Cobram Estate tops food awards at Sydney Show
Olive oil producer, Cobram Estate, has been awarded the 2016 Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales President’s Medal for its Reserve Hojiblanca extra virgin olive oil.
The President’s Medal recognises Australia’s best food and wine product out of all Sydney Royal Easter Show entries.
To win a President’s Medal, a winner has to show a “marketing leading” product and observe environmental sustainability practices.
Robert Ryan OAM, President of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, said Cobram Estate has adhered to environmental standards and sensitives over its 20 years in operation.
“We got down to six worthy finalists and I congratulate Cobram Estate on walking away with the President’s Medal,” Ryan said.
Cobram Estate’s co-founder, Rob McGavin, said he was humbled to receive the prize.
“What we are especially proud of is that the quality of what we are able to produce at Cobram Estate is readily available to everyone in Australia at an affordable price,” he said.
Cobram said the award not only acknowledged the quality of its product but innovative business practice.
The judging process includes on-site review of the company’s business model, community engagement strategy and production techniques used to enhance the sustainability of product.
Product quality key
Cobram said it attributes the quality of its oil to caring about each and every olive.
“We have a saying at Cobram that every olive matters, and we grow millions of them a year,” said Gavin.
“This starts right from how we raise our seedlings, all the way through to that beautiful oil that we crush and capture in the bottle. This is an award that is for our whole team, who play an important role in creating the highest quality extra virgin olive oil,” he said.
One judge, Ed Halmagyi, said Cobram was deserving of the award due to a number factors.
“What marks them [Cobram Estate] out as a unique company, deserving of the final accolade, is their ability to blend both innovation, which spreads beyond their own business into the industry more widely, with excellence in terms of their environmental practice – which is second to none,” he said.
The finalists
The other finalists included:
- Tathra Oysters- which is owned by the Rodley family have been growing, harvesting, processing, wholesaling and retailing Sydney Rock Oysters for three decades.
- Redoak Brewery – Founded in Sydney in 2004, the beer is brewed from whole grain and includes no preservatives or additives.
- House of Arras – Founded in 1995, House of Arras sells premium sparkling wines.
- Breakout River – Established by Chris Cummins in 2006, the company sells Cowra Lamb branded meat and is located in the Lachlan Valley region in NSW.
- Bracegirdle’s House of Fine Chocolate – First opened with one store in Genelg, South Australia in 2005, Bracegirdle’s now has four more stores to sell its premium chocolate through.
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