Leonidas Komvokis is a resident and business owner in Drama, East Macedonia and Thrace.
He is an agricultural and olive entrepreneur. He is an olive pruner and has participated in several professional olive pruning courses organized by the A.S.S.A.M. School (Marche). In 2016, Leonidas became a member of ONAOO, where he began his training. In January 2020, he completed his studies by obtaining the Professional Taster Qualification.
Leonidas believes that a deep understanding of the elements of olive oil quality is an effective way forward in the field of olive growing and entrepreneurship. He provides olive oil quality consulting services as well as olive tree pruning and management services on a contract basis. In recent years, the company has focused on developing a project with the planting of 20 hectares of organic olive trees and varieties exclusively indigenous to the area.
The goal is to highlight these varieties and create monovarietal oils of unique quality, showcasing the quality characteristics of the area and the POLYCONIC VASE-shaped management model that can guarantee the highest quality of olive oil. Quality is a core value that guides our commitment to the environment, consumers, and the reputation of our organization, which is represented by the ONAOO.
From 1988 to 1993 Sandro worked as a Buyer for “Despar Ceda Srl”. From 1993 to 1999 he worked as Category Manager for “Reggiana Alimentari”.
Since 1999 he has been Category Manager for “NORDICONAD”. From 2017 to 2020 he was Director for FIORFIORE CASH & CARRY Srl. From 2021 to 2022, he is Category Manager for CURACASA; from August 2022, he is the contact person for CONAD NORDOVEST Sales Management with the Localism Project.
Sandro has also been an ONAOO Professional Taster since 2012 and he is on the regional and national lists of olive oil experts.
Ellen Wu is a Professional Taster of ONAOO since 2013. She imports olive oil in Taiwan. She handles marketing and education in her company.
She teaches olive oil tasting classes to chefs, salespeople, consumers, teachers, and students.
She wants to educate people and consumers about different olive oil products. She must also teach Taiwanese people about the nutrition and health benefits of extra virgin olive oil, and help them understand different types of olive oils based on their taste.
In 2018, Wilma finished her training at the ONAOO. She was in charge of buying Mediterranean products, including olive oil. Being Dutch, she didn’t know much about olive oil and found a school in Italy.
She loved it so much that she left her job and started working in the olive oil business. She also trained as a sommelier in New York and a master miller in Jaen. She asked the Ministry to appoint her as panel leader at the European Union. She wrote the book “Olive Oil,” which has been translated into English, French, and German.
Her book encourages olive oil lovers to meet in Imperia. O.N.A.O. is a big family! He also founded the Olive Oil Institute, which has a panel of fifteen members, most of whom were trained by O.N.A.O.O. The Institute has an electronic nose, so that testing can be done objectively. Some universities are also trying a similar method. This should improve quality overall. But the panel will always exist because human judgment is needed.
Marco Gandolfi has been a member of the organization since 1991.
He is particularly interested in oil tasting and has been involved in this area since 1992, when he became a Professional Tasting Member. He has been a member of the ONAOO Official Panel since 2004 and has obtained the qualification of Panel Leader.
By participating annually in refresher courses organized by ONAOO, he has had the opportunity to deepen his knowledge and satisfy his curiosity about the vast world of olive oil. Over the years, he has participated as a judge in important national and international competitions.
Training as professional olive oil tasters is not only a personal pleasure: the universe that revolves around olive oil and its supply chain also offers a wide range of job, growth and specialization opportunities.
The advanced course allows you to consolidate and deepen your knowledge of oil tasting and obtain the qualification of ONAOO Professional Taster, but above all, to be included in the "International Register of Professional Tasters".
Participants learn about varieties, processing, and sensory tasting, with practical exercises under the guidance of experts.
Participants are invited to recognize strengths, weaknesses, qualities and organoleptic characteristics of the various oils
