Born in a country where butter is king and mayonnaise is queen, I was pleasantly surprised by the magnificent taste and pleasantness of extra virgin olive oil during my holidays in south east Crete in the 80s.

At the time, I was working in the product engineering sector in a multinational company, but I was ready for a change.

I started importing this delicious product and I set myself the challenge of letting the people who love butter in my country taste this gift of nature. As a pilot, I knew it was possible to fly without an engine, but not without knowledge and skills. I quickly realized that additional support was needed to achieve my goals.

So I knocked on ONAOO’s door. Thanks to the dedication of the teachers, I embarked on a fascinating 3-year learning path.

I enjoyed developing my skills and knowledge and thanks to this support I have seen my business grow. Through retail, restaurant, direct sales and the web shop, I distribute two superb brands of extra-virgin olive oil, one Greek and one Spanish. “Olijfwinkel.be” is my starting point, alongside my company “Techtel.be”.

Marco’s academic credentials—a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Banking, a Master’s degree in Family Mediation, and twenty years of work at a banking institution—did not dissuade him from pursuing a new career path in 2016.

His roots were firmly planted in his family’s olive grove in upper Tuscia (meaning the Viterbese area and generally upper Lazio). From an early age, this location represented leisure, feasting, and conviviality during the harvesting and oil production seasons.

As he matured, he embarked on a new adventure with the goal of emulating his Etruscan ancestors, the first true ambassadors of the culture of olive oil of exceptional quality. He pursued his education primarily through the large family of ONAOO and in March 2022, he graduated as a Professional Taster.

For the past three years, he has been based in Bavaria, where he runs a business offering both advisory services to specialty retailers and restaurateurs and the import and sale of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

I do talks and public tastings for a variety of organisations including the UK Italian Trade Agency, FarmEd and prestigious cooking schools such as the Anna Tasca Lanza school in Sicily. I consult for food and olive farming businesses in the UK.

I am looking forward to sharing my experience in the UK, and to continue to learn with my colleagues at ONAOO.

Adriano was born in 1976 in Caniparola di Fosdinovo (MS) and has been a partner in the family business “Frantoio Moro” in Caniparola di Fosdinovo (MS) since 1996.

This activity allowed him to quickly learn the advantages and disadvantages of olive oil and to know much about this complex subject in a direct and detailed way, comparing him with the different territorial realities and Italian production in general. In 1999 he became an ONAOO member by attending the technical course for aspiring olive oil tasters.

Since 2002 he has been an ONAOO Professional Taster. Every year he participates in the refresher courses organized by ONAOO, where he has had the opportunity to learn about the whole world olive oil scene, evaluating the different organoleptic characteristics of each area of origin. Since 2012 he has been a member of the Tasting Committee of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce (Mipaaf recognition).

In 2015 with the achievement of eligibility for the activity he is Head Panel at the Chamber of Commerce of Pisa. He is also a juror in national tasting commissions.