He has been Senior Brand Manager at Haugen-Gruppen AS, the largest food import company in Norway, with particular attention to the import, sales and marketing of internationally known brands.

Working in the food sector for more than 25 years, in companies such as Nestlé, Mars and Haugen-Gruppen AS.

The interest in olive oil began when he joined Haugen-Gruppen in 2000, with the role of Key Account Manager, with the job of selling olive oil to the main retail chains in Norway. For 15 years he has played the role of brand manager in the retail sector and for 3 years he has been brand manager in the Food Service sector.

He attended a technical course for olive oil tasters in 2015 and immediately afterwards he started his training to become Professional Taster ONAOO 2016. Been participated in International Meetings for “ONAOO tasters” since 2017. He has participated in several olive collections and pressing in Spain, Italy and Greece over the past 12 years, to learn about the different “cultures” in olive oil production (from small producers to large-scale productions) and to understand the differences.

With his knowledge he has been carrying out olive oil tasting with managers of the main chains (both in the Food Service sector and in the retail sector), shop managers, journalists, private sales organizations, and individuals as often as possible, trying to make the Norwegians understand what extra virgin olive oil really is.

Now he runs his own company Lukt, smak og nyt (smell, taste and enjoy) teaching consumers how to select and use extra virgin olive oil as a part time job and hobby.

Born in England, but she has lived in Italy for over 35 years. After obtaining a degree in history, she began working in tourism.

Her passion for olives started with the olive grove around her hotel on Lake Como. Later, due to a challenge with her husband, she decided to open an olive mill high in the mountains at 1816 meters in Livigno. From there, she began her adventure in the world of extra virgin olive oil with her company O’Liv.

Prior to establishing the company, he attended ONAOO’s technical course in 2020 to expand his knowledge. During the course, she developed a passion for oil tasting and qualified to join the national list of virgin and extra virgin olive oil technicians and experts in 2022. Following the two-year advanced training course, she became a professional olive oil taster in 2024.

She frequently attends ONAOO’s tasting sessions as she believes that training is essential for personal and professional growth as a taster.

Catherine Fogel has been in the world of food since 2002. She is Sourcing & Purchasing Manager of the C&E Gastro-Import Group Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

She is also the founder of Olivoteque. In 2005 she obtained the diploma of Panel Leader in a course at ONAOO. Catherine also deals with education in the world of olive oil. Catherine is part of a Cooking School and is a Professional Chef.

She is also Cheeses Maître for “Guilde International des Fromagers” in 2008 and 2011. She is an ambassador for the Scandinavian countries. In 2004 she was Judge for international food and cooking competitions.

In 2018 Catherine obtained the Qualification of ONAOO Professional Taster.

Besides her management career as a Civil Engineer and Economist, Ilknur pursued her ambition to learn more about the plants and herbs of her native Turkey and their nutritional importance since 2004, gaining degrees in Agriculture and Culinary Arts.

Growing up on the Aegean coast of Anatolia amongst ancient olive groves led her become a Certified Olive Oil Sommelier and in 2019 started her educational path in the ONAOO School ended in 2022 becoming a Professional Taster.

She currently conducts masterclasses and is a consultant on the subject of the Mediterranean lifestyle, specializing in olive oil tasting and its use in cooking since she’s a Chef.

She’s also a Business Consultant based in UK.