Stig has been Senior Brand Manager at Haugen-Gruppen AS, the largest food import company in Norway.

He has worked in the food sector for more than 25 years, in companies such as Nestlé, Mars, and Haugen-Gruppen AS. He started working with olive oil in 2000 when he joined Haugen-Gruppen as a Key Account Manager. He sold olive oil to the main retail chains in Norway. For 15 years he has been a brand manager in the retail sector.

For 3 years he has been a brand manager in the food service sector. In 2015, he took a technical course for olive oil tasters and started training to become a professional taster. He has participated in international meetings for “ONAOO tasters” since 2017.

He has taken part in many olive harvests and presses in Spain, Italy and Greece in the last 12 years to get to know the different “cultures” of olive oil production (from small producers to large ones) and to understand the differences. He has been teaching Norwegians about olive oil by tasting it with managers of big companies, shop managers, journalists, salespeople, and others. He now runs his own company, Lukt, Smak og Nyt (Smell, Taste and Enjoy), teaching consumers how to select and use extra virgin olive oil.

Valentina, born in Verona in 1989, has been studying with ONAOO since 2020. With a degree in Food Science and Technology and ten years of experience in the industry as a quality control specialist, she has developed a strong passion for extra virgin olive oil and its unique flavours and aromas.

To deepen her knowledge and refine her tasting technique, she decided to undertake a training course.

After completing the official technical course and passing the two-year advanced course exam, she earned the qualification of professional taster from ONAOO and is now registered as an international professional taster.

Elia Pellegrino was born in Bari on February 17, 1968, and currently resides in Andria (BT).

He is married with two children and holds a degree in Certified Accountant Programmer. He has been an ONAOO professional taster since 1997. Since 1991, Elia has served as the sole director of Azienda Olearia PELLEGRINO1890 S.r.l. (www.oliopellegrino.it). He is an agricultural entrepreneur operating a one-man business.

In 2022, he assumed the role of president of AIFO (www.associazionefrantoiani.it), succeeding in 2012 when he was elected vice president. Since 2018, he has served as vice president of OP Aproli Bari scarl (www.aproli.it) and board member of Filiera Olivicola Olearia Italiana FOOI. He has been a board member of Consorzio Olio IGP Puglia since 2021.

Patrick J. O’Brien is Director of Marketing for FIORE Artisan Olive Oils & Vinegars, an importer and retailer shop founded by his wife Nancy in Bar Harbor Maine in 2009. FIORE has expanded over the past 13 years with two more retail locations in Maine, three tasting bars and over 40 authorized resellers across the US. An evolution in sourcing began 8 years ago resulting in the acquisition of all FIORE seasonal EVOO from small producers with whom Patrick and Nancy have become friends.

Patrick was gifted the course of study at ONAOO by Nancy and over the past nearly three years has attended classes in Imperia, online and achieved the certification as ONAOO’s Professional Taster entirely in his second language, Italian, which is an additional source of pride in this accomplishment.

Being a Professional Olive Oil Taster brings much pride to the FIORE brand and an unprecedented understanding of olive oil to its customers. Patrick leads the company in sourcing and promoting a wide range of extra virgin olive oils through in-store tasting experiences available to all customers.