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Por qué Japón y Corea, sin un solo olivo, son los jueces más exigentes del aceite de oliva

Markets · Asia

The most demanding judges of extra virgin olive oil do not live among olive trees. They live in Tokyo and Seoul, two cities without a single olive grove that decided to learn to taste better than anyone. And there, for years now, an EVOO from the Priorat has been on the table.

In a few words

  • Olive Japan is one of the most rigorous international EVOO competitions. Finca Hostalets 1898 won a Silver Medal in 2021.
  • Since 2019 we have been at Shinsegae Department Store, the benchmark for premium shopping in South Korea.
  • Also on Gmarket, Auction, Naver Smartstore, Croket, 11st and Global Bunjang, as 핀카 오스탈레츠.
  • Korean shoppers look at food the way they look at skincare: ingredients, process and verifiable origin.

Japan: the country without olive trees that set the standard

Japan now has one of the most demanding olive oil tasting schools in the world. The Olive Oil Sommelier Association of Japan trains tasters to International Olive Council criteria and runs Olive Japan, a competition that receives hundreds of oils every year from producers in more than twenty countries.

A medal there is not won at home. It is won before judges with no ties to the Mediterranean producing world, who care only about what is in the glass.

Recognition · Asia

Olive Japan 2021 · Silver Medal Award. International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition, organised by The Olive Oil Sommelier Association of Japan. Awarded to Finca Hostalets 1898 (Casa Seuma, S.L.).

Olive Japan 2021 Silver Medal Award diploma for Finca Hostalets 1898

Olive Japan 2021 · Silver Medal Award

South Korea: the best-informed buyer in Asia

If Japan set the technical standard, South Korea has shaped the region's most demanding buyer. It applies to food the same criteria that made the country a world reference in skincare: ingredients, process, origin and independent verification all matter.

Olive oil is not part of traditional Korean cooking. That is exactly why it is seen as something special, linked to wellbeing, gifting and a European way of living well. It is not bought on price: it is researched, compared and chosen.

In Korea, nobody is looking for volume. They are looking for authenticity, origin and prestige.

Finca Hostalets in Korea: a real presence

In December 2019, Shinsegae Department Store added Finca Hostalets 1898 to its imported gourmet selection. The news was covered by Maeil Ilbo, eToday and Greened, which introduced our oil as a premium organic first-harvest EVOO from Spain.

Finca Hostalets 1898 at Shinsegae Department Store, Seoul, 2019

Shinsegae Department Store, Seoul · December 2019 · Photo: Shinsegae

Channel in South Korea What it is
Shinsegae Department Store Benchmark department store for premium shopping
Gmarket · Auction (옥션) Two of the country's largest marketplaces
Naver Smartstore Store built into Korea's main search engine
Croket · 11st Gourmet and imported food platforms
Global Bunjang International marketplace
TV shopping Television sales programmes
Finca Hostalets 1898 olive oil on a South Korean TV shopping programme

On a Korean TV shopping programme

When someone the public trusts recommends it

In Korea, recommendations from athletes, public figures and content creators carry real weight for premium products. Former professional golfer Park Se-ri, one of the country's most loved sportswomen, tried Finca Hostalets 1898 on her channel and highlighted its origin and quality.

Park Se-ri, former South Korean professional golfer, with Finca Hostalets 1898 products

Park Se-ri with Finca Hostalets 1898 products

A food content creator also chose our Pedro Ximénez Gran Reserva Balsamic Vinegar to introduce it to her audience with a simple question: do you know what this is?

"이게 뭔 줄 알아?" · Do you know what this is?

A vinegar aged for decades connects naturally with a culture that understands time as an ingredient. We explain it in our article on Pedro Ximénez.

The microbiome: a language that needs no translation in Korea

Korea has made kimchi and fermented foods an emblem of functional eating, and its consumers know the research on gut flora well. The European NU-AGE study, published in Gut in 2020, followed 612 people aged 65 to 79 for a year: the Mediterranean diet, with olive oil as the main fat, was associated with more diverse gut flora and fewer markers of frailty and inflammation.

We cover the rest of the evidence in EVOO and longevity.

What a market that knows everything asks for

When the buyer has real judgement, the product has to live up to it. Our organic Arbequina EVOO fits Asia through verifiable attributes, not campaigns:

  1. 01Early harvest, picked by hand: more polyphenols, oleocanthal among them.
  2. 02Cold extraction on the day of picking.
  3. 03CCPAE organic certification: no synthetic pesticides.
  4. 04PDO Siurana: controlled origin and process.
  5. 05Olive Japan 2021 Silver Medal: an award granted in Asia.
Finca Hostalets olive grove on dry-stone terraces, Serra de Montsant, Priorat

Dry-stone terraces in the Serra de Montsant

2026 Harvest · Priorat

The EVOO Asia chose. Now at your table.

Organic Arbequina · Early harvest · PDO Siurana · Olive Japan 2021 Silver Medal

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us most about EVOO in Asia

What is Olive Japan?

It is the International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition run by The Olive Oil Sommelier Association of Japan. Its tasters are trained to International Olive Council criteria and assess hundreds of oils from around the world every year.

Why do Korean consumers value premium Spanish EVOO?

Because they apply skincare criteria to food: ingredients, process and verifiable origin. An organic, early-harvest, cold-extracted EVOO with a PDO meets all of them.

Which olive oil is preferred in South Korea?

In the premium segment, Spanish and Italian extra virgin oils with organic certification, a designation of origin and limited production stand out, very often bought as gifts.

Where can I buy Finca Hostalets in South Korea?

At Shinsegae Department Store and on Gmarket, Auction (옥션), Naver Smartstore, Croket, 11st and Global Bunjang, searching for 핀카 오스탈레츠. Also at fincahostalets.com with international shipping.

Why does EVOO cost more in Korea than in Europe?

Because of importing, food safety controls, organic certification, the designation of origin and its positioning as a gourmet and gift product.

How is olive oil related to the microbiome?

The NU-AGE study (Gut, 2020) associated the Mediterranean diet, with olive oil as the main fat, with more diverse gut flora in older adults.


The health information in this article is for general information only, is based on studies published in scientific journals and does not replace advice from a healthcare professional. Finca Hostalets 1898 makes no medicinal claims about its products.

Sources

  1. Ghosh TS et al. (2020). "Mediterranean diet intervention alters the gut microbiome in older people reducing frailty and improving health status: the NU-AGE 1-year dietary intervention across five European countries". Gut, 69(7):1218–1228. gut.bmj.com
  2. Olive Japan · International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition. olivejapan.com
  3. Maeil Ilbo (2019). "신세계百, 스페인 유기농 올리브 오일 선봬". m-i.kr
  4. eToday (2019). etoday.co.kr
  5. Greened (2019). greened.kr

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Clipping Enero 2013
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Clipping January 2013
Appearances of Finca Hostalets in the print media. Magazines and newspapers from January 2013.
Clipping Diciembre 2012
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Clipping December 2012
Our appearances in the print media during the month of December 2012
Clipping Noviembre 2012
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Clipping November 2012
Our appearances in the print media during the month of November 2012