The 'Gusto del Sur' food quality brand, Award for Excellence

Andalusia shines again at international conventions related to the agri-food sector. On February 27, in the Tasting Room of the World Olive Oil Exhibition (WOOE), held at the Ifema fairgrounds in Madrid, the food quality figure, 'Gusto del Sur', received the WOOE Excellence Award, in recognition of its strategic orientation and international representativeness.

The general director of Industries, Innovation and Agrifood Chain of the Junta de Andalucía, Cristina de Toro Navero, was in charge of collecting the distinction awarded to this certification endorsed by the food quality policies of the European Union, which values the quality, flavor, tradition, wisdom and the guarantee of social, economic and environmental sustainability of Andalusian agricultural, livestock and fishery products.

In the eleventh edition of the WOOE, held from February 26 to 27, Andalusia also stood out for being the largest exhibition space of this fair, which is one of the most important world events dedicated to olive oil, having a stage of 351 square meters, distributed in institutional and business spaces, to accommodate more than 4,500 visitors.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development organized the group participation of ten quality figures of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), among which are nine Protected Designations of Origin (PDO): Oil Lucena, Baena, Estepa, Poniente de Granada, Montes de Granada, Priego de Córdoba, Sierra Segura, Sierra Mágina and Sierra Cazorla, and a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), Oil of Jaén. The varieties were presented to visitors to the fairgrounds through tastings, pairings, gastronomic elaborations and showcooking, by experts such as Tomás Rueda López, chef of the Almocadén Restaurant in Alcaudete (Jaén).

In addition to these activities broadcast live on the YouTube channel of the Agricultural and Fisheries Management Agency (Agapa), Andalusian gastronomy was present in the WOOE Challenge, a live cooking contest that consisted of preparing a dish with specific ingredients, based on olive oil. On this occasion, Andalusia was praised with the Andalusian cold soups, made from Andalusian EVOOs provided by the Quality Denominations present at the fair.

During this event that brought together oil mills, packers, producers, buyers, marketers and consumers from around the world, also attended Teresa Astolfi, delegate of the Junta de Andalucía in Madrid; Soledad Aranda, territorial delegate of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development in Jaén, and José Carlos Álvarez Martín, managing director of Agapa, in charge of delivering the award for business innovation during the first day of WOOE. Andalusia's participation in WOOE 2024 was co-financed with European Funds (Feder).