De Medici Awards Edition

NEWSLETTER Q2 • 2018

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THE AWARDS EDITION

NYIOOC WORLD'S BEST OLIVE OILS

MARQUÉS DE GRIÑÓN

MANDRANOVA NOCELLARA

APRIL IS AWARDS MONTH

by Steven Kaufman, EVP of De Medici

To say we had a good couple of weeks would be an understatement. De Medici has been very fortunate to have our products honored with awards from a number of groups over the years—Specialty Foods Association, Flos Olei, NY International Olive Oil Competition, NRA (FABI Award) and more.

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n April 11th, the Specialty Foods Association announced the 2018 sofi™ (specialty outstanding food innovation) Award winners. De Medici Imports was once again honored with two awards— a Silver Finalist for the olive oil category Mandranova Cerasuola and a gold Sofi for the vinegar category Villa Manodori Artigianale Dark Cherry.

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from Sicily and Marqués de Griñón from Spain received Gold awards, and two of our newer brands—Frantoio Melchiorri from Italy and Miraval from France—received Silver honors.

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e Medici is a unique specialty importer in that most other companies concentrate on one country or possibly two, whereas we import from a larger part of the Mediterranean area—Italy, France, Spain and Greece, plus we bring Dulce de Leché from Argentina.

Other than our newest line from Greece, we have received awards for our products from each and every country.

Further, we do not have any winners with the brand name De Medici. Our brands are the recognized names of our producer partners—1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generation producers. Continued on page four.

he evening of April 26th, four of our brands were honored at The 2018 New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC). Mandranova Nocellara

AWARD WINNERS

VILLA MANODORI DARK CHERRY BALSAMIC VINEGAR -GOLD

ITALY Villa Manodori Dark Cherry Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, the gold winner for Vinegar, is 3 Michelin-starred Chef Massimo Bottura’s prized balsamic, aged 9 years in Vignola cherry wood. It follows the same traditional methods of production and careful aging that have been used for centuries by Modenese families.

The vinegar is rich, sweet, tart and beautifully balanced. This is the third time a Villa Manodori Vinegar has been recognized with a Sofi award.

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MANDRANOVA CERASUOLASILVER

ITALY Mandranova Cerasuola Extra Virgin Olive Oil was awarded silver for Olive Oil. Hand-picked in mid-September to the beginning of October, this oil is made from the Mandranova farm’s Cerasuola olives and extracted immediately after harvest.

It’s a medium fruity olive oil with notes of almond, aromatic herbs and a hint of spice. It has a beautiful golden green hue. Mandranova also received a Sofi award in 2015 for their Nocellara Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

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MANDRANOVA ITALY

GOLD 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 A four-time Gold Award Winner, Mandranova is a family run farm in Sicily.

NYIOOC AWARDS NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL OLIVE OIL COMPETITION

This green oil with golden hues is intensely fruity with hints of fresh grass, artichoke and tomato. An Italian monocultivar of the Nocellara del Belice variety, its bitter and spicy characteristics harmonize perfectly.

MARQUÉS DE GRIÑÓN- GOLD

SPAIN Founded in 1292, the historic family estate of Carlos Falco, Marqués de Griñón near Toledo, Spain has ideal climatic conditions for the production of both wine and olive oil. The Marques has dedicated the last 30 years to revolutionizing the production of their olive oil resulting in oil that has a gleaming golden hue and a pleasant pungency.

This ultra premium oil has a gleaming golden hue with intense aromas. On the palate, it exhibits green vegetable and nutty flavors. Its polyphenol count is seven times that of an average oil.

FRANTOIO MELCHIORRI- SILVER

ITALY Robust and spicy, Frantoio Melchiorri extra virgin olive oil received a Silver award from the NYIOOC. It is crafted with 65% Frantoio, 25% Moraiolo, and 10% Leccino olives in Umbria, Italy.

The Melchiorri family has been producing oil for three generations—more than 60 years. The olives are cold-pressed immediately after harvest to retain their freshness.

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MIRAVAL- SILVER

FRANCE Tucked away in its own private valley in an ancient village in Provence, sits Château Miravalsurrounded by ancient woods, olive trees, vineyards and an abundant supply of water.

Already known for their awardwinning white and rośe wines, Miraval has cultivated 26 acres of organic olive groves that sit high above age-old stone walled terraces dating back to Roman times.

The sweet, peppery olive oil has notes of almond, hazelnut, and artichoke, with aromas of freshly cut grass and a spicy finish. It’s gorgeously balanced and truly remarkable. Serve this fine oil with bread and drizzle generously on salads, roasted vegetables, pasta, and fish.

NEWSLETTER | DE MEDICI

APRIL IS AWARDS MONTH CONT'D

by Steven Kaufman, EVP of De Medici

Some of our rewards are financial, as the awards garner more interest and press for our winners, but that is not the most important reward. These yearly awards are to some extent short lived, as each new harvest brings different flavors and results. Our real reward is the continued reinforcement from the outside that we are doing the right thing in bringing these wonderful products to market. So while there is certainly a bump in our business now, we and our producers whose names appear on the package are told, yes you are doing the right thing—your effort has been worthwhile. That is enough reward for us to rededicate our efforts to produce and bring the markets the best of the best.

It is definitely a good thing to give rather than to receive!

INTRODUCING OUR NEW WEBSITE! DEMEDICI.COM

NEWSLETTER | DE MEDICI

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