Fuerteventura Oil Again Named Best in the Canary Islands

Aloe Vera Internacional, a Fuerteventura‑based company, has earned the top honor at the Canary Government’s official olive‑oil competition with its Canary Oil arbequina‑hojiblanca.

Canary Oil arbequina‑hojiblanca, produced by Aloe Vera Internacional on the island of Fuerteventura, was named “Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of the Canary Islands” at the Official Agrocanarias Contest. The jury’s decision was announced during a ceremony in Tenerife. Ten awards – three special distinctions and seven medals – were distributed among the 21 entries in the ninth edition of the contest, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Canary Government through the Canary Institute of Agri‑Food Quality (ICCA). The event took place on 18‑19 March at the Hotel Jardín Tecina in La Gomera.

Aloe Vera Internacional, which has been cultivating aloe vera for thirty years, entered the olive‑oil market a decade ago. It extracts oil from arbequina, hojiblanca and picual olives grown on its own farms, using a cold‑press process that preserves the fruit’s organoleptic and nutritional qualities.

“It is of utmost importance to have revived the Official AOVE Agrocanarias Contest after a year’s pause caused by very unfruitful campaigns in this crop due to various meteorological factors,” said Narvay Quintero, councilor for the sector, accompanied by Luis Arráez Guadalupe, director‑general of the ICCA.
“Through this contest we not only aim to showcase the exceptional quality of this production in the Canary Islands, but also to help consolidate a product that, although it does not have a long tradition in our islands, has experienced a great boom in recent years, becoming a benchmark of our agri‑food sector and of our capacity to diversify.”

The edition featured 21 samples from 12 mills located in Fuerteventura, La Palma, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote and El Hierro. A tasting panel of ten experts in Canary agri‑food products evaluated the entries through blind tasting, employing both an olfactory phase (to assess aroma intensity and fruitiness) and a gustatory phase, where the oil was presented at 28‑30 °C to judge flavor harmony.

Award highlights

• Mi Olivar Refugio del Mar (La Palma, arbequina), produced by Manuel Álvarez von Zerboni di Aposetti, received the special distinction “Best Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil of the Canary Islands 2026” (a category limited to products registered in the organic operators register, with only two participants this year) and a Grand Gold Medal.
• Vereda de Conil (picual, Lanzarote), from Finca Vereda de Conil, earned the distinction “Best Image and Presentation 2026”, judged solely on labeling and packaging design.
• Burro Safari Las Tirajanas (arbequina/picual), crafted by Mateo Juan Martín Vega in Gran Canaria, secured a Grand Gold Medal; its picual and verdial varieties also obtained a Gold Medal.
• Olipalma (multivarietal) from the Association of Olive Growers of La Palma, and Teguerey (arbequina/hojiblanca/picual) from Mohamed Galdi El Aouni (Fuerteventura) each earned a Gold Medal.
• Oleoteide (arbequina/picual), produced by the Cooperative Society Cumbres de Abona (Tenerife), received a Silver Medal.

Products that earned recognition may display the official distinction label in their marketing for one year, will take part in various promotional actions organized by the ICCA throughout the year, and will be exhibited at the institute’s facilities until the next edition of the contest.