Özden Gözlüklü Saka, a graduate of Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir with a degree in Business Administration, completed an MBA at the University of Sunderland’s London campus.

She currently serves on the executive committee of the Women Entrepreneurs of the Aydın Chamber of Industry and is also a member of the Women in Agriculture cooperative in Kuşadası/Aydın. She maintains her professional involvement with her family business, HAUS Centrifuge Technologies, a manufacturer of olive oil extraction machines in Turkey.

The company, which is a leading industry benchmark, is now in its third generation of family ownership. As a key member of the family business, she played a pivotal role in establishing a state-of-the-art olive oil production and research and development facility in Kuşadası/Aydın. Additionally, Özden is the founder and manager of the Defnelia extra virgin olive oil brand, which is distributed both in-store at the factory and through an online sales platform.

She takes great pride in being able to explain to her customers the importance of quality olive oil, a topic that has been a lifelong interest of hers, beginning with her childhood when she helped her mother with the olive harvest. Her personal connection to the product prompts her to appreciate the significant effort and dedication required to harvest and process olives into olive oil, a process she considers highly valuable. Özden completed her training, having begun the ONAOO technical course in 2022 in Palermo. In 2024, she earned the qualification of professional taster, which will strengthen her commitment to the industry. It will also allow her to further deepen and raise awareness of tasting techniques and interpretation of olive oil’s organoleptic characteristics.

Professional Taster since 2024

Professional Taster since 2024

Catherine Fogel has been engaged in the field of gastronomy since 2002. In the same year, she met ONAOO and became a taster.

She subsequently completed a course for panel leaders organized by ONAOO in 2005, attaining the qualification of panel leader. In 2018, having completed an advanced educational course, she obtained the ONAOO Professional Taster qualification. In 2008, Catherine founded “Olivoteque” to present quality olive oils to consumers (www.Olivoteque.com).

She also provides consulting services to several companies in Europe, assisting with the administration and sourcing of high-quality products. Since 2004, Catherine has been a judge in several gastronomic competitions, including the World Cheese Awards, which she has been involved with since 2008. She is also a member of the Guild of International Cheesemongers.

In 2011, she was appointed Ambassador for the Scandinavian countries. In 2021, she was appointed Chevalier de L’Ordre du Merite Agricole by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food. She frequently collaborates with numerous renowned European chefs.