Postira in the Spirit of the Olive: International Symposium and Awards for Excellence

With the closing ceremony and the presentation of the Olive Oil Times Champion of Excellence Awards in Postira on the island of Brač, the three-day International Symposium on Olive Oil of Croatia and the Adriatic Coast came to an end. This prestigious event brought together around 150 participants from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and some fifteen other countries worldwide. The symposium was organised by the renowned olive oil magazine Olive Oil Times in cooperation with the Postira Tourist Board, and its rich programme included expert panels, tastings, workshops, and an international olive oil tasting course led by Carola Dummer Medina from Chile.

Out of the 12 awards presented, special recognition went to Croatian laureates such as Ante Vulin, Nedjeljko Jusup, Tomislav Duvnjak, Domagoj Živković, Mirela Žanetić, the Olive Growers’ Association of Šolta, and the Postira Agricultural Cooperative, which is credited with protecting and promoting Brač olive oil and co-organising the World Olive Picking Championship. Awards were also given to honourees from Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, further underscoring the international importance of olive growing in this region. A panel on the unification of Dalmatian olive growers’ associations into the club Oleum Primum Dalmaticum, with the goal of introducing a new “Ultra Virgin” extra virgin olive oil category, attracted particular interest.

Postira, proudly known as the host of the World Olive Picking Championship, has today become a centre of the olive oil world. This Brač municipality, with its long tradition of olive cultivation, has been tending groves on the island’s gentle slopes for centuries. Founded in the 20th century, the Postira Agricultural Cooperative now brings together dozens of olive growers and processes millions of kilos of olives each season, producing oils that are synonymous with quality and authenticity. In Postira, the olive is more than just an agricultural crop: it is a symbol of identity, a way of life, and a bond with nature. Every oil carries the story of stone, sun, and wind, as well as the dedication of the people whose labour is woven into every drop.

During the symposium, guests had the chance to taste oils from different terroirs – ranging from mild and floral to piquant and rich with notes of green almond and tomato. This diversity points to the Adriatic’s strength as a source of outstanding oils. In Postira, science and practice, tradition and innovation, the local and the global all came together. The atmosphere was infused with a sense of community – olive growers shared experiences, scientists presented research findings, and chefs demonstrated how fine oils can be transformed into culinary art.

At the closing ceremony, Curtis Cord, founder of Olive Oil Times and the NYIOOC competition, highlighted the dramatic rise in quality and recognition of Croatian oils on the global stage. “Excellence in Adriatic oils is not only a matter of terroir, but of the dedication of talented people whose efforts deserve worldwide recognition,” Cord said, raising a toast to the excellence of Croatian olive growing. The symposium in Postira thus confirmed that Dalmatia – and Brač in particular – is an unmissable destination on the world map of olive oil, a place where the olive is celebrated as much as the sea, song, and stone.

Photos: Domagoj Blažević