Alex, a native food enthusiast and skilled chef from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, runs a restaurant called Alessandro Mediterranean, which offers a wide array of delectable Mediterranean dishes.

Driven by his passion for European cuisine, Alex has also established a European gourmet food store.

This store specializes in various European food products and tableware, with a particular emphasis on Italian cuisine. It aims to bring authentic European flavors to its customers by providing high-quality ingredients, handcrafted products, and elegant silverware, creating a unique dining experience.

Alex honed his skills in this area as a professional olive oil taster by completing his training in ONAOO in 2018. He also serves as a trainer for the Specialty Coffee Association.

With these skills, he ensures that customers receive the finest products and services. To help customers understand European culinary culture better, Alex’s store regularly hosts cooking and coffee classes and wine-tasting events.

These activities allow customers to learn how to create authentic European dishes hands-on and bring the Italian lifestyle to their homes.

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.

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.

I have been an ONAOO Professional Taster since 2017. After obtaining the sensorial license, I have been a member and judge of the Swiss Olive Oil Panel (SOP) at ZHAW School of Life Sciences and Facility Management since 2002.

I have been a judge at the ZHAW International Olive Oil Award since 2002 and in other international competitions.

I am the owner and CEO of “Mitera GmbH”: producer of olive oil of Cretan millennial quality, DNA approved both in Crete and Umbria. I am also a nutritionist.