Extra virgin olive oil extracted out of fruit grown on the Claremont college campus has won a 'Best Of Show' award for its entry in the 'domestic, delicate' category, early this month, beating 207 other oils from across the world
The Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil competition, now in its 14th year, conferred the award to the women's college that competed alongside some of the world's top olive oil producers including Italy, France, Greece and Spain.
This is the first time ever the college took part in such a competition and also the first time they produced olive oil from its campus trees.
"This is really an amazing thing for a first-time olive oil maker that's not even a professional press to get that kind of honor -- up against some pretty well-established olive oil makers," said Professor Nancy Neiman Auerbach.
The oil that triumphed among 640 entries from 386 producers is described to have a buttery and fruity taste with a bite of olive. A total of 12 judges sipped and smelled about 45 different oils each, cleansing their palates with Granny Smith apples, Greek yogurt and water.
The final "Best of Show" tasting includes a blind taste test of all the oils that scored a 94 or above.
Lola Trafecanty, the director of grounds at Scripps College said that the college does not have future plans of competing, but it does want to continue producing olive oil.
"We plan to harvest next fall," Trafecanty said. "If mother nature cooperates."
The college harvested its olive trees, last November, as part of a project of a course, "The Politics and Culture of Food," taught by Auerbach.
Auerbach said that the community helped them to pick out the best olives for a four-hour period. They had no idea that this would produce the best oil in the competition.
The project members did not have a clue about the competition, until the day before the deadline.
The college produced about 700 8-oz bottles of olive oil and has sold almost of them at $45. The money collected from these sales will be dedicated to future community outreach programs.
Surprisingly, a few decades ago, 70 olive trees in Scripps College were in danger of removal. In 1960s, a group of dedicated students questioned the cutting of the trees,, which were planted when the campus was built in 1926.
The students staged a protest, climbed onto the branches of more than 60 trees and refused to come down till the college officials finally agreed to preserve the trees.
