Tunisian olive oil, exported throughout the world, is known for its aroma, colors, and taste. If you are looking to savor the best that Tunisia has to offer, you may want to check out the results of yesterday’s awards ceremony.

On May 22, the Ministry of Industry – along with the Technical Center of Packaging and Conditioning (PACKTEC) and the Agro-Alimentary Technical Center – held the second national contest to select the best olive oil products in Tunisia.

“The competition is to promote both the product as well as the package and to meet the expectations of target markets,” said Lemia Chekir Thebit, director general of PACKTEC, during the opening speech.

The contest included 20 enterprises competing in two different categories: “extra-virgin with intense flavor,” and “extra-virgin with average flavor.”

“The selection criteria is 25% for the package, and 75% for the olive oil quality,” explained Minister of Industry Mohamed Lamine Chakhari.

Prizes were awarded to the top three winners in each category, with Sotam winning first place in “intense flavor” and Sarra Huile winning in the “average flavor” category.

Established in 2001, Sotam once focused exclusively on the fruit market. However, in an effort to diversify its sales, it recently entered the olive oil industry.

Sarra Huile, on the other hand, is one of the oldest enterprises in this field, and has been participating in several international contests. The most recent competition, in which it won silver and bronze medals, was sponsored by the French Agency for the Valorization of Agriculture Products.

The ceremony was also an occasion to encourage Tunisian businessmen to concentrate not only on the international market, but also on the local one. “It is an honor for Tunisia to see our olive oil bottles all over the world, but we also want to see that the average Tunisian person is able to consume this product. We would like for prices to be adjusted to fit the local consumers. This should be our priority,” declared the Minister of Agriculture Mohamed Ben Salem.