the northern hemisphere.

The oil, branded as Jasa Cuvee, received the award at the Olio Nuovo Days 2023 on 24 March, the Slovenian embassy in France announced on Facebook.

The competition was started in 2016 by Emmanuelle Dechelette, an oil sommelier, and it is held twice a year, once for oils from the northern hemisphere and once for oils from the southern hemisphere.

As part of the prize, the confectionery master of Hotel Ritz will create a special recipe inspired by Jasa Cuvee in the next two weeks. The chef, François Perret, also presided over the competition.

Jasa Olje produces organic olive oil on a one-hectare plot of land overlooking the Gulf of Trieste.

"As young producers we decided almost thirty years ago to prioritise quality over quantity. This meant organic farming," their website says.

As part of their quality assurance, the Marezige producer presses the olives on the same day that they are harvested.

The competition featured freshly pressed oils from the northern hemisphere, including Japan, Portugal, Italy, Spain, France and Tunisia.

The finalists competed in three categories, extra virgin, pressed/infused and "health claim", which concerns olive oils with a high concentration of polyphenols judged also for their sensory quality.

Chef Perret was tasked with devising his special original recipe for the winning olive oil in the extra virgin category, the French website Jus d'olive said in reporting on the competition in an article citied by the Olio Nuovo Facebook profile.

According to the Slovenian Agriculture Ministry, six Slovenian oils made it among the top ten oils.