Bad Gleichenberg: Young producer wins pumpkin seed oil champion 2024/25
Bad Gleichenberg: Young producer wins pumpkin seed oil champion 2024/25
The pumpkin seed oil champion, a highly renowned competition, once again emphasized the best producers in the country. This year's award ceremony took place in the state vocational school in Bad Gleichenberg. The 23-year-old Clemens Lackner from Söding, who won the title of the best pumpkin seed oil producer in 2024/25, emerged as a brilliant winner. With his work, he not only demonstrated his skills, but also set a new record by becoming the youngest winner in the history of this competition.
Clemens Lackner can look back on a traditional family history in the pumpkin seed oil cultivation; His family already provided the 2012/13 champion and made it into the top 20 producers several times. His secrets? Passion and the extensive knowledge that he learned from his father, Wilfried Lackner, from sowing to harvesting and further processing of the pumpkin seeds. Both attach great importance to the soil quality, which is considered an essential basis for excellent pumpkin seed oil.
The best oil mills
The producer is not only important for the harvest itself, but also the entire production chain. The "Oilmühle Kaufmann" from St. Veit in southern Styria was recognized as "oil mill in 2025". She convinced by the submitted and excellent pumpkin seed oils, which the jurors recognized as outstanding. The Kaufmann team puts a lot of effort into every step, starting with the harvest up to careful processing of the grains.
second place in the competition took Hubert and Elke Ottenbacher from Mureck, which shone particularly through their careful cleanliness and tact in the entire production chain. Her philosophy "A good Styrian pumpkin seed oil is not a raspberry juice" illustrates how seriously you take the quality of your products.
quality features of pumpkin seed oil
The jury, consisting of over 30 renowned chefs and experts, took into account various factors when evaluating: These include the color, viscosity, the smell and the taste of the oil. A first -class pumpkin seed oil should be dark green with a light reddish shimmer, flow over the spoon and exude a fresh, nutty fragrance.
The newcomers Martina and Andreas Eberhardt, who were included in the ranks of the top 20 graybisk nucleus with their third place, emphasize the importance of quality in every step of the process since their introduction to production in 1992.
The attachment sites for the Styrian oil pumpkins were favored this year by the warm weather and the good rainfall. According to chairman Franz Labugger, the kernels promise excellent quality. Nevertheless, the prices could increase moderately due to increased production and operating costs- a topic that interests many consumers.
For the region and the pumpkin seed oil producers, the championship was not only an opportunity to celebrate talents, but also a confirmation of the quality and tradition associated with the Styrian pumpkin seed oil. More details can be found on the competition www.meinbezirk.at .