Ecoprolive

The World’s Best Healthy EVOO Competition exclusively evaluates the healthy properties of olive oil. In its 2024/25 edition, Ecoprolive Limited Edition took first place worldwide. We tell you what this recognition means, what molecules make it possible, and why it matters in your daily diet.

There are awards that recognise flavour. Others, presentation. The World’s Best Healthy EVOO Competition (WBHEC) is different: it’s the only international competition that exclusively evaluates Extra Virgin Olive Oils for their healthy properties, disregarding marketing or packaging. And in its 2024/25 edition, Ecoprolive Limited Edition, produced in Navarra, took home the first global prize.

For those who are not yet familiar with Ecoprolive: we are a Navarran company entirely dedicated to the production of 100% BIO organic extra virgin olive oil, with our own olive groves situated at altitudes of between 400 and 800 metres. We have been ranked among the world’s five healthiest extra virgin olive oils for more than five consecutive years. But this accolade is different. It’s number one.

• 1st place worldwide at the WBHEC 24/25 • Over 720 mg/kg of polyphenols in EVOO • In the world’s top 5 for 5 years • 100% organic · Navarra • Stone-free extraction · Proprietary patent

What does the WBHEC measure, and why is it so demanding?

The WBHEC scientific jury evaluates key indicators that define the healthy value of an EVOO. Among these, the following stand out: Oleocanthal, a natural anti-inflammatory compound which, in scientific studies, has been associated with protection against inflammatory processes; the biofenoles, a family of polyphenols with powerful antioxidant action; and the balance between unsaturated fatty acids —monounsaturated and polyunsaturated— and saturated ones, rewarding a higher presence of unsaturated fats, such as oleic acid. The characteristic tingle in the throat you'll notice when tasting our oil is related to these compounds: that sting is a Quality signal, Not a defect.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recognises the protective effect of olive oil polyphenols against oxidative damage when the oil provides at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g of oil. Expressed in the same unit, this threshold is equivalent to 250 mg/kg. Ecoprolive Limited Edition reaches +720 mg/kg of polyphenols, almost three times the European threshold.

The secret is in the field and in the process

These results are no accident. Ecoprolive EVOO is born from indigenous dry-farming olives —varieties Arróniz, Picual and Cornicabra— cultivated under certified ecological conditions in Navarra and Toledo. The harvest is ultra-earlyWe pick the olive before it's fully ripe, when the polyphenol concentration is at its maximum. Next comes the differentiating element: the boneless extraction, a process independently patented since 2018, which eliminates oxidation, prevents the addition of water, and keeps all bioactive compounds intact.

But Ecoprolive is not just an oil. All the pulp and by-products from the process also generate the Prebiofenol, our natural olive-based prebiotic 100%, which has been clinically proven to improve gut microbiota and lower cholesterol. In this way, the olive itself enables us to move towards a model of comprehensive, circular and healthy utilisation, centred on the products currently marketed by Ecoprolive.

Why choose the best EVOO in the world for your daily cooking?

Incorporating Ecoprolive extra virgin olive oil into your daily diet is not just a culinary choice; it's a scientifically backed health decision. Use it raw on toast, salads and carpaccios to maximise its polyphenols; or for cooking over moderate heat, where its thermal stability retains much of its properties. A tablespoon a day on an empty stomach is also one of the most widespread wellness practices among those seeking a daily antioxidant boost.

Navarra has been producing olive oil of exceptional quality for centuries. Ecoprolive has taken it to the world podium. If you haven't tried it yet, the Limited Edition is the perfect starting point: restricted production, maximum expression of the Picual and Arróniz varieties, and the seal of the most demanding competition on the planet.

In Isanatur, empresa detrás de ECOPROLIVE, seguimos reforzando nuestro compromiso con la investigación, la innovación alimentaria y el desarrollo de soluciones sostenibles a través de nuestra participación en el proyecto BioDETOX.

Recientemente, formamos parte de la tercera reunión de seguimiento del proyecto, un encuentro clave para compartir avances, revisar el progreso de las actividades en marcha y coordinar los próximos pasos junto al resto de entidades participantes.

BioDETOX, cuyo nombre completo es “Microplásticos y microbiota en la salud cardiometabólica: soluciones biológicas innovadoras para la detección y prevención de tóxicos”, trabaja en el estudio de la exposición a compuestos tóxicos ambientales y de origen endógeno, con el objetivo de avanzar hacia nuevas herramientas de detección, prevención y evaluación del riesgo cardiometabólico.

Para nosotros, participar en esta iniciativa supone una oportunidad para seguir conectando ciencia, sostenibilidad y salud desde una perspectiva aplicada. BioDETOX reúne a centros de investigación, entidades sanitarias, centros tecnológicos y empresas innovadoras en torno a un reto cada vez más relevante: comprender mejor el impacto de determinados compuestos sobre la salud y contribuir al desarrollo de soluciones basadas en el conocimiento científico.

Nuestra participación en el proyecto está alineada con la visión que impulsa ECOPROLIVE: promover modelos de innovación que conecten la valorización de recursos naturales, la sostenibilidad y el desarrollo de ingredientes de alto valor añadido.

Creemos firmemente en el valor de las colaboraciones público-privadas para acelerar la transferencia de conocimiento entre la investigación y la industria. Iniciativas como BioDETOX nos permiten seguir avanzando hacia sistemas alimentarios más saludables, sostenibles y responsables.

Desde ECOPROLIVE celebramos formar parte de este proyecto y continuaremos apostando por iniciativas que refuercen el papel de la innovación como motor de cambio en el sector agroalimentario.

Olive pulp against cancer

On May 6th, the Puente la Reina olive oil mill managed to place two of its four varieties, “”Ecoprolive Limited Edition" And“Ecoprolive Unfiltered, among the 10 healthiest EVOO in the world.

Since its inception, Ecoprolive – Isanatur has remained firmly committed to sustainable production and the health benefits of olives in their various forms, including organic extra virgin olive oil and the natural olive-derived prebiotic 100% (PreBIOfenol). Health benefits versus production volume.

The World's Best Healthy EVOO has been evaluating the healthy qualities of extra virgin olive oils produced worldwide on an annual basis for over a decade. The Ecoprolive 2023-24 harvest has yielded the following results:

Ecoprolive Limited Edition:

– 5th placed in the category of “The world's healthiest Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)”

– 4th placed by your “Healthiest polyphenol composition”

– 5th placed in the category of “Healthier fatty acid composition”.

Ecoprolive Unfiltered

– 10th placed in the category of “The world's healthiest Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)”

 – 7th placed in the category of “Healthier fatty acid composition”.

It is a very special oil, as it is produced from native dry-farmed olives on plantations at altitudes of 400-800m. It is harvested very early and milled without the stone, avoiding filtration and enhancing its flavour and health properties.

In 2021, the Puente la Reina-based firm landed in France and Belgium. And in 2023, it did the same in Canada and Sweden, to which it hopes to add new markets in the future. Specifically, South Korea, Japan and the United States. A remarkable growth spurred by various investments such as a bottling plant, the purchase of two warehouses adjacent to its facilities and the improvement of its processes.

BOSCO HERNÁNDEZ
Pamplona – 23 January, 2024 – 05:58

With a growth rate of 50 %, Isanatur expected to close 2023 with a turnover of 700,000 euros (Photos: Sergio Martín).

It delays ageing, reduces blood pressure and cholesterol, protects the heart, relieves constipation, decreases the risk of cancer, helps with weight loss, and stimulates the brain. It's not called “liquid gold” just for its colour, but also for its immeasurable benefits. The best extra virgin olive oils can have up to 1,000 milligrams per kilogram of antioxidants, substances that protect cells and enhance the immune system.

Using olive pulp as a starting point, the Navarrese company Isanatur, through its brand Ecoprolive, has developed a "superfood" that can reach 50,000 milligrams. This is prebiophenol, a food supplement with countless applications in technology and health, "as it can function as a preservative and stabiliser," Manuel Román, one of Isanatur's main partners, told Navarra Capital. "And it is one hundred percent natural and vegetable, it does not contain any artificial chemical elements," he adds briskly.

In addition, through the Up4Health programme, this Puente la Reina-based company is working with institutions such as the University of Navarra and international centres to corroborate its thesis on the added benefits it can have against certain diseases. "These studies should show us the real consequences on terribly important pathologies such as cardiovascular risk", stresses the Development Director, Mikel Lacunza.

The acquisition of a new bottling plant will facilitate expansion into South Korea, Japan, and the United States.

The annual investment earmarked for this European initiative, which is coordinated by the Navarrese firm, has more than doubled from 200,000 euros in 2021 to 500,000 euros today. In total, the project's budget amounts to 4 million euros, a figure that Isanatur uses to carry out clinical studies and industrial tests that have propelled it to its current position.

GOALS ACHIEVED

After the pandemic, Isanatur set internationalisation as one of its main objectives. As already reported in 2021, it first landed in the south of France and Belgium, while this year it has also landed in Canada and Sweden. It has even received awards in Dubai and Germany. "We are also considering the possibility of reaching South Korea and Japan, because of the importance they give there to health and longevity," says Manuel.

Manuel Román and Antonio Borda are the main partners, while Mikel Lacunza (photo) is the new Development Director.

With a growth rate of 50 % and a turnover of 700,000 euros in 2023, the firm expects to expand its workforce, which currently consists of seven employees, "soon". And it foresees a big leap in 2024 and 2025 thanks to an increase in its sales abroad. To achieve this, the company has opened a new bottling plant; it has acquired two warehouses adjoining its initial facilities, measuring 700 m2 in total; and it has improved the olive pulp extraction process.

In addition, Ecoprolive is working to market its product in the United States, where Joe Biden has not solved the problem caused by the tariffs imposed on Spanish black olives during the Trump Administration. De hecho, Román mantiene conversaciones con sus socios estadounidenses para desembarcar allí en 2025. "As we don't have a pressing need for market share, we can expand like an oil slick," illustrates Lacunza.