Binningup bottled passion wins LA gold and bronze

Binningup olive oil producer Sathya Olive Company has won gold and bronze at the 2019 Los Angeles International Olive Oil Competition.

The medals were snagged in the extra virgin category with gold awarded to the company’s brand new peppercorn-infused oil and bronze to the lemongrass and ginger-infused oil.

Company director Tanuja Sanders said she knew the peppercorn would be a winner from the moment she tasted it.

“We just bottled it, sort of in a daredevil mode, and decided to send it to the competition,” she said. “We had an open market day at Crooked Carrot Cafe in December for tasting, and everybody who tasted asked if it was on the shelves because they wanted to buy it right then.”

This was the first overseas competition Mrs Sanders had entered, but not the first international event, having picked up eight medals at the previous Australian International Olive Awards.

Mrs Sanders said her company was looking to work with the South West Development Commission to export its oils in the future and the awards were a great way to gain feedback and recognition.

This year’s edition of the Los Angeles International Olive Oil Competition boasted 517 entries from 17 different nationalities with the Sathya Olive Company returning as Australia’s only medal winner.

“I believe that we actually bottle passion and love of doing the thing we do whole-heartedly,” Mrs Sanders said.