International AVPA oils contest – Paris 2012

The AVPA Contest is reserved to vegetable oil producers and producers’ groups, members of association. Each year a jury of professionals operates a selection for registered oils in order to give them the “Gourmet Product” certificate and, for the best of them, gives the three awards: “Gourmet d’Or”, “Gourmet d’Argent” or “Gourmet de Bronze”.

The originality of AVPA contest, resides in the quality of its jury. This jury of tasting is composed of professionals of oils business, of great chefs of which certain have stars, and enlightened amateurs.  They rely upon the contest rules available on request.  

Jury members are tasting products with rigour and serious, in order to determine which oils appear the most interesting: complexity, subtlety, aromatic harmony are criteria of quality.  To ensure the coherence of the cultural referents and linguistics the jury is of French gastronomical culture.   

Before the AVPA contest, a pre-tasting allows to put aside the products whose characteristics do not satisfy the contest requests. The selected oils at the end of this stage are accepted for final tasting. All tastings are carried out blind in a sensory analysis laboratory. In 2010 the contest proceeded with the technical support of the Technical Center of the Olive.  

The awarded products can use the medals, in the scope defined by the contest rules. The contest rules are available on the AVPA web site.

Registration with AVPA Contest by carefully filling the document “Format d’Adhésion. ENG ” and sending it back by email or fax before March 10th, 2012.  

Payment of the membership fee and contest fees by PAYPAL button on the site or by wire transfer.  

Sending of the 4 samples of 500 ml to ensure a reception before March 16, 2012 in the Parisian offices of AVPA.  

First selection of oils and meeting of the jury at the beginning of April 2012.  

Awards ceremony on Thursday April 19, 2012 within the Exhibition and tasting organized in the premises of AVPA Espace ALTURA 46 rue Saint Antoine 75004 Paris 

The exhibition is organized in two phases:

- professional days on Thursday April 19, 2012 of 9 H with 8 p.m. and on Friday April 20 in the morning of 9 a.m. à15 H) 

- days general public: Friday after midday of 15 H with 21 H and on Saturday April 21, 2012 all the day of 9 a.m. to 20 h.  

Two paying additional services are proposed to the participants at the end of the contest: 

• sending the framed AVPA diplomas by the post office
• sending the AVPA Contest 2012 Jury comments. 

These sendings will be carried out in the order of arrival of the participants’ requests.  

Then the producers will have to sign the licenses prepared by AVPA as soon as they wish to use the medals on their bottles, within the limit of the selected and awarded production.